Eco-Friendly Digital Printing for CD Duplication

At CDwest.ca we recognize our responsibility as a good corporate citizen and global citizen, so we have invested in the equipment, processes and materials to provide sustainable and environmentally-friendly printing solutions for our clientele.

Digital Printing Technology

The evolution of digital printing has made fundamental changes in the printing process. Printing is an industrial process but digital printing is a computerized process which is, by its very nature, less demanding of resources and less wasteful than conventional print.

Digital printing has eliminated many stages of traditional printing that were time, energy and resource-consuming, and were accompanied by liquid and solid waste and fumes, some of which require specialist treatment for disposal. The use of chemistry for film and plate processing is eliminated with digital print, as is the substantial waste of materials used in the 'make ready' stage of offset printing.

Digital printing enables shorter run lengths and turnaround times which leads to less consumption and waste - it is estimated that prior to the advent of digital printing as much as 56% of all print was thrown away unused.

Dealing With Sources of Printer Related Waste

▪ Imaging Oil: The imaging oil used in conjunction with the Indigo's ElektroInk can be disposed of using normal means - it does not require special handling for disposal. To cut down on the consumption of imaging oil in the printing process the Indigo Printer recycles its own oil and, as an added enhancement to that feature, at CDwest.ca we clean and re-use our imaging oil to further extend its life.

▪ Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): During the printing process, volatile organic compounds are released from inks. None of the Indigo inks or other supplies used in the Indigo printing process contain substances that are listed on the US Federal list of Hazardous Air Pollutants as established by the Federal Clean Air Act, or the European Union's VOC Directive.

▪ Ozone Exposure: Ozone exposure levels in the workplace are subject to control and regulation across the world. The Indigo Printer produces ozone at low levels, generated by the scorotron and charge roller that charges the photoreceptor. In regular operation, ozone peak levels are found to be well below the international occupational health standard of 100ppb for an eight-hour exposure level.

Additional sources of waste include empty ink cartridges, used imaging blankets, Binary Ink Developer (BID) and cleaning rags. Under U.S. Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criteria, none of these waste products are classified as hazardous waste and so they can be disposed of by normal means.

The Inks We Use For Digital Printing

▪ The "ElektroInk" used by the Indigo Printer is the single most recognizable difference between the Indigo and all other forms of digital printing. Most digital printers use dry toner, but because the Indigo uses liquid ink it is much more able to reproduce the quality "look and feel" of offset print than other forms of digital print.

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Choose CDwest.ca for factory-direct CD manufacturing and CD duplication services along with the best in eco-friendly print and packaging solutions.
 
With offices and replication facility located in Surrey, B.C. (a suburb of Vancouver) we ship to clients throughout Canada daily.
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