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Choosing the Right Sustainable Paper for Your Print Project

I personally work off a score card, so to speak. Which is some red elements that you should not do, which is virgin uncertified fiber, for example. So there's some green points, recycled content is one of those. FSC SFI certified paper. But that is a lot of work to set something up for each project. So to keep it really short and simple, my recommendation is always use some form of post consumer waste and certified fiber, whether it SFI, FSC, or PFC certified fiber and that is the bottom line of what you should do when it comes to sustainable paper.
Written by Doc , Contributor

Doc's old friend and paper maven Sabine Lenz runs a terrific Website for designers called Paper Specs which is the premiere online source of paper information, specifications, and even samples. The site has data on over 4,000 different types of paper for every sort of print job.

Because more and more printing is done on site these days in high-powered MFP devices, Doc thinks everyone could use an education in paper, especially the more eco-friendly kind.

So here's a link to a video interview with Sabine all about choosing sustainable paper. Just part of what she has to say:

I personally work off a score card, so to speak.  Which is some red elements that you should not do, which is virgin uncertified fiber, for example.  So there's some green points, recycled content is one of those. FSC SFI certified paper.  But that is a lot of work to set something up for each project.  So to keep it really short and simple, my recommendation is always use some form of post consumer waste and certified fiber, whether it SFI, FSC, or PFC certified fiber and that is the bottom line of what you should do when it comes to sustainable paper.

At the Paper Spec site, you can also download a free e-book titled "19 Ways to Cut Your Paper Costs," and discover tons of other paper tips. Doc says if you work with paper, check it out.

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