Tuesday, 01 April 2003
Balmar Printing To Offer Forest-Friendly Service Under FSC
Balmar, Inc., one of the largest book and color commercial printers in the Washington DC and mid-Atlantic regions, and one of the largest quick printers in North America, has received chain-of-custody certification under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This certification will allow Balmar Printing to make use of FSC-certified paper, made of pulp harvested from responsibly managed forests. Several types of FSC certified paper are now available. Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), an accredited FSC certifier, performed the certification.
Balmar Printing is headquartered in Falls Church, VA and was founded in 1966 as the region’s first 24-hour-a-day reprographics service provider. Today, Balmar operates two large commercial sheet-fed and web print production facilities with full binderies, two on-demand black and white and state-of-the-art digital print centers; a full service mailing and fulfillment center; a facilities management division; a comprehensive legal publishing and reproduction center; and an award-winning design studio. Balmar had $33-million dollars in sales in 2002. Balmar was an early adopter of vegetable oil-based inks, recycled paper products, paper waste capture and recycling, and metals recovery from the photographic processes used in the print industry.
“Balmar is a leader in FSC-certified printing, and in paving the way for its customers to use FSC-certified paper as a means of supporting responsible forestry," said FSC-U.S. President Roger Dower. “Balmar becomes the second printer in the U.S. to become FSC certified, a trend we hope will continue as more and more customers become interested in FSC-certified paper."
“Because so much of Balmar’s printing business has, for over 36 years, revolved around providing images on paper, we have always been mindful of our responsibility to produce our products in the most environmentally friendly manner possible," said Bruce Seger, President, Balmar Inc. “FSC certification is a logical extension of our commitment to operate our business as an environmentally responsible member of the community. We hope to foster the message and mission of the FSC by making our customers aware of our support and participation in the chain of custody process and raise their awareness of the importance of choosing certified FSC products."
“The fact that Balmar is now FSC certified is important to me, personally, because our industry requires the use of large amounts of paper. FSC papers are made from trees that are harvested responsibly, leaving behind a healthy ecosystem for future generations. Balmar is one of the largest printers in America and, hopefully, will be the leader in an important direction that others will follow," said Mary Memminger, Senior Account Executive.
Balmar will be providing the following papers from forests that are responsibly managed by FSC standards. Currently, Domtar papers, available through Ris Paper Company provides 60# and 70# Plainfield Opaque text sheets and 80# Plainfield cover stock as well as 24# Plainfield Opaque Multi Purpose bond and 10 pt Cornwall Coated (one side) cover stocks are available. Other papers are available from Europe as needed and more papers are expected to become available as demand increases.