august 2007

Enviro Image Solutions scores top marks for green technology

Vancouver, BC – Enviro Images Solutions’ (EIS) new blanket recycling process has taken top honours at the prestigious 2007 Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation Intertech Technology Awards www.intertechaward.com. Recognized for its advancement to the graphic arts industry, the award-winning technology offers a ‘cleaner solution’ by extending the lifespan of UV printing blankets by as much as 400 per cent. It also enables printers to cut their annual blanket replacement costs up to 70% and do something good for the environment. Summing up EIS’ green merits, one judge commented: “…Refurbishing it just once is innovative [in] itself.”

Prompted by the huge explosion of energy curable (UV) inks, EIS’ patent pending program refurbishes blankets that are difficult to re-use due to large swells of residual ink. Once a printer determines that a blanket is no longer usable, it is sent to EIS, where it is treated with various proprietary processes that restore the blanket to full quality. The blanket is then returned to the printer and re-installed on the press, its performance as good as new. The same blanket can be continually re-treated as long as it is not cut, although the average is four cycles. The process not only extends the blanket’s usability, but can save printers as much as 50 percent of their annual blanket costs. And, at a time when businesses are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their environmental footprint, the EIS solution also scores high on the sustainability scale. Once a blanket is no longer suitable for printing, its aluminum bar, rubber and fabric materials can be recycled for use in other applications, such as roadways and track fields.

EIS is currently the only company in the world able to offer this innovative program. More than three years in development and first introduced in 2004, the company worked closely with leading printers to refine the process, which has been tested repeatedly on multiple presses. Metropolitan Fine Printers, one of the participating printers, has since produced many award-winning projects in 10 micron Staccato using refurbished blankets and also cut its annual blanket costs by 70%

EIS recently invited other printers who are unfamiliar with the EIS process to sample free of charge the effectiveness of the refurbishing treatment on their blankets. Said Ted Cnota of Quantum Group: “Much to our surprise, the blankets we sent to you were returned with a better feel than when they were first purchased. And, when we put them back on press, we were astonished at how well they printed. In one word: incredible.”

Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, EIS was founded in 2004 by a small of group of printing experts working almost exclusively with stochastic solutions and UV technology. In addition to its groundbreaking work with printing blankets, the company is exploring new methods to improve the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of print technologies.

Media inquiries:
Penny Kallas
Marketing Director
T: 604 254 9544
E: info@enviroimagesolutions.com