Print Eco-Friendly Play Date Cards

Going green is no longer a buzz phrase but a lifestyle choice that many families have adopted because they care about the world their children and grandchildren will inherit. Everything from household cleaners and clothing to furniture and transportation can now be eco-friendly. You can even print eco-friendly play date cards to simultaneously enhance your child's fun and social skills while saving the environment he or she will grow up in. Not all printing companies are created equal, so here's what you need to know to print eco-friendly play date cards.

Start with recycled paper

This might seem obvious, but not all recycled papers look just as great as non-recycled papers. For best results, choose a 13-point recycled matte cover paper stock. The 13-point cover thickness will make your play date cards sturdy and durable. The 13-point recycled paper stock is refined and smooth, while the sleek matte coating adds richness and depth to your artwork.

Print with soy inks

Historically, petroleum has served as the base for most commercial printing inks. However, petroleum-based inks are responsible for releasing high volumes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the drying process. VOCs are harmful to the environment. Soy-based inks, on the other hand, release far fewer VOCs and are therefore far healthier for the environment. That's why it's important that you double-check with your play date card printing company to ensure that it uses soy inks on its presses.

Don't sacrifice quality for eco-friendliness

Would you allow your child to associate with reckless children simply because it is convenient? Of course not. Similarly, you should not let your desire to be eco-friendly supersede your play date card printing quality. Fortunately, you don't have to: soy-based inks are actually capable of producing more vibrant, richer colors than petroleum-based inks; and premium recycled papers (such as the 13 -point cover matte described above) are just as smooth and white as non-recycled papers. Thus, you never have to sacrifice quality to be eco-friendly when you print play date cards. Best of all, you don't have to sacrifice dollars either because eco-friendly printing prices are comparable to traditional printing prices.

Get an electronic proof

You should always proof your play date cards before you have your printing company print the entire run, but you don't have to order a hardcopy proof. Hardcopy proofs, while more accurate than electronic proofs in terms of color, require the use of paper packaging materials as well as carbon-emitting transportation vehicles to deliver. When you order an electronic proof, you can double-check your play date card spelling, text, layout, images and other elements right from your computer. And if you use a color swatch when you design your play date cards, you'll already know that your colors match up (since there is a slight variance between RGB screen color and CMYK press color). For best results, download a free play date card layout template to guide you along.