Phone 800-229-1164
Fax 919-755-1442
gogreen@barefootpress.com

NEWS RELEASE

Green printing pioneer Barefoot Press of Raleigh won the Best Printing award from the industry association for North and South Carolina for its work on the songbook of the Grammy Award-winning old-time string band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The award was announced in April by PICA (the Printing Industries of the Carolinas). Barefoot Press also won the Best of Category Award for Environmentally Sound Materials.

The songbook is an artful compilation of photos, text and songs by the Durham group, one of the few remaining black string bands. It’s album, “Genuine Negro Jig,” won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2010. The band has appeared on “Prairie Home Companion,” in the movie “The Debaters” and at a number of music festivals. It has released five CDs.

The songbook was printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled, chlorine-free paper with soy inks. Wire bound, the pages are printed to look like parchment.

Barefoot Press has built a reputation over its 24 years of operation for its extensive use of green printing materials and equipment.

The Best Printing award was sponsored by BW Wilson Paper Co. “We’ve got to hand it to Barefoot Press,” company spokesman Ed Hurst said. “This company entered only one project in the 2010 awards, and they really knocked it out of the park!”

Barefoot Press owner, Richard Kilby, said BW Wilson Paper Co. has been “proactive in stocking recycled papers and working with us to bring eco-friendly paper options to our customers.”

Using eco-friendly printing methods for this project resulted in the following environmental savings: 6.75 trees, 2,885 gallons of water, 319.24 pounds of solid waste,
547.44 pounds of greenhouse gases and
4,806.40 BTUs of energy.
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The book’s designer was Jamie Easler. The client was Katherine Walton Represents.
 

Richard Kilby, President of Barefoot Press – a pioneer in eco-friendly printing in Raleigh, NC – has been nominated for the William D. Schaeffer Environmental Award.

Created in 1990, the award honors Dr. William Schaeffer and his many contributions to environmental research, compliance education, and advocacy in the printing industry. According to the Printing Industries of America website: “The Schaeffer Award serves to recognize an individual’s focus on advancing environmental awareness and action in the graphic communications industry as a whole. A candidate’s accomplishments should go above and beyond job requirements or display an unselfish contribution to the industry not solely for a particular organization’s commercial gain. The ongoing environmental advocacy of Dr. Schaffer typifies the leadership activities expected of award recipients. Individuals must have sustained long-term efforts (on the order of several years or more) that have resulted in successful environmental programs and improvements.”

Barefoot Press was founded in 1987 in order to promote recycled papers and green printing practices. The company has pursued it’s agenda of educating customers and the general public about the benefits of eco-friendly printing for some 23 years. Mr. Kilby’s nomination is a recognition of those ongoing efforts.

We are happy to confirm that another step toward sustainable printing has been accomplished here at Barefoot Press. We reported earlier on our transition to process-free Fuji plates. Well, the plates are now in full production and everything went like clockwork.

Because these plates use no water, developer, or any other chemistry, they have totally eliminated all remaining environmental issues in our prepress department. We simply laser-image the plates on our Fuji DART platesetter and hang them on the press. The plates fall into register quicker, roll up to color quicker, and so far we have had no plate remakes due to a quality issue. Because they are made from a high grade aluminum they are just as recyclable as our last plates, but have none of the waste disposal issues related to the plate processor.

We are always looking for ways to improve our eco-friendly printing process. This is a big step toward sustainability, and it wasn’t inexpensive to implement. But the results are worth the investment and effort, and we are pleased to say we have the cleanest prep department a green printer can have. We are offering demonstrations, so if you are interested please drop us a line.

The new year brings new innovation to Barefoot Press as we begin the transition to process-free plates in our pressroom. This move will eliminate all wet chemistry in our prepress department. The Fuji Ecomaxx-T plates are imaged via the laser diode banks on our Fuji DART platesetter, then go straight to press without the need for a chemical processor.

We are constantly striving to achieve a cleaner green printing process, and this is a significant step in that evolution. Our previous plates used a largely water-based process, but still required chemistry along with all of the maintenance, mess and water usage. Now, the water usage is completely eliminated and the process is totally clean and dry. We are very excited to make this move towards an even more eco-friendly printing process.

Raleigh communications agency CapStrat has chosen French Smart White paper for their new business cards and collateral. This paper is manufactured by our favorite mill, French Paper Co. in Niles, MI (www.frenchpaper.com). French is well known for their long history of producing a wide range of recycled paper lines, many of them containing 100% post-consumer fiber. While the Smart White line is not a post-consumer sheet due to it’s extremely bright white shade, it is FSC certified, and is manufactured using 100% green power. In fact, the mill is virtually carbon-neutral, having produced all of it’s electricity since 1922 utilizing an on-site hydroelectric generator and saving an estimated 1 million gallons of oil in the process.

