This whole “Save A Tree” campaign that we keep hearing about really makes me say to anyone that buys into this rubbish to “think about it”!  There are so many false hopes about “Save a Tree” that one could spend days explaining.  Think about the idea that I can grow another tree, YOU can grow another tree, ANYONE can help go out and plant trees! So why the big push to “Save a Tree”?

Now, ask yourself this, how renewable or recyclable is your smart phone, your computer, your tablet device or book reader?  What’s the carbon footprint used to make that device?  What’s the energy used to power the services that those devices use?  I won’t bore you with the facts or statistics.  Reality makes it necessary to use these devices for business and pleasure.

I think what we really need is a “Save a Job – chop down a tree” campaign.  Trees are a crop, no different from corn or wheat.  Harvesting trees saves jobs.  Planting new trees saves jobs.  Recycling paper saves jobs.  Even using a stamp on an envelope made from a tree with a check inside that is also made from a tree that can both be recycled again, saves  many jobs!  So lets chop down a tree or save all our paper trash to give to the recyclers and save a job.  Think about it – Save a Tree?

But wait, that’s not all you should think about when contemplating this save a tree idea.  How about thinking of the reasons why the paper industry is the one you always hear about when “Save a Tree” comes up.  What about the lumber used by homebuilders and furniture manufactures? What about people with fireplaces who love to curl up with a loved one in front of that wonderful warm fire that turns wood to ashes?  Why is it, that only paper is the one that is always targeted?  Call me a conspiracy theorist, but to me, it looks like financial gain is the main motivating factor here.

Pay your bills on line?  Who benefits the most?  The seller by getting paid faster and the bank that can place ads in front of you for awhile. Send an email instead of a letter? Who benefits the most financially?  This could be debated more but the company that you bought your device from and service you use to transmit with like Google or Yahoo stand to make a profit by being able to shove ads into your face while using their services.

So to me, I can see why online service providers and advertisers want you to give up paper.  But “Save A Tree” just makes me feel like they all think we are stupid!  Consider this, around the beginning of this year, Google started a campaign with the tag line “Save money. Save time. Save trees”.  Now after numerous letters disputing the credibility of this statement to CEO Larry Page and Chairman Eric Schmidt, the misleading tagline has been removed from their “Go Paperless 2013″ campaign.  If these two distinguished leaders of tech can see the valid points made by the Printing Industry of America and take down their tag line, then I feel it is time that we spread the word and have a more realistic conversation about “Save a Tree”

To learn more about the value of print, download a free flip-book by visiting www.printing.org/valueofprint

Fashion Week has kept us pretty busy. SLB Printing cranks out the LookBooks. Over 5,000 lookbooks were produced for various fashion designers and clothing manufactures displaying their new lines all over the country in just the last week of February 2013. The largest of these orders was only 300 pieces.  The hard copy proofing process has been critically important to all the fashion clients to make sure their products look their best on our digital presses.

Our 2 high speed digital presses have been cranking out the lookbooks and the bindery room has been busy making custom pockets, cutting, scoring and folding inserts. Wire-O, spiral binding and saddle stitching departments have all had their share of rush work this week too! Deadlines as tight as 24 hours have been met and we are so thankful for all the new clients who have found out just how quick and easy SLB makes the entire printing, color correction and proofing process.

Thank you to all our current and new fashion clients for making this the busiest year ever for producing lookbooks!  SLB Printings impecable reputation on many of the popular on line review sites helped clothing manufactures feel comfortable coming to our store and trusting us with their last minute LookBook printing needs.  But LookBooks is just part of the Fashion Week printing that SLB produced.  Posters, Retractable Banner Stands, Backdrops, Order Forms, Line Sheets, Inserts, Postcards and more were all part of the many requests that we were given with impossible deadlines that SLB made possible.

SLB Printing was established in 1984.  In November of 2012 we moved into our new location at 2822 S. Robertson Blvd.  Plenty of on street parking and in back of the store is available too.

Call SLB Printing today at 310-558-4752 and let us help with your LookBook needs. Mention you read this blog and receive $25 off your next order for LookBooks during all of the 2013 year.

Did you know these vital facts about the paper used in print products?

• About 90% of paper and paperboard consumed in the United States is produced in the United States.¹
• Overall, 33% of papermaking material comes from recycled paper; 33% comes from wood chips and scrap from sawmills; and 33% comes from virgin trees.² Continue Reading →