Making a brochure is one thing everyone is able to do today with all of the countless brochure producing software out there on the Web. People that don’t have enough time or even the desire of creating their very own brochures may always use a printing company that offers brochure printing, as well as postcard printing and greeting card printing, that can be found both offline and online at an affordable price. Having said that, it’s these essential tips to develop a high quality brochure that need to be taken into account when coming up with a brochure.

1. Prior to making your brochure, gather and analyze other brochures distributed in your area. Uncover precisely what causes a particular style and design to be more captivating than the others. By thoroughly researching other designs, it is possible to acquire your own feeling of excellent design so that you can come up with an attractive brochure. Upon having a concept of exactly what the brochure ought to look like, you must determine which type of people that you intend to distribute your brochure to once it is printed. Pick a typeface that is most suitable for the style you want, such as a professional, funny or informal one, along with maintaining a straightforward message. Avoid using more than two fonts in the brochure as this tends to distract readers from grasping the core subject matter.

2. Determine which details are essential and organize it according to its value. Produce several drafts of the brochure layout until you can completely visualize where all of the information will be placed. Use design elements like boxes only when highlighting the most important content so that it is easy to follow. Have a friend or fellow employee take a look at your draft concept and ask them if it appears to flow in a logical order that is easy to follow along. You can even ask them what was the main message they extracted from the brochure to ensure you have a proper layout.

3. When designing a brochure it is common to feel the desire to make use of the page and fill up the entire space, however it is best to avoid doing so. When you leave empty space on the page and maintain a simple layout it helps deliver the message to the reader without any confusion. Pictures and graphics are useful, but too many will make the brochure look messy as well as distract the reader from the main purpose.

4. You will find a huge selection of colors available for brochure printing, but the best performing brochures are almost always designed in just one or two colors. Occasionally, grayscale brochures end up being far more stunning than colored brochures. Do not forget that the expense of printing must be evaluated when selecting colors for your brochure. More colors usually means a higher printing cost, but at the same time if your brochure is in need of many colors to generate results and improve your business then avoid trying to cut the costs here. After deciding on the colors, you will need to choose the type of paper for your brochure. Paper is also available in many different colors, dimensions and materials. If you are trying to go green in your business or organization then you may look at using recycled paper. Recycled paper is an ideal way to cut down on the amount of natural resources you use and it’s also a wonderful way to promote yourself these days as more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious. Use recycled paper when doing brochure printing, postcard printing or greeting card printing, and you will certainly stand out with your audience.

5. Upon finishing the design and picking the typeface and paper for your brochure, you must always proofread and analyze your brochure. Go through it quite a few times prior to getting it printed because once it is printed you won’t be able to fix any mistakes you might catch afterwards. As mentioned earlier, it is a good idea to have another person you trust to critically evaluate the final layout and provide their honest opinion. After you have rigorously review the brochure and feel content, then contact the printing company and begin having it printed.

Keep these points in mind when creating the perfect brochure design and you too will have an effective brochure that produces action, brings results and drastically improves your business or organization.

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In a newly eco-conscious business world, an environmentally friendly image can make the difference between profit and loss. One of the quickest and most effective ways to let your customers know your business is environmentally friendly is using an eco-friendly printer for your marketing materials, especially for brochure printing.

Being environmentally conscious as a business has become a mark of a forward thinking, responsible and profitable businesses. Besides helping the environment, using eco-friendly brochures is a cost effective, efficient way for new businesses to attract consumers with their environmentally friendly image, or for old businesses to update and improve their image.

It only takes something as small as a tiny icon on the back of your brochure to give consumers the impression of an eco-friendly business. Many images, such as the ubiquitous recycling label or the tree shaped “post consumer waste” label are commonly recognized and are the fastest way to promote an environmentally friendly image. Since people tend to hang onto brochures anyway, it is easy to capitalize on that image by putting a note on the back asking consumers to recycle their brochure when they are finished with it, or making it out of a material that is easily reusable for another purpose.

