It can be especially hard for artists to be eco-friendly when there are such few sustainable options for supplies. One of the struggles is finding eco-friendly printing providers to print your illustrations on. Unfortunately, most printing companies out there don’t care if their products are sustainable. They may offer really cheap prices, but the cost on the earth is too much to measure.
You’ll be happy to hear there are some great alternatives. Use one of the following providers for your illustrations next time. They have some very affordable options and offer more sustainable options than the typical paper you see. Many of their products like their art print range are made from recycled materials. As you will see, there are eco-friendly printing providers out there. It’s just a matter of finding them. And as you’ll see, it’s really easy to use these providers. All you need to do is ensure your design follows their guidelines such as file format and that it’s set at the correct DPI.
01. PRINT.WORK
PRINT.WORK has a range of different environmentally friendly papers to print on. Some of them are made fully from recycled materials and others are made from partially recycled materials. Depending on the kind of illustrations you need printing, they have different types of paper each with different properties.
Unicorn White – Made from 100% recycled materials and is best for full colour prints including photos.
Elephant Natural – A slighty textured, unbleached paper. This range is suitable to art prints and coloured prints.
Giraffe Fleck – Made from 100% recycled post-consumer waste, this one is a very sustainable option. They say it’s best for design with little ink and minimalistic designs.
Antelope Straw – A bit different from the other ones, it is a light brown making it ideal for black and white design and earthy designs. For the right types of designs and colors, this one can look great!
Cotton Perlino – Made from particlaly recycled materials. The perlino cotton range is a textured and creates a great effect when full coveredge designs are printed on on it.
You’ll be happy to know that they don’t just offer prints. you can also print your business cards with them and stickers made from recycled materials. Finally, you can buy your art print framed in a wooden frame. I definitely recommend this one.
If you want to learn more about what they offer, go to PRINT.WORK
02. Inkthreadable
Inktheadable offers many different services including dropshipping. But as well as having a range of products like sustainable clothing to print on, they also print illustrations.
Part of their art print range is made from bamboo which consists of 90% bamboo fibers and 10% cotton. Bamboo paper is better for the environment because bamboo grows a lot faster than trees and can therefore be replenished much faster.
Like PRINT.WORK, they also offer framed art prints, if that’s something that interests you.
All their packaging is plastic-free too. Inktheradable is a great option. They offer dropshipping on these products too which means you don’t actually have to buy any stock to start selling, making it a great provider for eco-friendly printing.
If you want to learn more about what they offer, go to Inkthreadable.
03. Awesome Merch
Awesome Merch is based in the United States, in Texas to be exact. This company is a place where you can get general merch with your designs printed on but they do offer quite a few sustainable products to choose from to print your design on. Some of these include:
- Recycled art prints
- Recycled business cards
- Organic clothing
- Recycled postcards
- Recycled flyers
They are very high-quality and with some of these, you can choose different colored paper. You can browse through their products and see what suits you best.
If you want to learn more about what they offer, go to Awesome Merch
04. Ashley House
Ashley House is a printing company based in the UK and they are a great option if you need something printing in large numbers. They’ve been around a long time so they are quite established.
Printing sustainably is their priority which why they ensure all the materials used are sustainably sourced while aiming to keep their carbon footprint to the minimum.
In terms of products, they have the biggest range. So, whether you are looking to print your art prints, a book, magazines, or stickers, they have it all.
If you want to learn more about what they offer, go to Ashley House
05. Find An Local Eco-Friendly Printing Provider
Especially if you live in a city, it’s likely there will be some kind of printing business around you. Have a look and see if they offer any sustainable options. Because going local is always preferable. Of course, not everyone has access to it, but for those who do, use the services around your local area. It also saves you shipping costs and reduces the carbon footprint of your business.
If you can’t find someone in your local area to print your designs, if possible, try to choose one of the online companies above that is closest to you. For example, if you live in the USA, it makes more sense to order from a company that is based in the USA rather than halfway across the world. These are small things that we need to take into consideration too.
Related: A Guide To Sustainable Graphic Design
How To Choose The Best One
These are not the only ones. As more people are becoming concerned with becoming more sustainable, companies are adapting and introducing sustainable product ranges to their collection. Demand for eco-friendly printing providers is increasing which is so good to know.
After going through the process of actually finding companies who will print your illustrations on recycled paper, it’s time to choose. Which one you choose will depend on you, your budget, and the type of paper you are looking for.
All of the above are great choices. But don’t forget, you can also switch and try a different one along the way.
Conclusion
As artists and illustrators, it’s our responsibility too to ensure we are having a minimal impact on the environment and that our creativity is not causing destruction but rather creating positivity and happiness. Our designs should be harming the world.
The paper industry is becoming larger and forests are cut down every day. However, if we start sourcing all our paper and wood from sustainably sourced forests or from post-consumer waste, the world would become a much better place for everyone.
Moreover, I hope in the future, printing on recycled materials and sustainable sources materials will become the norm. As time goes on, I hope this list of eco-friendly printing providers will get longer and more options will be available.
