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New Greener Book Production Process

By Gail Nickel-Kailing on June 20th, 2008

Maple-Vail Book ManufacturersThe Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group has a new process called THINKTech that allows books to be printed on a heat-set web press without any curing. Some of the benefits are:

  • The process uses a special ink and fountain solution that results in VOC emission levels in the 1-2.5% range for sheetfed presses, significantly less than the 19-25% levels for soy or petroleum-based sheetfed inks and fountain solutions.
  • With the THINKTech process, images dry in seconds and result in a better print quality and reduced spoilage.
  • Shortly the low-VOC print system will be implemented on the company’s web presses which will reduce VOC emissions further, since typical web printing produces VOC emissions in the range of 34-42%.
  • The new technology on the web presses promises significant energy savings since it eliminates the need for web chillers and ovens.
  • Maple-Vail also uses a soy blanket wash with only 0.29% VOCs, a fraction of the more common petroleum-based washes.

For more details, read the announcement in Book Business here>> or visit the Maple-Vail environmental page here>>

  1. 6 Responses to “New Greener Book Production Process”

  2. By Pat Berger on Jun 22, 2008 | Reply

    This is extremely significant. Book manufacturing without any energy requirements for ink drying. The carbon footprint of this type of book manufacturing has to be the lowest available.

  3. By Paul Edwards on Jun 23, 2008 | Reply

    The greenest way to manufacture books is to print digital to a what we call a “Demand Point” instead of maunufacturing to a “price point” quantity. Printing digital eliminates storage space, inventory investment, energy to heat/cool warehouse and most important, wasted inventory.

    Paul Edwards
    CEO FormStore Incorporated

  4. By tom stodola on Jun 23, 2008 | Reply

    you did not post my comment from last week. I am curious about the drying of the ink before it gets to the folder. It would seem to me that either you flash off the solvent and set the ink to make it through the folder without smearing or you have to have an ultra fast drying ink, which would indicate a high VOC content.

  5. By Bob Danielson Sr. on Jun 23, 2008 | Reply

    The only solvent would be from the pigment flush, (under 1-4%). Nothing flashes.

  6. By Pat Berger on Jun 23, 2008 | Reply

    Mr. Stodola there are many other ways to dry ink other than flashing solvent.

  7. By Robert J. Bullock on Jul 17, 2008 | Reply

    Books are doomed. E-books will replace all forms of printed materials within 10 years. Energy costs will just be too great.

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