Eco-friendly materials have come along way from simple recycled paper. Rather than simply relying on color printing to grab consumers’ attention, why not use a more visually and tactilely attractive material? Many higher end eco-friendly printing shops can provide paper made out of materials as exotic as banana plants, coffee, or even rocks. Using such an unusual material for brochure printing can be really eye catching to consumers and opens up the door for very creative marketing that sticks with customers.

Even more traditional brochures can still promote an eco-friendly image by using environmentally friendly inks. Made of sustainable materials like corn and soy, these inks provide the same quality of color printing as traditional inks, and can be a subtle, but effective way to include an environmentally friendly aspect to your marketing. In the long run, using eco-friendly inks or an eco-friendly printer can even save money, as the ink cartridges are refillable and reusable.

With all the benefits of traditional brochure marketing, eco-friendly brochures are a clearly effective marketing tool. While still affordable for companies, eco-friendly brochures are not only an attractive way of marketing, but also give consumers more confidence in your company.

A www.greenprinteronline.com dispatch.

Think back to the ads you actually remember. The infamous Mac versus PC ones. The award-winning Mr. W ad with a touching twist. More than likely, the videos were made by former professionals in the film industry. Not convinced?

Just check out the list of credits behind the two to three minute YouTube teasers on GreenWorldAds. Many hail from a history of doing independent film work or music videos.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is Green.tv, an impressive green media channel produced by the UK based agency Large Blue. In contrast to their (sometimes) struggling film counterparts, their need to tell stories through film emerged from a corporate communications need. “Whether offline or online, we create films that cut through,” their mission states. Large Blue’s clients include Mark and Spencers (M&S), Adidas, Cisco, DeLoitte, UNEP and HSBC.

On the other side of the fence, YouTube and the film industry have long had a love/hate relationship. Yet,  according to Kristen Schweizer for Bloomberg and YouTube’s development manager Anthony Zameczkowski’s “we’re more than just dogs on skateboards” comment, YouTube and the film industry can co-exist peacefully. Even prosperously.

This week, on a more local level, Green Printer profiles Michelle Galley of Mighty Pixel Productions (MPP) on her first hand experience working in the multi-media, digital and motion graphics industry.

1. MPP is a multi-media design house, what kinds of work have you done in the past for your clients?
We have had the pleasure of working on a music video that involved us creating a digital animation scene and various graphic shots. We have also had two great clients for an independent film work recently, both had very exciting projects that they are submitting into various film festivals.

2. What do you wish more clients are doing in terms of motion graphics that was bold and out of the box?
I would love to see more motion graphics on websites…and I would also love to see more fun and exciting corporate video presentations and training videos.

3. What organization or brand do you think would benefit from a dose of multi-media and why?
The Canadian TV show “Street Patrol” as well as Canada’s “Body Break with Hal Johnson and Joanne Mcleod” need a little spice! They need some updating. I also think we need videos in our hospitals for children and the elderly who are going into surgery (or going through cancer). This helps to explain what to expect as well as general information that helps to explain what they are going through and how they can possibly help themselves feel better.

4. Why was it important for Mighty Pixel Productions to “green” its printing and purchasing?
We believe that everyone should contribute in some way to help sustain our world, be it big or small, every step counts. So this is one of our contributions.

5. What do you see in the multi-media design industry that could be designed better and with sustainability in mind?
A broader version of that is for all computer users to remember to conserve energy as much as possible with their power consumption, just be more aware.

6. What’s next for Mighty Pixel Productions?
We are currently in the works for a promotional video presentation from a corporate client…

Want to know how much greenhouse gas, trees and wastewater you can save by using affordable, eco-friendly paper products? Find out and keep track of your organization’s environmental savings today by adding Green Printer’s Eco-Calculator widget code to your blog or website.

A Green Printer interview with Carmen Spagnola, entrepreneur and owner of m.

