Graf Nature Photography | Notes from the woods

Quite often when you read about new inkjet papers, most of the discussion is centered around characteristics such as DMax, gamut, archivalness, optical brighteners, feel, weight, durability, etc, etc. .  It is disappointing that you don’t read a lot about sustainability. .  Afterall, it seems to be one of the key environmental buzzwords of the time.  “Recycled” is rarely a word mentioned when it comes to photographic prints, probably for a variety of reasons  .  As a consumer of fine art inkjet paper for both personal and professional uses, I have been thinking about this.

It is then a great coincidence that a reader of my blog, Dr. Joe Zammit-Lucia, introduced himself to me recently   In this introduction, he pointed me also to a paper he authored about inkjet papers and how some are greener than others.  I found it to be a great introduction to the subject and wanted to share it with his permission. .  You can download this paper from his site here.

I was pleased to find out that my standard fine art papers, which are 100% cotton rag - as well as the mat boards I use - are rated very well according to the analysis in Green-in-Print. .  It is also happens to be a nice benefit that cotton rag materials tend to be the most archival   But Dr. Zammit-Lucia’s article cautions that labels can be deceiving, and possibly for marketing purposes above anything else. .  The fine details of the processing are often not publically available, or perhaps not even known by some paper manufacturer representatives. .  It is worthwhile to ask questions that might go deeper than the marketing materials.

The main intent of my post is to encourage reading of the paper linked above, pass it around (use the “Share This” icon below), and encourage others to generate questions to the paper manufacturers.  Let them know there is a demand for green inkjet papers that have all of the other great qualities we are after. .  Let them know that sustainability should be a key factor just as much as Dmax and gamut.

Below is some suggested letter text from Dr. Zammit-Lucia to send to your favorite paper manufacturer:

I am looking to optimize the environmental friendliness of our photographic papers.  In this regard, I would like to inquire as to whether your company is aware of the recently published Green-In-Print report (it can be downloaded at the Green-in-Print menu option at www.jzlimages.com) and whether you intend to take up the use of the Green-in-Print labeling suggested in the report as this would help me tremendously in evaluating the suitability of your paper products.

Meantime, I would be grateful if you could please provide me with the following details about your individual 100% cotton paper products:

Does your company have systems in place to enable each paper product produced to be tracked back to individual mills and individual fiber source?
Are all the manufacturers involved in the chain of production of your cotton papers ISO 14001 certified?
For which of your cotton papers (if any) is the de-lignification process chlorine free and is it totally chlorine free or elemental chlorine free?
Are the mills certified by the Chlorine Free products association?
Do any of your cotton papers contain a resin base or coating?

Many thanks for your assistance.

Kind regards.