Going Green with Menus

If your restaurant has a green agenda, there's no easier way to be eco-friendly than green printing. New and innovating green printing techniques have significantly reduced business waste and carbon footprints in recent years. As a restaurant that needs printed menus, you can simultaneously have a positive influence on the environment and boost your public image by printing green menus. Here's your guide to going green with menus:

Print your menus on recycled paper

Printing your menus on recycled paper is easy and looks great. In fact, many people prefer the elegant sheen of a recycled 70-pound matte text or 80-pound gloss cover stock to the rich depth of gloss for menus. Printing your menus on eco-friendly recycled paper is the logical first step in going green for restaurants.

Print your menus with soy inks

Soy inks are another easy way to fulfill your green agenda. Soy inks release far fewer VOCs (volatile organic compounds) into the environment during the drying process. They also spread farther and are capable of producing more vibrant colors than their petroleum counterparts.

Recycle and get an electronic proof

Recycle old menus every time you print new ones, and encourage your customers to recycle their old take-out menus when you send new menus in the mail. Hardcopy proofs are always best, but if you're just changing a typo or adding a single menu item, you can get away with an electronic proof, which saves the paper the proof it is printed on, the postage supplies and even a few exhaust emissions from the delivery truck.

Be proud of your green agenda

You can use soy logos, recycled logos and other eco-friendly logos on your menu to show your customers that you care about the world they live in. Even a brief story about your eco-friendly efforts could be included in the copy. People love fresh foods and fresh ideas, so tell them you're helping to keep the world a fresher place. If you follow these simple steps, you can easily promote a green agenda, increase sales and boost your image all at once.