1. What made you want to start m?
I started m because I was a frustrated consumer.  I decided that  if I want to have access to smarter, more beautifully designed, more  responsible products and amenities for my home and family, I was going to have to create more demand.  Markets are a bit of a chicken-and-egg  relationship.  Many retailers will tell you that they only provide  what their customers want.  That is only part of my modus operandi. I want to showcase the possibility of a better performing future, so  much of what I sell and promote is currently considered ahead of the market.  But how will the market know what it wants if we don’t inspire it to want more?

2. For whom do you choose the beautiful home accessories, furniture and sleep materials for (i.e. your ‘ideal consumer’). What pieces are you currently in love with?
Essentially I choose the products we sell for me and my daughter. I absolutely must have beauty around me so you won’t come to my house and find anything that looks like burlap.  I always buy with an eye for families and householders.  Maybe I am projecting, but I like the idea that both men and women, as well as their children, will enjoy  the sophistication but also feel extremely comfortable in a home outfitted by m. Our house has sofas that are completely  synthetic-free and chemical-free, yet always has people and pets lounging on them.  Every bed is completely natural, as well, and guests always rave about their amazing sleep and how soft the organic sheets are.  It’s a real point of pride that I think everybody wants to feel about their home so I sell what I like and think my family and guests would like.

3. How has m-smart design evolved as a business since it first began? What has surprised you the most?
Our evolution has been mostly on the products front.  Our philosophy around ethical purchasing and business practices has strengthened but certainly not wavered or been curtailed, even in this economic climate.  Mostly, I have moved towards an increased focus on what I feel are the best investments for the dollar in a healthy home: natural mattresses, pillows and bedding.  From a health perspective, there simply isn’t anything in your home, not even in the built environment, in my opinion, that will affect your health more than the constant contact you have with what you sleep on every night.  It has become a  personal mission to educate and create more critical consumers in this area.

4. As an entrepreneur sharing advice with other entrepreneurs, what marketing or PR strategies worked and didn’t work for you?
I don’t believe in advertising.  On a personal level, I feel that magazines should cost somewhere more in the range of $75-$100 per issue because of the embodied energy and the costs of their entire lifecycle, and offer strong content by subscription, but instead businesses offset them through useless advertising.  Even other media leave me skeptical.  Except perhaps for the Mac ads on tv, I can’t think of a single item that I ever went out of my way to purchase because of an ad.  Social marketing and consumer-driven branding is definitely the way to go moving forward.  Letting go of controlling your message is risky and not for the faint of heart, but offers much stronger buy-in from your tribe in the long run.  I am a big fan of the Cluetrain Manifesto.  Almost ten years on, it is still a fantastic caveat for all businesses considering how to communicate with their target market.

5. I really like the edgy, unapologeticaly political page on your company site as well as the story of your daughter as an inspiration. Can you tell me about these two pages on your site?
I don’t consider myself a radical or particularly political.  But I do have very strong feelings, and occasionally make position statements, about the way our society devalues social capital and natural capital.  I am definitely in business to be part of the transition to what I feel is a more sustainable, and I would venture
to say, for most people a more palatable, way of doing business in the future.  And by future I actually mean present.  I am very impatient about the glacially slow progress of business towards more integrated and holistic values, regional and local practice, towards longer legacy-thinking, more robust capacity-building and a higher standard of performance.  If I am on one more panel addressing the question of
ROI on ‘green’ business, I think I will scream like that guy in the movie ‘Network’.  Do we really have to ask ourselves anymore if something is worth it when it is so obviously a moral imperative? Sheesh.

6. The cliche question: what do you wish you knew then (the year you started your business) that you knew now?
Obviously I wish I knew that the whole economic system was in palliative care before I decided to open up shop in a very expensive  bricks-and-mortar location.  We are moving most of our business online right now and will have a smaller showroom housed within another friendly ‘green’ business by the fall, having closed our West Vancouver shop.  I see a new iteration of online retailing coming. Something that allows retailers to present their products alongside other businesses in shared space, or perhaps flex space or even seasonal pop-up locations as a growing trend.  I guess I would say that this kind of innovation is why I am in business, to make the whole system better.  The only thing I wish I had known more clearly when I opened was just how bad the system was to begin with and how urgently solutions and new ideas are needed!

