Over the past few weeks I’ve gotten many requests for resources to help customers articulate why printing is the “right” choice when deciding on media. More and more, print specifiers feel pressured to defend print as environmentally friendly.

They need facts at their fingertips when building a case for print. That’s the motivation behind today’s Print Tip. I am committed to building out our site’s Resources section. This will be just the beginning.

Today, I want to share just 10 resources you can access immediately to help you articulate why print is a “responsible” choice. These are in no particular order. This list is NOT comprehensive – but I had to start somewhere. Your comments and additions are most welcome.

1. Paper Because campaign by Domtar Paper |  www.paperbecause.com

The Paper Because website is wonderful and easy to use. Check out their Knowledge Center once you get there, too. “Why paper? Because paper is effective and has value. That is why Domtar has launched the PAPER because campaign – to highlight the key role paper plays in our lives and the reasons why it’s an environmentally sound choice.”

2. Rediscover Print by PIAG (a PIA affiliate)  |  

The Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia Educational Foundation offers another fantastic resource. “Rediscover Print is committed to searching out credible information, case studies, and statistics about print in order to expose you to the trends and tactics that help you make a positive impact in your communications,” it reads on the site. Don’t miss their blog as well. Their latest post is all about cool and effective QR codes.

3. Print Grows Trees by PGAMA (a PIA affiliate)  |   www.printgrowstrees.com

The Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic created this campaign. According to the site: “Print Grows Trees” is an educational campaign that uses facts to show that print on paper actually helps to grow trees and keep our forests from being sold for development. By connecting the dots between print and the private landowners who own almost 60 percent of U.S. woodlands, “Print Grows Trees” challenges the widely held belief that by using less paper, trees will be saved.” I wish that you could get to this resource from their main association page at www.pgama.com, but I couldn’t find a direct link. However, from the Store tab off the main page, you can purchase several products, including the book, “Print Grows Trees,” for $29.95.

4. Choose Print by PIASC (a PIA affiliate)  |   www.chooseprint.org

The Printing Industries Association of Southern California is the sponsor of the Choose Print campaign. According to the site, “Choose Print is an educational campaign designed to promote the value of print and to reinforce the fact that print is a recyclable, renewable and sustainable environmental choice. Choose Print is sponsored by Printing Industries Association, Inc. of Southern California (PIASC), the not-for-profit trade association serving the graphic communications industry in Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura Counties as well as Clark County, Nevada. PIASC is the largest local graphic arts trade association in the nation, serving the interests of more than 1,300 member companies.”

5. Sappi’s eQ campaign |  www.na.sappi.com/eQ/

Sappi Fine Paper’s eQ campaign is its sustainability brand. “eQ” stands for Environmental Quotient. Their goal is to elevate the environmental knowledge of their customers. Lots of videos at this site.

6. Part of Life by PrintNZ |  http://partoflife.co.nz

PrintNZ is the printing industry trade association of New Zealand. “The Print: Part of Life campaign aims to remind consumers of print’s irreplaceable role in their lives and inform them of what print can offer. There are a lot of common misconceptions about the printing industry so we want to present people with the facts about print so they can be fully informed when making sustainable choices. For business people, particularly those who work in marketing, we want to reinforce the many benefits that print offers them as part of the marketing mix.”

7. Two Sides |  www.twosides.info

I hadn’t heard of Two Sides until speakers at our Print & Media Conference last month told me about them. The site explains, “Two Sides’ is an initiative by companies from the Graphic Communications Supply Chain including forestry, pulp, paper, inks and chemicals, pre press, press, finishing, publishing and printing. Our common goal is to promote the responsible production and use of print and paper, and dispel common environmental misconceptions by providing users with verifiable information on why print and paper is an attractive, practical and sustainable communications medium.” Two Sides, according to a recent news release, began in Europe in 2008. Today, it is active in 12 countries, with links to similar projects in Australia and Japan. More than 35 companies have supported the organization’s U.S. start-up. There’s a massive amount of great information on their site.

8. Institute for Sustainable Communication | www.sustainablecommunication.org

ISC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization “whose mission is to raise awareness, build capacity and foster the widespread adoption of economically viable, environmentally restorative and socially constructive uses of print and digital media.” Their offices are in New York City. Their site is rich with articles, videos, events, white papers and much, much more.

9. Print in the Mix at RIT   |  www.printinthemix.com

Print in the Mix: A Clearinghouse of Research on Print Media Effectiveness is housed at RIT (the Rochester Institute of Technology) in NY.  Established with a grant from The Print Council, its purpose is to “advocate and educate for the value of print as a viable and effective ROI in the marketing strategy media mix.” There’s a lot of excellent and compelling research at this site. Do check it out.

10. Print Delivers by The Print Council  | http://theprintcouncil.org/initiatives/print-delivers-seminar-series/

The Print Council created “Print Delivers” as a series of educational seminars to help “educate media and marketing decision makers about the effectiveness of print and why print should be an important part of marketing campaigns.” This is just one of many such initiatives offered by the Council. Learn a lot more at their site.

There you have it – 10 resources to help educate you about the sustainability of print. Please send me additional suggestions and I will add them to a new post.

©2011 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. Your comments are encouraged. You’re free to forward this email to friends and colleagues. However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.