Enabling more sustainable textbook printing

China’s Shanghai Xinhua Printing to meet environmental standard with DuPont Cyrel flexographic plates

In line with the green printing initiative undertaken by the General Administration of Press and Publication of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China, DuPont Packaging Graphics is enabling more sustainable textbook printing. Complying with the government guidelines, the primary and secondary school textbooks are required to meet China’s green printing standards by 2014, and DuPont Cyrel flexographic systems are helping make it possible to deliver books meeting these standards to Shanghai classrooms as early as the spring of 2012. Shanghai Xinhua Printing Co Ltd, affiliated with Shanghai Printing Group, has successfully printed 3,50,000 sets of three textbooks – 10,50,000 in total. They are the first to print books using water-based inks and DuPont Cyrel flexographic technology in China.

“Textbook printing using flexography marks our transformation from traditional modes of printing to greener and more environmentally friendly methods,” said Lu Youhai, deputy general manager of Shanghai Printing Group, adding, “Compared to traditional offset printing technology, flexo printing has distinct advantages in terms of environmental protection, productivity and efficiency, and standardization of operations. Environmental protection is our major consideration in our decision to adopt flexo printing. And, as the inventor of flexo plates, DuPont has played an important role in improving our quality of printing with its excellent product quality and professional technical support.”

DuPont Packaging Graphics hosted the senior management of Shanghai Printing Group at its Cyrel Customer Technology Center in Shanghai – one of ten around the world – to learn more about flexographic printing methods and using water-based inks, which are non-toxic and non-polluting. The visit was followed by a feasibility study of textbook printing which proved very successful. DuPont provided high-quality Cyrel flexo plates, technical support and guidance in plate making throughout the process from the project feasibility study phase to the completion of the printing project, enabling Shanghai Xinhua Printing Co, Ltd. to smoothly transform the textbook printing operation from offset to flexo printing.

“This is an extremely rewarding collaboration to bring more sustainable printing technologies to the China market,” said Matthias Heinzel, global business director, DuPont Packaging Graphics. “Sustainability, along with quality and productivity, are critical to our customers, and we continue to deliver technologies that establish flexo is no longer an alternative – it’s a solution in all three areas. DuPont CyrelFAST thermal plate systems that enable the elimination of solvent processing of plates, Cyrel digital plates and imagers that enable the elimination of the entire workflow associated with imaging of graphic arts photo tools, and the introduction of safer processing solvents are all examples of our successes in providing more sustainable solutions to the printing market.”