Winning the paper waste war - Web presses
American Printer

Press technologies, paper knowledge and management support can cut down on paper waste

Paper is almost always the most expensive aspect of a web printing job," says Jack Hobby, vice president of marketing, Heidelberg Web Systems. It's no surprise, then, that printers are "extremely interested" in reducing waste, according to Hobby.

In this age of squeezed profit margins, waste reduction is key to achieving better financial gains. "Where they once printed a single run of 1 million copies of a catalog, printers might now print five or six versions of that catalog in runs of 200,000 to 300,000. The ability to reduce waste can make shorter runs more economically viable and therefore give web printing a competitive advantage over other media," explains Hobby. "Even a small reduction in paper waste as a percentage of overall output yields significant financial savings. That is money that printers can add directly to their bottom lines without adding additional business."

Yesteryear's high consumption has given way to millennial minimalism. According to Jim Giencke, president/COO, Arandell Corp. (Menomonee Falls, WI), the printing industry once threw away eight to nine truckloads of paper for every 100 that were delivered to a facility. That's since been reduced to about five truckloads, a move Giencke considers significant. Hobby says makeready waste on web presses in North America averages about 8 percent to 9 percent of total press output.