A www.greenprinteronline.com dispatch.

This week, we scoured Google, we marveled and finally chose three design resources, trends and case studies from around the globe that inspire in their boundary pushing work. You’ll probably re-think using the colour green in your branding palette. And that’s a good thing.

1. Did you ever wonder what all those old marketing posters for saving the endangered spotted owls could be made out of? In 1980s, you could have conjured nasty words like ’subterranean chemicals’ or ‘volatile organic compounds‘ (VOCs).

Today, with accelerated greenwash scrutiny and green fatique, design and marketing firms are taking a lead on using sustainable paper, non-VOC inks and eco-friendly printing methods.  And then, there is Curb, a U.K. media agency who is taking environmental ads to its original, deep roots.

And, no, I’m not talking about just bamboo paper or soy inks. Curb works with ephemeral materials like turf, snow and most recently…sea water.

Their by far coolest experiment is their stenciled ads for a London aquarium. “Because salt water evaporates more slowly than fresh water, the ads have a lifetime of about twenty minutes, leaving nothing behind but a light dusting of natural sea salt.” Shout out to Jacquelyn Ottman of the fabulous One Hundred Things blog for sharing this agency’s work.

2. You have probably heard of the cradle to cradle product design philosophy honed by celebrity architectural design firm William McDonough + Partners. The challenge, of course, lies in figuring out a process (particularly in larger firms) to pass on the learning and implementation of C2C design to junior staff.

This online teaser by Okala (means “life sustaining energy”) provides an interesting design curriculum. And apparently, over 60 design schools in North America have already requested Okala’s course material.

3. Transparency. As simple of a concept as it is (we’ve covered ‘visible electricity’ in NYC‘ before), transparency in design is as beautiful as it is smart and ethical when applied in a marketing context.

In a recent InHabitat article on the Emerging Technology Conference, Worldchanging’s Alex Steffen called for “greater product transparency (where are things made, by whom, using what materials?) and touched upon the surging field of water and power monitors as encouraging people to consume less resources. If people know more about the products and services they consume, then they will make more sustainable choices.”

Transparency isn’t only about measurement. It is a core human principle that implicates the responsibility to tell others about the possible harm behind one’s actions or more specific to this post, one’s product designs.

For instance, it’s about making information available for female consumers who can absorb up to five pounds of make-up chemicals in their bodies over a year. And, it’s articles like these by the Harvard Business blog on the GoodGuide and SkinDeep that make the full ecological and human health costs of our products and designs more visible.

And, last but not least, as you re-imagine your design process, you can check out Brian Dougherty’s absolutely beautiful book, Green Graphic Design online.

Want to know how much greenhouse gas, trees and wastewater you can save by using affordable, eco-friendly paper products? Find out and keep track of your organization’s environmental savings today by adding Green Printer’s Eco-Calculator widget code to your blog or website.

A www.greenprinteronline.com dispatch.

Here and there in 2007, I saw the idea of the ’share economy’ pop up.  In 2009, car sharing, bike sharing, vacation sharing and even, clothing sharing seem to have more clout as tidalwave trends as opposed to mere passing trends.

From conference keynote titles like “Is the Share Economy the New New Economy?” at the May 5-7 Next09 Conference to the hit $40 annual fee Smart Bike Program in Washington, D.C., sharing is on the rise amongst even ‘mainstream’ consumers.

Sure, when times were high, the idea of car-pooling with the guy next door who grows petunias seemed like a nuisance best avoided (”I have to get to my superimportantmeetingnow!”).

Now, it seems that it is OK to not be that ultra-self-reliant-working-superman or superwoman. In other words, it is OK, even sexy and trendy, to ask for help and start coordinating personal schedules (i.e. lives) with people you don’t even know yet. But people that just might end up becoming your friends.

