About the Lithographic Printing Project

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The DfE Lithographic Printing Partnership focused its efforts on developing specific risk, performance, cost and other technical information on blanket washes to help small- and medium-size lithographic printers. The project partners agreed to focus their efforts initially on the needs of small shops using small presses (less than 26-inches wide).

Between November 1994 and February 1995, performance evaluations were conducted. Performance was evaluated in two phases:

• The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation's laboratory performed screening evaluations of certain characteristics of the blanket washes.
• Eighteen printing shops across the country volunteered to provide performance information under real-world production conditions.

These shops used the substitute blanket washes for 1 week. Press operators at the shops recorded the amount of product used, the length of time needed to clean the blanket cylinders, and their opinion of how well the products worked.

The information collected in the performance demonstration was used to develop cost data for each of the demonstrated blanket washes. In addition, the DfE Lithographic Printing Partnership identified simple workplace practice changes, pollution prevention options, and other steps that printers can implement easily and cheaply.

Related Links

Pollution Prevention Regional Information Center (Lithography Section)

Printers' National Environmental Assistance Center (PNEAC)

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