Is Your Printing Made in China?

We all know that much of our manufacturing is being outsourced to China, but did you know that this included printing as well?

According to a report about offshore printing released last year by the Rochester Institute of Technology, 49% of U.S. printers who participated in the survey indicated that they had lost a job to a foreign competitor. Of those, 57% of the jobs went to China, 16% to Mexico, 16% to Canada, and 10% to Europe, and 5% to India.

The primary reason for printing offshore is the same as for other types of outsourcing: Lower costs, primarily due to decreased labor expenses. This makes it particularly challenging for domestic printers to compete with overseas competitors, and in some cases the effects have been devastating. Outsourcing can also result in inferior quality, and can even be hazardous to our health: Two years ago there was a large recall of outsourced printed materials due to high amounts of lead in the final product.

All types of printed products, from books to marketing collateral, are being printed offshore. In fact, we’ve even spoken with green businesses who have told us that some of their printing needs are met in China…

If you are considering outsourcing your printing, there are a number of things you should be concerned about:

• Quality standards: Typically, quality standards may not be as high as what you would get with high-quality domestic printing. And if you are unhappy with the quality of your outsourced print job, there’s little chance of getting it reprinted!
• Environmental impact: Besides the normal impact of printing, the carbon footprint of a printed piece that travels halfway around the world is much higher. Also, most countries lack the environmental regulations and standards that we have in the U.S. Petroleum-based inks and paper from virgin, mismanaged forests are commonplace.
• Jobs: As print orders are sent overseas, printers at home lose their jobs.
• Shipping delays: Deadlines are easy to miss when products have to travel so far to their final destination.
• Workplace concerns: Most overseas facilities lack the labor laws and OSHA standards required in the U.S. and may result in lower standards for employee safety.

Certainly, not all of these conditions apply to all off-shore printers, but you can be sure that none of them apply to Greenerprinter: We are proud that all of our green printing is done in-house, under our own roof in Berkeley.