Ouropenspaces.org

While the standard ink cartridge have come a long way in the last decade or two of development–from simple petroleum based inks to a wide spread of liquid, toner and wax-like solid inks that come complete with glossy or matte finish and incredibly intricate chemical compounds–it has also become fairly clear that the technology behind producing ink has a long way to grow yet still. Although our inks may now be of high quality, lasting longer and providing better print jobs than ever before, they also cause a fairly extreme amount of damage to the environment and the health and safety of the people who operate the printing machines.

The danger to regular people lies in the release of what are generally known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have been found to contribute to the overall problem of ozone depletion and to breathing problems such as asthma in employees that spend a significant amount of time operating or hanging around the printers. This is because many of the “higher performing” ink cartridges use petroleum products that contain toxic heavy metals and solvents such as lead, barium and cadmium. While it might seem like your printer is simply doing its job of putting ink on paper for you on demand, at the same time it is also releasing a toxic combination of chemicals into the airstream of your copying room that can be particularly dangerous for rooms with little ventilation and a large amount of printing going on throughout the day.

However by switching to green inks we have a chance to alleviate some of the environmental and health effects caused by utilizing petroleum based inks that contain heavy lead and toxic chemicals. At one point organic, vegetable-based inks were fairly common before being eclipsed by the newer inks, but now they have caught up once more and can be considered high performing inks and toners in their own rights. So what are you waiting for, ditch your poisonous and expensive oil inks and pick up a soy ink cartridge while it remains on the market!