Are Being "Green" and Buying a Second-hand Printing Press Compatible?

Copyright (c) 2011 Alison Withers

Many businesses are operating with a degree of caution following the shock to the economy in 2008, and investing for expansion has to be thought through very carefully.

This is likely to be particularly true in the print industry, where margins have always been tight and the competition intense. The industry had been suffering added pressure thanks to the rising costs of minerals, oil and paper, recently.

There is also pressure on the industry to become more environmentally friendly and although paper is usually the focus for this, energy consumption and the carbon footprint come a close second.

As recovery proceeds, however, it is possible that a printing company will need to expand its capacity and one way may be to introduce 24-hour printing and a shift work system, if it does not do this already.

Another possibility is to buy another press and since this is an expensive investment the temptation may be to look at buying a second-hand press, especially when, as recently, a number of businesses have folded or been taken over.

For a company that is keen to become more "green" and also keep control of ite energy costs buying second-hand can be a mixed blessing.

Regardless of whether the printing press is litho or digital it is likely that any machinery produced in the last ten years will run considerably greener than an older model. New printingpresses generally make production faster, speed up turnaround times and so the equipment is generally more energy efficient.

Older presses may run at fewer sheets per hour and also the maximum number of sheets that can be printed before maintenance is required may be lower than with newer models.

However, some makers are famous for producing presses that are built to last and when the manufacturing process and its energy and carbon footprints are taken into account the longer the life of the press the more energy-efficient the manufacturing process since each machine lasts longer and therefore fewer need to be built.

Calculating the carbon footprint of a press over its lifetime is a complicated process and comparing one with another is by no means straightforward. It may be that more environmentally friendly parts can be retrofitted, but that will depend on whether newer technology is compatible, and replacing older parts is something else that has to be considered carefully when thinking about buying second-hand. Changing peripherals to use more modern methods may also be an option.

Essentially the decision is a balancing act in which availability of capital, energy costs and carbon footprint will all play a part and likely to depend on the circumstances of the individual business.


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Printing is a competitive business with narrow margins so investing in new equipment has to be considered carefully especially in the current economic climate. Is buying second-hand the answer and how compatible is it with being "green"? By Ali Withers for Firstcopy, suppliers of copiers and printers in East Anglia.