Don't be cynical about biodegradability....

We all need to be "green" yet we voice skepticism on what we don't understand.  

Unfortunately, the nature of a human being is to question or to doubt. That is a good thing, to be cautious, to be curious or to require an explanation.   A product is labeled degradeable/biodegradeable, because it is.  They achieve this by putting TDPA additives into the plastic (Totally Degradable Plastic Additives).  

Let me give a very basic explanation of degradeability and biodegradability. These are two separate processes that occur while turning a TDPA treated plastic into a bio-mass. After a plastic is discarded, TDPA's are activated by oxygen and UV rays to break down into smaller molecules that can be wettable.  This degradation process will begin in 1.5 to 2 years after a plastic is discarded.  When the molecules are small enough biodegradation begins and tiny micro-organisms consume the smaller plastic fragments until the process is complete, leaving a harmless goo.  Even buried in a landfill the TDPA plastic gets the combination of heat, moisture or oxygen necessary to complete biodegradation.

I personally have attended more than one product presentation where the rep touted the "green" aspect of their product but didn't "believe" it.  How did I know this?  Because they said so or made a suggestive facial gesture (hard to catch those facial gestures for posterity on an audio recording!)

After I left the meeting I was confused and curious.  Why did I just leave this education feeling like somebody is not telling the truth?  Why would the company put that "green" statement on their product if it wasn't?  Where did that person's negativity come from?

Well, I let these thoughts float in and out of my mind for the past couple of years now.  Every now and then I'd see a commercial, run across another advertisement or product that caused my doubts and curiosity to resurface.  Then I got a phone call and the conversation centered around concerns, doubts and skepticism about a particular product and this very subject.  I did not have the answers so I decided to get some.

I called suppliers and spoke to their internal representatives about their "green" statements and I was both enlightened and reassured.  There were studies done and reports written on results by qualified individuals (like engineers and scientists).  I figured this was the case and it was good to hear that it was.

Where has the skepticism come from?  From people not believing a TDPA plastic will complete the process in a landfill. However, it will and it does because it still has the ingredients it needs to get the job done.  Lastly, lets make a comparison: traditional plastic item in landfill takes 250-300 years.  A TDPA plastic item in a landfill takes maybe 5 years? Hmmmmmmm....a TPDA plastic disappears harmlessly over 50 times faster than a traditional plastic.  I bet anyone that understands this will find lots of inspiration to be a "green" advocate.

Word to all the product salespeople out there...understand what you are representing, then shout its praises.  We all know it costs a couple of cents more but don't let your customer focus on just the price, our world needs your help to get this "green" thing going!

Colors Got You Confused? You're Not the Only One!

More and more in our business, customers are requesting multi-color imprints on their items, including 4 color process. Coming from the printing industry, 4C process is old hat to me, but after a few conversations this past week, I realized that the term, 4 Color Process, is pretty foreign to a lot of people. So here's a real down and dirty explanation:

Spot Color: The printer uses pre-mixed inks which already match your specific PMS color (Pantone Matching System).

4C Process: The printer uses a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks (CMYK), at varying shades and combinations to create the colors. This type of printing is mainly used to reproduce color photos, but can be used to reproduce any multi-color imprint.

So, why use one over the other? The simple answer is, "It depends."

Spot color is best to guarantee the closest match to your desired color. However, if you've got color photos, graphics with certain graduations, color mixes, multiple colors, or elements that touch, spot color either might not work at all, or be very expensive to use. With spot color imprints, you'll usually pay a set up charge and run charge for every extra color used. That can really add up if you've got an 8 color logo!

4 Color Process is best when you have elements that touch or overlap, complicated or intricate graphics, multiple colors, or need to keep your price more manageable – USUALLY! It all depends on the supplier for the item. Some suppliers have the capability to use digital imprinting. This usually removes additional set up charges and run charges. However, if the supplier uses more traditional printing methods, using plates for every color, 4 color printing can be much more expensive.

So what is the difference between digital printing and traditional printing? Think of digital printing similar to your inkjet printer (though much higher quality). Items printed with this method have the color inks sprayed onto the item, guided by a computer file.

Traditional printing methods require the image to be burned onto printing plates, then those plates mounted to a press which has the inks loaded in fountains. Then the printing is done one pass at a time for each of the 4 process colors. As the inks build up on the item one at a time, the color builds until it's in it's final format. As you can imagine, this process takes more time and man hours to produce, plus the materials are costly.

Digital 4C process imprinting is becoming increasingly popular in our industry, but it's still not widely available. Currently, there only a handful of suppliers that offer it, though more and more are seeing the value in adding it. If you've got a multi-color imprint that will need 4C process imprinting, we'll do our best to find a supplier that can do it, at a reasonable price, and hopefully, on the item you want.

Next time, I'll try to make sense out of some other printing and color-related issues you might face when imprinting!

Why I Am "The Works J"

Because I do it all -- except sales that is! You'll probably never see me in person, but I'm constantly working behind the scenes, making sure everything is running smoothly. Which is exactly where I like to be – the total opposite of Jen!

I process and followup on all orders, take care of all the accounting, and manage the day to day activities of running an office. I also have extensive graphic arts experience, so I can get your artwork set up, or advise you on what needs to be done. Any details that need tended to, I'm there to get it done.

That's me, The Works J!