Green is the new twenty first century movement. From green energy to green supermarket bags, everything around us is becoming friendlier to the environment. Printers are no exception, and learning about how to achieve green printing is important.
Old photo printing in the analog film days used a process that involved multiple chemicals. In the process of manufacturing those chemicals, a lot of chemicals were released into the environment that were detrimental to natural systems. Photo printing involved using dirty chemicals and energy. In today's digital era, photo printing might
seem cleaner. Consumers can purchase cheap printers that are nice, shiny, and clean, and quickly print photos in the comfort of their homes.
But digital photo printing at home, although it seems clean, is not clean or green at all. There are many elements that make photo printing bad to the environment. The printer machine is made from plastic and other elements that are mostly produced from oil and other dirty components. Printing involves materials that include paper and ink. And of course the last component is energy. Printing requires electrical energy to move the printing heads and roll the paper.
There are ways in which each of us who is printing digital photos at home can help make photo printing better to the environment. The first and most effective thing to do is obviously just not print. Since photo printing at home is cheap and quick, we are many times too fast to print photos for no real reason. Photos that are printed are used for a short while and then thrown away to the trash. So the most important thing to do is to think twice before printing. If you do not really need the printed photo just do not print it. You can view digital photos on computer screens and even right on the digital camera screen.
Recycling is important when it comes to digital photo printing. From the printer itself to the paper prints and the ink, every component can and should be recycled. When a printer breaks or is simply too old and is replaced with a newer model, do not just throw it in the thrash. If it still works, you can sell it, or just donate it. This way you will allow another person to enjoy it while helping the environment. If you can not sell it or donate it, then give it to one of the many recycling centers. HP and other printer manufacturers are committed to recycling their products and provide simple ways for consumers to send back their used products for recycling.
Photo prints can be recycled, too, when not needed anymore. Throwing paper into the trash is irresponsible. Paper photo prints should be thrown into the correct recycling bins in order for them to be efficiently recycled into some other paper product. One component that many consumers forget to recycle is the ink cartridge. Ink is made of chemicals and is bad for the environment. The cartridge is made of plastic that can be easily recycled, and with many cartridges simply filled with new ink and resold. Recycling cartridges is easy and actually in many cases profitable. Office Depot for example offers a rebate for many ink cartridges that are returned. So if you end up throwing those cartridges into the garbage, you are not only harming the environment, you are also simply throwing money away with the trash.
Clarence Salinas writes about Internet subjects. Find out more on
digital photo printing at PrintRates.com.
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