First Blue Angel for printing inks

I am often telling people about the Blue Angel mark as here in the UK, it is hardly known about or recognised, whereas in Germany (where it was established) and in mainland European countries, it is both highly visible on products and very highly regarded.

The Blue Angel (Der Blaue Engel) is a German certification for products and services that have environmentally friendly aspects. The Blue Angel mark is the oldest ecolabel in the world, and it covers some 10,000 products in some 80 product categories - not just paper!

It was originally conceived and put in place by the government of the former West Germany and has been awarded since 1978 and I have written about it before, extensively HERE.

In a first, an ink manufacturer has now been awarded the ecolabel: Schuite & Schuite Druckfarben GmbH is an innovative company that specialises in the production of high-quality web offset printing inks for professional printing machines. As the first holder of the ecolabel for printing inks, inkjet inks and toners for paper and cardboard on professional printing machines (DE-UZ 237), the company based in Thuringia is sending a strong signal promoting environmental friendliness in the printing ink industry.

Anne Worsch (RAL), Bettina Uhlmann (UBA), Thomas Fuß COO Schuite & Schuite Druckfarben GmbH, Bauke-Jan Schuite CEO Schuite & Schuite Druckfarben GmbH, Christian Tebert, Ökopol GmbH

Dessau. “We decided to demonstrate our commitment to environmental protection by certifying our products with the trusted Blue Angel ecolabel. Our UNI 500 and MG 1500 ink series have thus now been certified in accordance with the strict criteria defined by the Blue Angel. By gaining this certification, we want to demonstrate to our customers and their clients that we are keenly aware of our responsibility to future generations. With the right mindset, commitment and technical expertise, we can make a contribution to building a sustainable future together”, explains Thomas Fuß, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Schuite & Schuite Druckfarben GmbH at the ceremony to present the Blue Angel ecolabel.

The new ecolabel for printing inks, inkjet inks and toners is designed to ensure that the certified products have a significantly lower impact on the environment and health during their production and use. It minimises or completely excludes the use of pollutants such as PFAS, heavy metals, particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The ecolabel ensures that the printing products have a high level of recyclability, which must be verified in deinking tests of the inks and recycled paper. It also includes strict criteria that ensure the most important oils and their derivatives are sourced from renewable raw materials, which helps to protect natural forests. As a B2B ecolabel that is closely aligned with the ecolabel for printed matter (DE-UZ 195), it makes applying for the ecolabel for environmentally friendly printed matter easier.

Although it is a shame that this manufacturer does not cover inks for sheetfed offset litho, hopefully it will encouarge other ink manufacturers to look forward...

Posted by Justin Hobson 21.05.2025

Save the date!

The Independent
 Paper Show is coming to town! Yes, this June in Clerkenwell, the second London edition of the IPS will be presented in the Crypt on the Green and all are welcome.

Presented by three Swiss companies who founded the original show: Bubu, Lorenz Boegli and Sonderegger, the London show has been brought to the UK in partnership with Foilco.

These superb 'Save the Date' cards have been sent out in the post and you may have received one already!

The event is on Wednesday, June 11th 2pm until 8pm and Thursday, June 12th 12pm until 5pm at the Crypt on the Green
 St. James’s Church,
 Clerkenwell
 London EC1R 0EA . You can read more about it on their website.

To attend, you just need to register on the website: https://papershow.co.uk/

We hope to see you there!

Posted by Justin Hobson 28.04.2025

Earth Day 2025

Earth Day is an annual event first held on April 22, 1970. It now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. Above all, Earth Day is the "people's day" for doing something to take care of the Earth. That "something" can be local, national or global. It can be a solo action or involve a crowd.

What better day for me to remind you about one of our range of recycled and environmentally friendly text and cover papers...

 

Creative Print is a range of 100% recycled, uncoated text and cover materials. 

The paper has an uncoated, natural surface and is produced on the "Rolls Royce" of papermaking machines - a twin wire machine which ensures even-sidedness which improves printability over other inferior products. The range is available in two shades, Diamond and Champagne and the weight range is 90, 120, 170, 210, 270 and 350gsm.

 

Creative Print is manufactured by Euler in Germany, which is part of the Koehler Paper Group. The range carries the "Blue Angel" certification. Introduced in 1978, the Blue Angel scheme is the oldest ecolabel in the world, and it covers some 10,000 products in some 80 product categories. After the introduction of Germany's Blue Angel in 1978 as the first worldwide environmental label, other European and non-European countries followed this example and introduced their own national and supra-regional environmental labels. The common goal of these labels is to inform consumers about environmentally friendly products thereby giving global support to product-related environmental protection - perfect for highlighting on Earth Day!

 If you would like a swatch of this range, just drop me an email Justin@fennerpaper.co.uk

 

Posted by Justin Hobson 22.04.2025

10 years on...

Many of you reading this blog may never have even heard of the companies in this article - Robert Horne, Howard Smith Paper, PaperCo, which were all laterly under the Paperlinx banner.

It was exactly ten years ago today that the Paperlinx group companies were placed in administration and I wrote about it on this blog HERE 

It was a sad day for our industry and for the near one thousand staff working in the UK for the group. Although this may have been a chronically mismanaged company, it highlighted the direction of travel for the paper and printing industry...

Paperlinx was an Australian company which bought up three very sucessful and profitable companies and ran the whole thing into the ground.

