Sustainable print, naturally

The trend for packaging and displays with a natural look and feel continues, but with it comes a demand for solutions that are indeed sustainable, rather than just looking like it. 

As well as replacing plastics, the primary focus is on alternative fibres, uncoated cardboard and paper, and materials made with a high percentage of recovered paper (post-consumer waste).  

While it is relatively easy to determine the technical performance of a material, managing its printability and further processing requires experience. Print images behave differently on uncoated vs coated materials, especially when using conventional inks and varnishes. 

Sample series comparison 

The result of extensively testing ink and varnish combinations, our new sample series illustrates 7 uncoated paper qualities, printed with and without opaque white, using optimised offset-printed conventional ink and varnish.  

Design dependent 

The 7 sample papers were ranked on criteria such as print brilliance, processability and legibility. Our results are summarised in a handy design guide for designers, developers and marketing managers, with tips ranging from how to get the best out of opaque white underlay, minimum font sizes and contrasts, and code readability.