How to Achieve Green Printing Children’s Book

Posted by susu on January 13th, 2023

Infants and young children need the care for the entire society. For a long time, children's book printing is often with the ordinary printing standard to print. But, there have not established special printing standards for infant and young children's books yet. Some part of the printing factories lack of safety and environmental awareness. Which makes that some children's books have security risks. This article will focus on the green printing of children's book. 

With the improvement of people's living standard. More and more family are taking more attention children's early education. Also increase the demand of children's book. Children are the groups who are easier to harm by the pollution. Thus, when parents select the children's book for their children. They often take safe and health to the first place. For a long time, children's book printing is often with the ordinary printing standard to print. But, there have not established special printing standards for children's books yet. Some part of the printing factories lack of safety and environmental awareness. Which makes that some children's books have security risks. Such as when printing the books, the printing ink and glue with heavy metals and volatile organic compounds inside. If the children touch and read such books for a long time, it will have a terrible impact on children's growth.

What's are the impact of printing and binding material for children?

1. The impact of printing paper

To whiten, the ordinary paper will add a large of additive. If use the ordinary paper to print children's book. During the teething stage, children may experience symptoms. Such as swollen gums, itching, and profuse saliva. To relax this discomfort, sometimes, they will bite the book and put in their mouth. Once happen ingestion, it will seriously damage children's nerve.

2. The impact of printing ink

At present, most of the ordinary ink doesn't with the environmental function. Which makes some of the children's books with a large of harmful materials. Such inks made by pigment, binder, auxiliary, etc. The binder includes heavy metals and VOC. Which can harm children's delicate skin and cause children's skin to dry. Then pigment and auxiliary with heavy metals. If the children bite or touch the book for a long time, it will cause heavy metal poisoning. Thus, if use the ordinary ink to print children's book, it will cause huge harmfulness for children's health.

3. The impact of printing, finishing and binding

When we use the developer, fixer, fountain solution and cleaning agent in the making plate and printing. All these chemical reagents that will remain in the book. The book binding with glue also includes chemical reagents. These chemical reagents also will harm children's health. 

Printing industry is the important pillar for the country. The book is the important carrier to spread the knowledge to children. The country carries out green printing development strategy. It takes great significance to promote the upgrade of the green printing industry. And carry out the national cultural development policy.

How to achieve green printing children's book?

Promote green printing children's book, also advantage for the better development of green printing. For the green children's book printing, I sum up below 3 parts.

1. Using green paper and ink, ink preset technologhy

In printing children's book, with ink with green, safe, non-toxic paper and ink. And positively use ink preset technology. 

There are many types of paper for printing and have many choices. But when we select paper to print children's book, we must focus on green, safe, non-toxic and certified by FSC. Such as synthetic paper and recycled paper are the good choice. The synthetic paper with a smooth surface, no paper dust. More importance is no pollution and non-toxic. Recycled paper saves the material waste, reduce the pollution. And the whiteness is not high, it will reduce the harmfulness of the eye.

Lead, chromium, copper, mercury in common ink is usually excessive. It is not suitable for children's book printing. The common green inks are Fragrance-free offset printing ink, waterless offset printing ink, vegetable oil-based offset printing ink. Fragrance-free offset printing ink uses AF solvent to remove aromatic trails in the ink. To improve the environmental performance of the ink. The waterless printing ink can achieve printing without fountain solution. It can reduce the pollution. The vegetable oil-based ink is use soybean oil. With soybean oil can replace the mineral oil of traditional ink. It can reduce the VOC content, makes the printing color bright and environmental. If children's book printers use such ink to print children's book. Even the children bite the book, it will not harm children's health.

In children's book printing, we should actively use ink preset technology. This technology can accurately control the printing ink volume. When we transfer the plate in the PS file and then send to the control system of printer. After calculating by software and get the data of coverage of printed graphics and texts. Then send the data to the ink control part of printer, so that they achieve the purpose of control the ink volume. The ink preset technology solve out of touch problem of before print and after print. Make sure the date matches and achieves digital management. And then save the master paper, and reduce the waste of paper.

2. Plate making using process-free CTP technology.

Before plate making, we can use process-free CTP technology. The traditional CTP plate is after exposure and imaging. Developed and fixed with a large of chemical solvents. Process-free CTP technology can print on the machine without any after process. And it doesn't need no post-plate making process. Process-free CTP technology doesn't need to use chemical solvents for development and fixing. And does not produce chemical solvent residues. It is a green and safe plate making technology.

3. Using new adhesives and new lamination techniques

When with prefect glue binding the book, often use EVA hot melt adhesive. After heating, this kind of hot melt adhesive will happen pungent smell. It will also interact with ink, release toxic gas. If use such glue to binding children's book, it is not good for children's health. Besides, when some children read the book, they often drop or tear the book. It is easy to cause the pages to fall off. But the new PUR glue can prefect solve the above problems. PUR glue is a green and non-toxic adhesive. PUR glue with strong tear resistance and durable. When glue binding the book, the book can open very flat. 

With new lamination techniques can solve the pollution problem happen by lamination. In the market, there had water soon coating lamination technology and pre-coating lamination technology. Pre-coating lamination technology is the most environmental. Pre-coating through the professional equipment. Lamination EVA or low temperature resin with thin film. It is a non-pollution and strong viscosity material. With pre-coating technology can achieve zero pollution, high quality, low energy. 

At this stage, if use new material, new plate making technology and new finishing to print children's book. It will increase the cost. But most of the family are more favor the book printed by environmental material and finishing. Because the children's book will have a direct impact on children's health.

BookPrintingChina always focuses on children's health. So when we printing children's book, we often with green printing material. Such as custom board book printing, we often recommend our customers select more eco-friendly printing material and finishing.