You can read more about the history on the Printweek website:
http://www.printweek.com/print-week/news/1150685/breaking-deloitte-appointed-at-paperlinx-uk-most-branches-closed

Regular readers of this blog may well remember that I had a bit of a 'run in' with Paperlinx and their solicitors after posting a hyperlink (with allegedly defamatory remarks) when I wrote about Toby Marchant's 'golden goodbye' departure:
http://justinsamazingworldatfennerpaper.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/toby-marchant-exits-paperlinx.html
Sadly, Graham Critchley, who ran the website exposing the shananagins at Paperlinx (and who's blog I linked to) passed away in January 2014. The financial troubles at Paperlinx continued to persist.

More history here:
http://www.printweek.com/print-week/news/1150698/merchants-move-to-plug-paperlinx-gap https://www.printweek.com/content/news/paperlinx-debts-revealed/

https://www.printweek.com/content/news/former-paperlinx-business-subsumed-into-japanese-giant/

Posted by Justin Hobson 01.04.2025

The Marrakech Collection

Olivia von Halle is a British luxury nightwear brand that launched at London Fashion Week in September 2011. The brand can be found in nearly 100 stores in 20 countries including Harrods, Selfridges, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and online with Net-a-Porter.com.

Focusing on beautifully cut silk pyjamas in stunning exclusive prints, Olivia von Halle has quickly made a name for itself in the world of high-end nightwear. In 2013 the company was awarded the ‘Blue Butterfly Trust Mark’, which is given to brands and companies that have a positive impact on people and the planet.

This is the look-book for the Marrakech Collection. The publication is sub A4 - 290x205mm, portrait. It is a 16pp self cover format printed on Omnia 150gsm

Unlike many of the fashion look-books featured on this blog, which are printed offset litho, this has been digitally printed on an HP Indigo press. The colours are strong and punchy and the whole publication has a matt, tactile look and feel - in fact I can honestly say, every bit as good as litho!

Click on images to enlarge

Although Omnia was never originally developed for digital, we now keep it as a stock item with "sapphire treatment". This treatment is often applied to more unusual papers and provides a "key" so that the inks (which are different to litho inks) work on the paper surface. The great thing is the job just doesn't look and feel like a digital job. Below is a detail shot showing the excellent fleshtone reproduction.

 The self cover format means that it flows well with the pages turning nicely.

 A nice touch is the use of the white wire for the saddle stitches, in fact so white, you can't see them!

Graphic design is by Michael Knight, who runs his studio in East London called A New Mark. Print and finishing is by Gavin Martin.

https://oliviavonhalle.com/
https://anewmark.com/
https://www.gavinmartin.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 11.03.2025

VIP Preview

This is the beautifully produced invitation for the VIP preview of  thePaddington Square development in west London held at the Chiltern Firehouse.

Size of the invitation is 215mm square and looks stunning.

The square on the front of the invitation is hot foil blocked in Rainbow SHLR from Foilco and the type printed in "Just Black 700" which is one of Foilco’s most popular pigment foils and has a Gloss finish.

The invitation is printed on SUMO, which is our a heavyweight, thick board manufactured by FAVINI in Italy. It is available in black and white and the consists of 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm up to a whopping 3mm thick ...seriously chunky! Last year, the range was extended to include a small range of colours - five new shades all available in 1mm thick.

This invitation is produced on Sumo, White 2mm thick, which is really substantial and the result is absolutely dead FLAT - unlike the risky business with duplexing boards together which can result in a warped finish...

The hot foil stamping looks superb, sinking into the thick board and giving a wonderful, tactile, quality. 

Design is by property marketing specialists Wordsearch. Designer on the project is Ana Iugulescu and the artworker is Alex Shannon. Printing is by Trident Printing in London.

https://paddingtonsquare.co.uk/

https://www.wordsearch.co.uk/

Posted by Justin Hobson 23.12.2024

Fenner Paper Diary 2025

If you are a user of the Fenner Paper ranges and therefore one of our wonderful customers, you may well have already received one of our wonderful new 2025 diaries... 

The cover has been designed by Carol Kemp using drawn lettering and brush calligraphy. In a career of over 30 years, Carol has produced lettering for over 800 books and logos for numerous brands worldwide

The 4pp cover is printed on our Creative Print, Diamond 270gsm using an HP Indigo digital press. The 40pp text is printed in one colour, on our lovely Offenbach Bible 60gsm, which has a superb opacity and a good writing surface making this an ideal paper for a diary or notebook.

The diary has been put together by long term collaborator and friend David Coates using typefaces from Buy Fonts Save Lives that raises money to support Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.

As in previous years, the diary is 230x162mm, portrait and retains the popular 'month to view' format.

Buy Fonts Save Lives sells typefaces to raise money to support Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support. 100% of the proceeds go to the charities and to date, over £150,000 has been raised!

Founded by Paul Harpin in memory of his niece Laura who sadly died from cancer, aged just 26. We’re delighted to support and help promote the initiative with our diaries. Any purchases of the fonts help to raise vital funds that literally save lives.

If you are one of our worthy clients (!), you should be receiving one of our diaries in the post. If you want to make sure you are in our address book, drop me an email: justin@fennerpaper.co.uk. For people who aren't customers, they are available to buy through the St Bride Foundation here:

https://stbridelibrary.bigcartel.com/product/fenner-paper-diary-2025

Posted by Justin Hobson 13.12.2024