What does this mean for designers and savvy branding firms? Designers take head from Steve Gutmann, Senior Commercialization Manager at EcoSecurities on what next ‘experiences’ to design for:
“…what we need is greater than the sum of these pieces — we need to rethink our needs. He cited car sharing services as a perfect example of the type of rethinking that will drive sustainable innovation. Cars take up 50 percent of urban real estate and are used on average for a mere 50 minutes a day, hence we don’t all need our own cars. This is an example of a shift from heavy material needs to simple access to experiences. Gutmann advised that “Designers should focus on how can we share the benefits of a product without everyone having to have that product.”

Land sharing and car sharing, hmm. Simple things that our grandmothers and grandfathers did decades ago but that spark sexy PR campaigns today.

This seems like an intellectual’s version of “So, you think you can dance?” (e.g. “So, you think you have a new idea? Look back about a 100 hundred years ago and I bet that it’s not”).

Designers, set your mark….

Thank you to Daniel Schutzsmith for this fabulous tip.

Green Printer has interviewed rockstar interactive and strategic marketing, design and development firm Core Industries before (who clients include Live Earth, Pepsi and 1% for the Planet) and has been in touch with Megan MacMurray, Production Designer at the agency.

So, we were excited to learn that the Brooklyn-based MacMurray, along with fellow artist Angela Pablo, showcased her Garden Electric exhibit at the Futuresonic Festival and Conference in Manchester, England.

In an interview, MacMurray says that Garden Electric was created as a means to find “tangible way[s] to represent electricity without using electricity (outside of what we were measuring of course). We loved the purpose of bringing the abstract lifeblood of all our technologies into a physical analog form.”

In an essence, the found objects unveil electricity usage in real time, to make energy consumption visible and palpable. This is a provocative piece that can potentially do more to ‘connect the dots’ than a Google pitch for smart meter, although those can help too.

The Garden’s flowers, constructed from recycled plastic bags, are connected to a lamp through a current sensor which reads the amount of power being consumed. This value triggers fans which inflate and deflate the garden as a whole. When the lamp is turned off and energy is conserved, the garden thrives and stays inflated; when the lamp is on, the garden is placed in a dying state. The Garden Electric invites visitors to interact with it by turning appliances on and off, allowing electricity to take on a tactile form.
“Within that process we also focused on using materials that had the least amount of impact in their creation. When trying the find used materials which were in excess in NYC and we didn’t need to look past the plastic grocery bag. This overwhelming excess is represented by the number of projects we’ve seen made from these 3 min products! (3 mins being the time it takes for you to walk from the store to your home or office with the plastic bag, only to throw it away)”

“Both Angela Pablo and I love making beauty from trash, finding use in waste and the creative re-purpose of everyday objects. This became the focus of the project, with a parallel goal of making the invisible negative effects of sources of energy tangible. The colors, structure and setup of the project is simple, interactive and fun.”
When speaking about something that everyone can do to be more aware of exactly how much energy they consume, MacMuray says that, “I think the act of trying to be aware of the invisible is a huge task in and of itself! Once people make that effort their behavior follows.”

“The tricky thing in our and recent generations is that the convenience of civilization has created a huge disconnect with the negative effects of energy consumption. It takes effort to take a close look at where products and utilities come from and the energy it takes to get them into your hands or home.”

MacMurray speaks about about her own involvement in a community garden in NYC and how the ‘reclaiming’ of seeds to food in growing your own food is a lot about making the invisible, invisible.

Reminds me a lot of Thom Hartmann’s book The Last Hours of Sunlight and lawyer-gone-artist, Chris Jordan in his latest exhibit, Running the Numbers II Portraits of Global Mass Culture.

Want to know how much greenhouse gas, trees and wastewater you can save by using affordable, eco-friendly paper products? Find out and keep track of your organization’s environmental savings today by adding Green Printer’s Eco-Calculator widget code to your blog or website.

