Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Barber.
Greg, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As I was driving on Long Island between Manhasset and Port Washington I saw 100 Middle School Students celebrating the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. I stopped to watch and decided to join their enthusiasm and promote environmental printing. It is now 35 years later and I am still at it.
I decided to promote the most eco friendly paper at that time. Domtar featured a 100% Post-Consumer Waste Recycled Paper called Recycled Bond. I decided to promote that grade and use Soy Based inks, if printing offset, and 100% non toxic toner, if printing digitally.
Today, I buy 100% PCW papers from several mills, Mohawk, Neenah, Rolland, and Monadnock Paper Mills.
The items we print include Greeting Cards, Postcards, Brochures, Flyers, Coaster Business Cards, and we have 100% PCW Poster Board for Posters that replace Foam Core Posters. We use TerraSkin label stock to replace vinyl labels.
We have designers on staff to aid in revising files that do not have bleed and crop marks.
Our niche is quality and speed for rush jobs, Event Planners need us for their last minute changes for Trade Show Orders.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Covid presented a huge obstacle to getting paper from our mills. Some deliveries were 5-6 months and I had to talk a few clients into buying paper for jobs 6 months away, or we had to buy it for them.
Email blasts and the internet caused all printers a tough road, as sales went down.
The key for survival for us was being able to move fast and not suffer on quality.
We also created new products that are hard to duplicate through the Internet,
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am an environmental printer. We specialize in hi end sustainable printing, That means we use 100% Recycled Paper that is made entirely from previous printed paper. That saves our overcrowded landfills from discarded paper. The paper we feature is also 100% Chlorine Free. That saves us all from being exposed to Dioxin which is a deadly chemical created when paper is bleached with Chlorine.
We stock 100% PCW paper and that means we save clients money and time in doing a rush job. Most other printers would need to buy solid cartons and take an extra week to print.
Brand wise, it is our commitment to eliminating plastic on all printed jobs.
We have Event Planners that use our services over 6 times a year. We deliver on time and the quality is consistent. We have the correct equipment to produce most jobs efficiently.
We do represent printers in Europe that handle our International Sales. Xcalibre in the UK stocks 100% PCW paper from Brussels for my clients.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Handling bad files quickly so we can go to press faster. Getting all the print specks, including the Bill and Ship to addresses up front. Spending hours searching through emails is very frustrating.
Creating job numbers and putting them in the subject line so weeks later we can find the jobs faster,
We pride ourselves in moving fast, and that only happens on being organized.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ecofriendlyprinter.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecofriendlyprinter
