Green Publishing and Printing

On my soapbox!

What with one thing and another I've recently decided not to approach a publisher with my latest scratchings. I figure no one does things quite as well as the person for whom it means so much, so I've decided to go it alone. One of reasoning behind this decision was I want to try and do it as sustainably as possible. There are a lot of trees chopped down each year that end up on bookstore shelves, and a formidable amount of chemicals, water and waste. We'd tried to go print green with Living the Good Life, and the publishers were amenable about looking into some aspects, but not really going the whole hog. We were in the process of moving to Tasmania so didn't really get into the research side of it. Now I have it seems there are lots of options to explore, not just recycled paper, but vegetable inks, acqueous varnishes, elemental chlorine free, FSC stewardship, waste management programs etc.

There's an interesting read to be had at this Melbourne University site called
'The Little green Guide to Publishing'



Eco Directory have these printers listed. Their websites are worth having a look at. Some of them have been at this for many years and have environmental publishing honed. If you print brochures etc as a part of your business, or who you work with does a lot of printing, perhaps it's an idea to pass this list under their noses. It seems it's only marginally more expensive if at all to conventional practices. It also means you can print lots of goodwill inducing words on the paper that shows your business is environmentally responsible.

North Coast Print Solutions NSW ·
Eco-friendly printers.
Black Rainbow Vic ·
Environmentally responsible printers.
Complete Colour Vic ·
Environmentally friendly printing.
EcoDesign EcoPrint NSW ·
Eco-friendly design/printing.
Finsbury Green Printing NSW, Vic & SA ·
Environmental printers.
Fishprint Vic ·
Eco-friendly, waterless printing.
Focus Press NSW ·
Eco-friendly printing company.
Goanna Print ACT
Environmentally friendly offset printers, Canberra.

Pristine Publications Pty Ltd NSW ·
Eco-friendly printers.
Spectrum Printing NSW ·
Environmentally friendly printing.
Think Vic ·
Environmental printers.

My latest project is raising money to publish something that's not about the environment, in fact it's fiction with an Australian bent, the only environmental thing being that it will be published using best practice. I wrote it a year or so ago, and Penny, my proofreading friend has been very supportive about getting it happening. Who Killed Dave? is a comedy whodunnit about a dysfunctional group of neighbours living in Kaos Crescent. Here's the first draft cover.