Hamlin Design philosophy.
In addition to providing outstanding graphic art at Hamlin Design, we believe in saving our planet as much as possible. We feel that by incorporating "green design" where applicable, we are taking steps in doing so. By utilizing digital technology we can reduce the amount of paper generated over the course of a project. Proofing projects via email with PDF's also helps save our clients time and money.
Green graphic design.
Printers and Graphic Designers have long lived in entwined chaos, each attempting to interpret the electronic wizards living within their individual computing systems. Logic suggests that adding environmental concerns to this equation will only serve to exasperate this already malfunctioning system. Fortunately for Green Graphic Designers (and printers), these days are long gone. Gone are the days we send our designs into the ether hoping to receive perfect pieces of printed matter on the other end.
Guidelines to get you started.
Start the discussion early.
Calibrate your equipment to facilitate print accuracy.
Enable the use of PDF proofs.
Consider where your materials come from and save energy (fuel consumption in transport).
Stick to standards: paper sizes, standard die-cutting options.
Specify the Greenest paper possible [totally chlorine free (TFC), post industrial recycled content, post consumer recycled content, FSC certified, recycled fabric content, tree-free paper (Kenaf, or Hemp)].
Questions for your printer.
Does your printer use Alternative Energy to power their equipment?
Do they outsource jobs or complete everything in house? Eliminate energy use in transport.
Are they (or their papers) FSC or ISO 14000 certified?
Do they use Process-less printing plates? (This cuts down on those nasty photo sensitive toxics, and replaces them with inert carbon and tap water.)
How do they chose their ‘green ink’ (non-toxic, non-metallic, vegetable based, soy based?)
Do they choose Inks, Coatings, Press Wash, etc. with low VOC content?
Cleanliness of facilities: do they dispose of their ink excess and materials properly?
Working together.
We realize that not all projects lend themselves to using green design due to cost restraints or delivery time frame. Using standard die shapes when possible and optimizing print sizes to reduce paper waste is highly encouraged.