A Green Printer “Design Goes Green” dispatch. An interview with Deb Ozarko, Director, Creative Services of Clearly Green Design.

[digg=Being “green”, socially aware and committed to the planet doesn’t mean that design solutions have to be serious and dull]
1. If a client comes to you saying that they want to market themselves as a green company, what kinds of advice would you give them in terms of identity and design?
Before I would give them any advice, I would accurately determine their motives. As both a visual communicator and a social/environmental activist, I have a very large responsibility to the public and the planet - as well as my own personal ethics. Clearly Green Design takes our commitment to the environment, animals and social justice causes very seriously so its critical that we understand the motivating factors for a company before we go any further. A green claim or green identity no longer has the same validity that they used to because of excessive greenwashing. Greenwash is rampant because so many companies have simply jumped on the green bandwagon in order to keep up with the trend. Personally, I find this really sad because there is alot at stake here - namely, planetary survival. A glaring example of greenwash are the green claims made by the Walmart corporation. I honestly don’t know how the folks at the communications agency who market Walmart can sleep at night.

When you look at the big picture, there is not much good with that company. Walmart stores generally come into communities and develop on what used to be green space and habitat for plants and animals. They hurt smaller local businesses who can no longer compete against their low prices. They provide low paying jobs. They sell cheap crap which is often made overseas with questionable labour conditions and then proceed to ship this “stuff” halfway across the globe with no regard for the environmental footprint of the shipping industry. Most of this cheap stuff lasts less than a year and, inevitably ends up in an already overflowing landfill. And so, the dysfunctional cycle of consumption continues on and on. Many consumers can see right through these token green claims and this has caused huge mistrust. So, if a company wants to honestly market themselves as a green company, they had better make sure that they have looked very deeply at all aspects of their business or organization - environmental impact, social impact and the impact of their product or service on other species. Only then can they honestly portray themselves as being truly “green”. Once this “deep look inside” has been established, then identity and design will naturally compliment the true self of the client business or organization and the honesty will shine. The saying “honesty is the best policy” could never be more true.

2. What would you advise against?
Obviously, certain imagery has been seriously overused and now instantly raises red flags with consumers. Polar bears, beautiful plants and trees, sweet animals…I’ve seen these images used on collateral for mining companies, paper producers, pharmaceutical companies, banks, etc. Let’s get real. Many of these companies could care less about the environment so who do they think they are fooling? This is what has caused the rampant mistrust in green claims in today’s era. Again, I just can’t stress honesty enough. If there are eco-weaknesses in the business model, be up front about them. No business is perfect and it better to not try and pretend that it is. That just raises red flags. Consumers and donors are much more inclined to be attracted to the shortcomings if the visual communication is honest.

3. What corporation or brand would you most want to re-design and why?
There are actually two organizations who could use a solid re-design - and who we would love to work with.
1) The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) - This organization does amazing work for animals throughout North America but they have a very dated look with all of their collateral - and their website is very difficult to navigate. Because we are so passionate about this cause, it would be amazing to completely overhaul their look.
2) Bullfrog Power - They are such an exciting and progressive company but their look is very un-exciting. They don’t seem to have the high profile that they deserve for the great work they do either. They provide an amazing product and exceptional customer service - they need to really shout that out to the world so that they get the business they deserve.

4. What do you wish more clients were doing in terms of design that was bold and out of the box?
I wish more clients would be more open to a more exciting and edgy design to really convey the excitement of what they are offering. Not that this type of design solution is for everyone, but if you look at alot of sporting goods companies (i.e. snowboarding, biking, athletic shoewear), they often have high energy, colourful and edgy design solutions. They really convey the energy and essence of what they offer. This sort of design doesn’t have to be limited to sporting companies though because so many non-profit organizations and businesses have really exciting and vibrant campaigns and products which could use this sort of energetic design. Unless the target market is conservative and older, this type of design works for a really wide target market.

