LFP - Large-Format-Printing

Going green: Bedruckbar produces advertising material with a better environmental profile

Wednesday 08. August 2012 - Swiss print service provider Bedruckbar AG prints everything from business cards to building cladding. "We specialize in out-of-the-ordinary things," explains Stefan Ingold, Bedruckbar CEO. "We're always on the lookout for clever solutions for our customers. This involves printing all kinds of large- and small- format materials on a wide range of media, from corrugated cardboard and magnetic films to wood, polystyrene and even concrete, air-cushion films and corrugated metal."

Bern-based Bedruckbar has an additional field of specialization – printing sustainability. “The environment is a very important issue to Swiss people from a very young age. Furthermore, Bedruckbar is constantly growing and using more and more energy and materials. So we want to look after the environment as well,” notes Ingold.
Bedruckbar is constantly looking to reduce the environmental impact of its own operations and to help clients purchase prints produced with a reduced impact on the environment.
Bedruckbar calls its company-wide sustainability initiative ‘GoGreen’. It encompasses everything from reusable packaging materials to the use of renewable energy and printing technologies.
One client, a leader in the telecommunications industry, epitomizes growing interest in more sustainable print amongst Bedruckbar’s customers. With a continuous stream of new product launches, it needs a fast and reliable turnaround of marketing material. In environmental terms, its strategy is to improve energy efficiency by 20 percent between 2010 and 2015 and to reduce CO2 emissions by 10 percent. Bedruckbar is keen to help this customer achieve its targets by using HP Latex printers with water-based inks and recyclable(1 HP large format printing materials, and HP Indigo Digital Presses.
As a participant in the HP Large Format Media take-back program, the telecommunications client is able to return point of sale advertising materials printed on HP HDPE Reinforced Banner that it has purchased from Bedruckbar for recycling in a free and convenient manner. The material is simply packed up and collected, with HP paying the shipping expense before sorting and recycling.
No strong filters or special ventilation(2 required
Once a month Bedruckbar prints 50 cm x 70 cm posters for pavement stands. Previously, this would involve using a poster material which needed to be disposed of as special waste. This has now been replaced by HP HDPE Reinforced Banners made from woven polyethylene with an embossed, structured surface.
“The printed images produced by the HP Scitex LX800 Industrial Printer are simply perfect in my opinion,” says Ingold. “They nearly match the quality of proof machines — at a price for large-format printing which is considerably lower, and with a reduced impact of printing on the environment. Our employees and customers no longer need to put up with the smell — HP Latex Ink prints are odorless(3 — and we no longer need high-performance filtering and special ventilation systems(2.”
Ingold says the print quality of the HP Latex printers is both a blessing and a curse: “Once clients saw the quality, they no longer wanted their products printed on our old solvent printers. So we rushed out and bought a second latex printer; we’re now looking to sell the old machine.”
For Bedruckbar, the HP Latex printer has other advantages, notably its high operational reliability, versatility and easy maintenance. One employee programs the HP Scitex printer before clocking off for the night, then it executes automatically without any intervention. “Even changing a printhead is a piece of cake,” says Ingold. “With print deadlines getting shorter, devices which are easy to operate are a must.”
The HP returns program means not paying a penny more
The HP Large Format Media return and recycling process means the HP HDPE Reinforced Banners are recyclable in practice, not just in theory. “All our clients like this returns program. And when you tell them it won’t cost them a penny more, the product is as good as sold,” adds Ingold.
Bedruckbar also prints odorless, large-format prints for interiors on the HP Scitex LX800 Industrial Printer using HP PVC-free Wall Paper. When printed with HP Latex Inks, it is even suitable for children’s bedrooms. Prints are GREENGUARD Children & Schools CertifiedSM and meet AgBB criteria.(4 Bedruckbar recently produced a 6.6 m x 3 m wall paper for a shop interior. Because of its size, the image was produced in several parts. “The HP wall paper is just wonderful. We don’t need wall paper paste, as the HP PVC-free Wall Paper comes prepasted. All we needed to do was spray the material with water to activate the glue. After a day’s work, the wall paper was hung with no bubbles or visible joins,” claims Ingold.
Bedruckbar can take on even larger projects with the HP Scitex LX800 Industrial Printer. The company recently printed a 3 m x 8 m graphic from artist Mara Montoya on HP PVC-free Wall Paper for an exhibition at the Bern Art Museum. At the end of the exhibition, the wall paper was simply removed, leaving no residue.(5 Bedruckbar has also helped a Swiss TV station with
an interior design concept, transforming two walls into a line-up of its stars covering 8 m and 17 m. The challenge involved covering not only the walls, but also the doors, without visitors seeing the joins.