News & Environmental Policy

Customer contact is a prime consideration to us at aquatint | bsc and our news page will convey information that is of interest to both existing and new clients.

Of equal importance to us is our concern for the environment and we have established a policy that reflects this.


Environment

After eighteen months it was rewarding for the hard work and commitment of our environmental team to be recognised when we were nominated for the Merton Council Green Business of the Year Award. Whilst we did not win, we were ‘Highly Commended’. Our Production Director Barry Gregory and Green Champion Ian Hadley received the award from actress June Whitfield on 13th October 2006.

Rightfully pleased with our success Barry said, “We continue to recognise our responsibility to the environment and constantly search for new initiatives to cut wastage and emissions. Our ultimate aim is to become Carbon Neutral. The enthusiasm of the school children at the Awards Presentation for environmental issues was infectious and has inspired me to double our efforts. After all it is their generation that will have the problems if we do not grasp this nettle now.”

If you wish to find out more about our environmental work please see our policy or contact us.

Technology

Our £50,000 upgrade to our pre press software is now complete. For the non- technically minded we can now process your digital files faster and in a more automated fashion than before. This means quicker completion of your work and even more competitive pricing.

For the technically minded we have installed Heidelberg Print Ready Software, giving us a state of the art digital workflow. All files are now automatically pre-flight checked, trapping and colour controls set. Rip Once Output Many (ROOM) technology now removes any problems that may have existed when digital files are repeatedly ripped. We now rip a file once only and out put the same file to plate setters, proofing devices or digital print engines thus ensuring digital integrity. With automation being the current buzz word in the industry Print Ready is the start of our move towards implementing JDF. Finally we are able to accept and generate version 1.6 PDF files currently being used by the most recent versions of In Design and Quark.

If you would like further information or need help with digital files please call Barry.

A new Polar 115X programmable guillotine and stacker were installed in February supplied by Heidelberg. This guillotine replaced our old one after 15 years of sturdy service. Finishing supervisor, Scott House is particularly pleased with the 30% increase in productivity allowing him to clear what was traditionally a bottleneck in our workflow.

Far Flung Corners

Proving that our reputation for great project management knows no geographic boundaries; salesman Steve Lenaerts has won his second order from Canadian publishers Crabtree. The job to print 27,500 copies of their European Catalogue requires great attention to detail from all departments.



Environmental Management and Policy

Any well-run commercial enterprise should be concerned about its impact on the local and global environment.

The potential for damage to the environment through our everyday printing activities is considerable.

Fortunately all the staff at aquatint | bsc enthusiastically support our environmental policies, often putting forward ideas for improving them at our regular Management and Works meetings.

Policy

Our aims are:
  1. To monitor and reduce our energy consumption.
  2. To responsibly dispose of or recycle our waste.
  3. To purchase consumables from companies with high environmental standards and accreditations.
In detail:
  1. Our monitoring of our energy consumption informs our decisions on the replacement of old and inefficient machinery.
  2. We operate dosing meters to reduce chemical consumption.
  3. We use advanced measuring equipment to reduce our ink consumption.
  4. On a rolling basis we are replacing petrol and diesel powered company vehicles with cleaner, more efficient electric/petrol hybrid cars.
  5. We employ computer to plate technology to eliminate the need for film and reduce our chemical use and waste.
  6. We recycle all printing plates.
  7. We grade all paper and packaging products before recycling.
  8. All general waste is recycled to specialists wherever possible. e.g. IT equipment or fluorescent tubes.
  9. All non - recyclable items are disposed of by recognised disposal specialists
  10. We specify biodegradable consumables wherever possible.
  11. We source paper that is either from sustainable sources or partially/totally recycled.
  12. We actively encourage our suppliers to improve their corporate environmental responsibilities.
We have recently been nominated by one of our suppliers for the Environment Award in the 2006 British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) Excellence Awards, the print trade’s equivalent of the OSCARS.

We are also taking initial steps towards achieving ISO 14001 accreditation.
48 Weir Road | Wimbledon | London | SW19 8UG

t: 020 8947 8571
f: 020 8947 3319
e: print@aquatintbsc.co.uk Client FTP Area: Login