I find that many clients seem to just follow the trends of their competition so that everything looks alike. Twenty years ago when I was still in design school, I had a commercial art instructor who said this: “when everyone zigs…zag!”. I never forgot that and that is the way we have always come up with our design solutions at Clearly Green Design. Zagging is a good thing! If a visual communications company suggests something different and edgy to a client, it may just be worth a listen!

5. What cool trends are you currently trying or seeing now?
Well, I haven’t really seen any exceptional new trends lately. There is definitely still some very nice design out there but, perhaps it is the recession that is holding companies back…who knows. The trends I’m usually the most attracted to are the ones which are lively, colourful and edgy. In keeping with my own advice, I’m always trying to “zag” with our clients. Sometimes it works and other times it just needs to percolate a little more. Being “green”, socially aware and committed to the planet doesn’t mean that design solutions have to be serious and dull. As a matter of fact, they really should be anything but that. This is an exciting time and it really needs to be conveyed in an exciting manner. This is what we are doing with our own design for our current and upcoming clients. I’m hoping this will be a trend which really takes off because the public needs this - especially during these turbulent times.

A www.greenprinteronline.com dispatch

As we are gearing up for week full of interviews from Clearly Green Design and the Futuresonic Festival and Conference (a sneak peek photo of the Futuresonic interview above!), this week’s uber-short post is on some valuable and unique tools for business owners looking to refresh their green marketing efforts.

1. Widgetbox allows you to search for widgets and once you find a good match for your busines, it lets you customize the mini-application and add it to your own Web site or blog. Green Printer even has one too.

2.  Volusion. Because Barack Obama used it in his campaign and well, look where it took him. No seriously, Volusion’s Gold Plan edition offers new social commerce features and affordable plans for tech-savvy entrepreneurs.

3. Besides Google AdWords, Clickable Pro for Advertisers is an affordable and simple online advertising Web service that helps small to medium sized businesses to create and manage search marketing campaigns from a single location.

That’s it! We told you it would be short. Stay tuned for the blog-blitzrieg next week through our “Design Goes Green” series.

For the past few years, corporations have been touting the launch of each new sustainability program - from employee engagement initiatives to renewable energy powered operations. And so, 2009 is an interesting year for Green Printer to check in on the results of these shop floor and boardroom decisions.

In a very interesting article, Anca Novacovici of Eco-Coach speaks about how corporations like 3M and Grossman Marketing group reaped in tangible - but unexpected revenue surges, savings and client kudos - by choosing the greener path.

“Going green can…fatten the top line. Grossman Marketing Group, a US$30-million (sales) maker of marketing, decided to spend up to US$4,000 every year to ease the strain on the nation’s energy grid by purchasing renewable-energy “credits” from two California wind farms. Adding 5% to its energy bill didn’t save Grossman money at the time, but it did attract eco-friendly customers like Google and Green Mountain Coffee. Envelope sales — which represent 45% of Grossman’s top line — grew 20% in 2007, which is a pretty good return on a $4,000 investment!”

The biggest one? “Since 3M instituted water and energy efficiencies, they have saved over one billion dollars,” Novacovici claims.

And the other unexpected revenue-eating expense a business can face? Printing. According to the Gartner Group, as much as 1-3 percent of corporate revenues are spent on printing costs. Viewed from another angle, the average employee prints 12,000 pages annually. This can cost a business as much as $1,000 a person in toner.

Results from a CitiGroup Environmental Defense Study estimated that the average employee uses 10 000 sheets of paper per year and the actual cost of printing is 13 to 31 times the purchase price of paper used, or somewhere between $0.06 and $0.13 per page. At the low end of that range, the average employee’s printing costs the company $600 per year and at the higher end $1, 300. A significant portion of this cost goes to pages employees never even intended to print. In fact, a study conducted by Lexmark found that an average of 17% of everything was considered waste - pages that user didn’t want.

