Studio66 attended the Printing Industries of Northern California (PINC 2009) show in San Francisco. This year’s theme was green. Being a certified green business, it’s important to us to keep current on recycled papers and environmentally friendly printing techniques. We were able to speak to several exhibitors, gather paper samples, and expand our knowledge on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and other green certifications.
Another highlight — the new digital printing capabilities. As designers, we will always have a soft spot for traditional printing, however many of our clients aren’t printing the volume to make off-set cost efficient. That’s when digital steps in. Recent technology is allowing digital to mimic some of traditional printing’s great finishing techniques. Kodak boasted dimensional printing that feels like thermography/embossing. Cannon presented a machine with clear toner techniques that look like spot varnishes and AQ’s. Way Cool!
Finally — a favorite of mine — the specialty papers were on display. Synthetic paper, made out of plastics, are super smooth and extremely wear resistant. Peter was quite surprised when he couldn’t tear through it. 
Neenah’s linens and classics are such well crafted beautiful papers. In addition, they have sparkly papers I am just looking for an excuse to use!
Those are the highlights from this year’s show. If you ever have questions on specialty paper or green printing techniques for your project, don’t hesitate to ask — we love sharing our knowledge!
Good Stuff! I have been looking into being more green with printing recently (and in a bunch of other areas). There is a printing place in sacramento that uses soy Inks (so no VOC’s) and they do a pretty good job. Also very competitive on price, it might be worth taking a look at commerce printing.
I would love to hear more about what you learned, any new ways to pitch green to clients?