The Beacon Press has won an efficiency award from Water UK and the Environment Agency for its trademarked waterless and alcohol-free printing process, Pureprint.


The Uckfield-based company received a commendation in the Industry & Business sector.


It uses 8m2 of water per 1m printed sheets, instead of the standard 18m2.


Managing director Mark Fairbrass said: "Lots of companies talk about printing on recycled paper, but we wanted to take it a stage further into a real environmentally-sound system. We've tried to develop every aspect of the business from an environmental
perspective."


The award is the company's 20th environment related decoration.
Fairbrass said The Beacon Press's continued environmental drive made economic sense. "We don't use any alcohol whereas most printers use about 12 tonnes per year, so we've saved that for a start. Combined with the other measures we save thousands of pounds a year."


At the beginning of the year, The Beacon Press became the UK's first waterless printer to go CTP when it invested 500,000 in a Scitex Lotem 800V using Toray's Emerald digital plate (PrintWeek, 7 January).


However, Fairbrass said the company was
currently beta testing a new waterless plate from
a leading manufacturer, although he would not name the company.


Pureprint also uses
vegetable-based ink made from soya and coconut
oil.


Story by John Davies