By using Raleigh’s original green printer for the production of this collateral, CapStrat has shown their dedication to eco-friendly printing and green branding. This new identity work utilizes 6 Pantone colors, all lovingly mixed by hand here in our shop using soy-based inks. All press-wash used here is low-VOC and water-miscible, completing the green printing credentials.

In addition to their green branding efforts, CapStrat has a comprehensive in-house recycling program for office waste, including paper, glass and aluminum. They even compost biodegradable scraps in the break area. We think this Agency deserves recognition for taking a leading role in the implementation of green business practices. More on CapStrat can be found on their website: www.capstrat.com

Don’t forget to check out the Green Jamboree this weekend at TLC’s Irvin Farm. Hosted by the Triangle Land Conservancy, the Jamboree is the organization’s annual meeting and festival. The Bluegrass Experience will provide the music, and there will be food, beer, hiking and family activities. The festival starts at 3pm this Saturday, June 20. TLC’s Irvin Farm is a 269-acre haven of farmland and forest in Orange County west of Carrboro, NC. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. More information on the TLC website: http://www.triangleland.org/greenjamboree/

The postcard announcing this event was printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, processed chlorine free, using soy inks. Triangle Land Conservancy is committed to eco-friendly printing for all of their materials.

You may have noticed that little green rhino seal. It’s starting to pop up everywhere! We designed this eye-catching “bug” for our customers to use as an unobtrusive way to show their commitment to green business practices. It is normally printed in brown and green, but the colors are flexible and can be changed to suit any design.

What does the little green rhino mean? When it appears on your brochure or envelopes it means that your marketing material is the most eco-friendly printing available. In most cases it means that the paper is made from 100% post-consumer recycled fiber. It means that the inks used are made from soy or other vegetable oils. It means that the sovents used during production are water-miscible and low VOC. It means you have chosen to work with a company that is committed at the deepest levels to running a small business in the most ecologically conscious way possible.

Why should you make sure that the green rhino is displayed on your printed material? To show your customers that you have a strong green marketing program in place, and to reinforce that you support green printing and green business practices. It shows that you have a commitment to making the world a healthier place to live, and reducing your impact on the planet.

If you don’t want to display the green rhino just let us know – we promise we’ll still be proud to print for you. If you do decide to add our bug to your job, we want to thank you for supporting the best green printer online, and helping us to spread the word that you are committed to operating your business in an environmentally responsible way!

Please help us get our message out, and go to www.youtube.com and search green printer, green printer online, green printing or eco-friendly printer and click on our video. Jamie did a great job explaining the history of our company and our mission to provide the best green printing available today to our online and local users in Raleigh, NC. We hope you will check out this five minute video and post your comment on You Tube or on our site here. We appreciate your support and look forward to helping you further your company’s green marketing mission.

In order to address some of your most common inquiries, your favorite online green printer has added an FAQ section. It is on the “Services” page. Please take time to read it over… If you still have questions about green printing, recycled papers, soy inks or offset printing in general, don’t hesitate to email or call. And if you think we’ve left something out, just let us know. We’re here to help!

Keep an eye on the site for more improvements currently in the works. Online ordering is coming soon. Our goal is to always be the best green printer online!

When New Jersey-based letterpress stationery artist Robin Dubin decided to launch a line of eco-friendly wrapping paper, she did some internet research on green printing and landed at Barefoot Press in Raleigh, NC. Robin and her partner/husband Dave Dubin at Robin Beth Designs wanted to produce their designs, consisting of earth-friendly artwork and messages, in the most responsible way. Our house uncoated 70# offset, containing 100% post-consumer recycled fiber processed chlorine free, fit their criteria perfectly. We printed 28×40 press sheets in four color process using our house soy inks, and trimmed them to a flexible 27″x39″ size. In addition, Robin designed a brochure showcasing many other designs, which we printed on 80# cover stock, also 100% pcw recycled paper.

Dave and Robin introduced their designs at the National Stationery Show in New York City on May 19, and the debut created a buzz in the industry. They are currently talking to a UK distributor about exporting to Europe, and are in negotiation with a large North American retailer as well. Stay tuned for big news about this ambitious start-up company.

You can contact the company, and see examples of Robin’s beautiful letterpress wedding invitations at www.robinbeth.com. Dave writes a blog focusing on issues he is passionate about, including the environment, at his site: www.aliveandkickn.com.