Posted On: March, 12, 2008 18:03:37 By anne stewart

Green Printing Paradoxes

...and Tom Fishburne’s wonderful Brand Camp

At Hotcards, we’re always trying to come up with ways to be a better green printer. It’s not easy. We’re part of an industry that revolves around paper, for Petey’s sake! In the end, all you can do, in business and in life, is just TRY as hard as you can to make eco-friendly choices, even when it seems like the odds are insurmountable. It’s only when we’re not trying that we begin to have serious problems.

Of course, the really tough green printing decisions come when you have to choose free a variety of options, each purportedly ‘greener’ than the last. If you’re a business or an individual looking for a green printer, then you know the feeling. Recycled paper or tree-farmed paper? Soy inks or vegetable inks? Should you work with local suppliers to reduce your fuel footprint, or order the ‘greener’ product from halfway around the world?

It’s easy to think that you’re the only one who doesn’t seen the obvious answers, which is why I got a major laugh out of this recent Brand Camp cartoon by Tom Fishburne:

Eco Claims Arms Race by Tom Fishburne

I’ve wanted to tell you guys about Brand Camp for a while, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Anyone who’s ever worked on a branding, marketing, advertising, or design project will get some much-needed catharsis out of these comics. You can browse through them on Tom Fishburne’s blog, here.

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6 Comments Posted So Far:
Posted By: Howard Ross On 2008-03-13 09:39:22

I think the "Trees" have a secret plot against us human beings...they're going to get us to go so green with everything we do that we'll stop cutting them down. Then more trees will be everywhere thus they'll take over the human race..AGGGHHHHHHHHH!

Posted By: Kay On 2008-03-14 11:48:42

Please see error in sentence three and correct it. Careless errors displayed on your website will not help your business.

Posted By: Anne On 2008-03-14 13:01:57

Wow, Kay! Thanks for caring! 'Careless errors,' as you say, may not be great for business, but they do happen on blogs, on occasion. Friendly communication isn't always perfectly polished (although I'll admit that I do try).

Anyway, the blog is all about generating discussion, so at least it accomplished that!

Posted By: Michael On 2008-03-14 15:18:58

Haha, mongolian sherpas.

http://www.vailpromedia.com

Posted By: Marlon On 2008-03-17 08:21:29

I must be really, REALLY careless because I can't find the error in sentence three. I did however find this blog to be a great, short read and I think people are going to start seeing through a lot of the green marketing tactics and find that those who do the most shouting about it aren't always truly doing the most. The same way the food industry puts out a product that says "30% less fat!" and then you find out that it's only because the box contains 30% less product.

Posted By: Anne On 2008-03-17 13:09:53

To be fair to Kay, I corrected the typo as soon as I read his/her comment, which is why you can find it, Marlon!

You definitely make a good point. It's too bad that things that are really great ideas, like choosing healthy alternatives and committing to living a sustainable lifestyle, end up becoming marketing tools, often devoid of any real benefit or substance.

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