Consider, also, how our choices in the office contribute or take away from a higher quality of life.  After all, what good are our lifestyles or even our vacations if we cannot enjoy forests, clean water and fresh, mountain air?

Daunted already? Start small. University of Western Australia’s Environmental Services FAQ page claims that “every 100 reams of recycled office paper that is printed double-sided saves two trees, more than a tonne of greenhouse gas and almost a cubic metre of landfill space compared to 100 reams of paper that is not recycled or printed double-sided.”

Dispelling green printing myths
We debunked green printing myths in the past.  Still, the initial investment to begin printing in a more sustainably way can be daunting.  To newcomers, words like “chlorine process free” and “vegetable inks” sounds like gourmet organic fare (read: a hit to the corporate account) next to regular, old virgin paper. So, we investigated. What exactly is it that makes the cost difference between sustainable and traditional printing processes, paper and inks?

Paul Kuck of TechSoup.org  writes a great article and says that “vegetable-based inks are often competitively priced with petroleum-based; carbon-neutral printing is no more expensive than traditional methods; and many recycled, TCF, and ECF papers are in fact less expensive than virgin.”

If, particularly as a non-profit or emerging business, the initial investment to green your marketing and design is still more expensive than you previously expected, then Kuck has this very useful advice: (indent the following)

1. Consolidate

Instead of holding four mail campaigns a year, try sending out three eco-friendly ones. The positive publicity generated by going green may in fact improve response rates, and you’ll be more likely to make the most of what you do send out. Or, offset costs with creativity: “Design multifunctional projects — for example, self-mailer/program combos — to economize when using more expensive paper,” suggests Dynamic Graphics’ in its Printing Green article. “Also, combining projects whenever possible is wise; one idea is to print business cards and postcards from the same recycled paper.”

2. Bypass the Middle Man

Sourcing and managing a print project is not as complicated as it might sound, and will help you avoid high markups from graphic designers. Ask your designer to send you print-ready files, and then work with the printer on delivering and proofing them. Explain that you are a nonprofit and are trying to save money: many printers will be happy to help you through the process. Alternatively, some designers may even be willing to forego the markup when they know they’re supporting a good cause.

3. Share the Glory

Another way to offset costs is to ask a vendor to chip in. Some printers will reduce their price if they can put their logo on the piece, and many will do so unobtrusively. Likewise, you could ask one of your funders to help cover the costs in exchange for a small promotion on the piece.

4. Keep It Exclusive

Re-nourish Founder and University of Illinois Design Professor Eric Benson notes that some printers will offer discounts if you bring all (or most) of your business to them. “Choosing a printer to print your literature exclusively can result in a contract that can reduce costs the more work you send them,” he said.

Been there, done that?
For entrepreneurs and business owners who yawn at the sign of another “print on both sides” sound byte, here are several original tips we found from Neil Tilley.

1. Try scanning and reconsider what really needs to be seen on paper. Divide documents it into two parts: is it to be stored or moved around the organisation?
2. Consider electronic faxing. “If you are still using analogue (phone line) fax machines, you’re printing more than you need to. Electronic faxing, offered as a feature in most print/copy multifunction devices not only reduces paper, but also cuts your phone transmission costs and the amount of electricity used by a standalone fax machine.”
3. Why not e-forms? “Get rid of pre-printed stationery (such as invoices and letterhead) and replace with electronic forms. One advantage is that you can quickly make updates without having to bin outdated documents.”

Another reason to reconsider paper usage in the office? More office space for things that really matter - like a beautiful and spacious entrance area for clients.

David R. Wetzel says that “[paper] filing systems take up a sizeable percent of the floor space in an office. With less paper being used and stored, a business is able to move to a smaller office. Filing fewer papers also reduces cost of long term storage of documents.”

Want to know how much greenhouse gas, trees and wastewater you can save by using affordable, eco-friendly paper products? Find out and keep track of your organization’s environmental savings today by adding Green Printer’s Eco-Calculator widget code to your blog or website.