A Cooperative Project
between the
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
and the
Printing Trade
Associations
Nationwide
August 1996
EPA 744-F-96-002
desim
FOR
THE
LITHOGRAPHY PROJECT BULLETIN 1
U.S.EPA
BULLETIN
HIGHLIGHTS
Will Substitutes Increase My Cost?
What Makes Substitutes Different?
Common Questions About Substitute
Blanket Washes and Their Answers
ALSO IN T
iis BULLETIN
Why Substitute Blanket Washes?
Don't Give Up Too Soon
About the Lithography Project
Substitute
"Blanket Washes
Ma
Them
Why Consider Substitute Blanket Washes?
One of the largest sources of air pollution in lithographic print shops
is the blanket washes used to clean the blankets on the press. Many of
these products contain volatile organic compounds,
Of V vJ v^S, which help them work well and dry quickly. However,
they pass into the air in the press room, the lungs of people working there,
and the outside air. Dirty wipes soaked with blanket washes can also cause air
pollution in the shop and health and environmental problems at the industrial
laundries that pick them up. Because of these chemicals, both printers and
laundries may have trouble complying with environmental regulations.
New substitute blanket washes are available that are 83,1(31 for workers
and for the environment, and can result in lower costs for printers. When press
operators learn how to use these new washes, the substitutes can work as well
as the standard blanket washes. To get good results, though, press operators
must often change the way they use blanket washes. This bulletin aims to help
you, the press operators, shop managers and environmental compliance man-
agers, make these new products work for you.
Design for the Environment
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What Makes Substitute Blanket
Washes Different From Regular
Blanket Washes?
Compared to older high-VOC
washes, a substitute blanket
wash that you should look for
would contain less VOCs and no
HAPs. The substitute wash will
probably evaporate less quickly
which means that it will be less
likely to reach people and the
environment through the air.
Traditional blanket washes are
often made primarily with VOCs.
In comparison, the substitute
blanket washes may be made
from vegetable oils and/or their
fatty acid esters, terpenes, less
volatile petroleum components,
or mixtures of one or more
of these.
Design for the Environment
Why Should I Be Concerned About VOCs?
VOCs can be unhealthy to breathe over iong periods
of time. They can also 113,1111 the environment by helping
form smog, which damages crops and forests. Smog also affects human health
by injuring the lungs. In addition, some blanket washes contain chemicals
called Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). They are known to cause, or are
suspected of causing, harm to human health or the environment.
By using substitute blanket washes containing less VOCs, you can significantly
reduce the impacts that your printing operations have on employee health
and the environment. You may also be able to reduce your regulatory
requirements. To find out the VOC content and other components of
your current blanket "wash, ask your supplier or check the product
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Suppliers can recommend
substitutes containing less VOCs.
Will Substitute Blanket Washes Increase My Costs?
Many substitute washes in fact do cost more per gallon, making them seem
more expensive to use. However, when press operators are tfaiHeCl
in how tO USe these products, they often
use fflUCil leSS wash than was needed with a regular blanket wash. An
example of this is SUBSPRINT, a European program which seeks to eliminate
the use of organic solvents in the printing industry. Two of the SUBSPRINT-
Project partner companies showed that with training, blanket wash consumption
can be cut by as much as 80% when compared to older methods using high
VOC products. Some of the techniques developed through their project are
described in this bulletin. Such reductions in blanket wash consumption can
result in both real cost savings and a healthier work environment for printers.
Another potential cost benefit of switching to a substitute blanket wash is
that it may lower the costs of complying with environmental requirements. By
reducing the amount of blanket wash you use, your shop's total VOC emissions,
or the amounts of regulated chemicals in your blanket wash formulation, you
could lower your shop's air emissions to levels below the threshold amounts
that require permitting or reporting.
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New Techniques For New Products
When you first use a substitute blanket wash, you may find that it looks, smells,
and handles quite differently from your traditional wash. Do not let these differ-
ences stop you. With slight changes in the way you use your wash, you will find that
the substitute can perform as well as your standard product. Printers should ask their
suppliers what substitute blanket washes they offer and how to use them properly.
Some of the more common questions raised by volunteer printers during the Design for
the Environment
What can I do about the oily film left behind?
Substitute blanket washes can leave an oily film on the
blanket. Some believe that this film has little or no effect
on the printed image, and disappears after three or four
sheets are passed through the press.
Answer:
Experiment to see if the film is actually causing a
problem.
' Use a firmly wrung water-soaked wipe instead of a dry
wipe to remove the oil film from the blanket surface.
What can I do about the longer drying time?
By their nature, substitute blanket washes are low in
VOCs and do not evaporate (or dry) very quickly. This
is what keeps the wash from entering the air around
the press and the outside environment.
Answer:
Dry the blanket with a clean dry wipe. Although this
extra step requires more time and effort to clean the
blanket, the money saved from less blanket wash
evaporating, and the environmental and health benefits,
will probably outweigh this disadvantage.
How do I get the substitute wash to work as well
as my traditional wash?
A particular substitute blanket wash, when used the
same way as standard washes, may seem less effective.
However, a substitute blanket wash can perform as well
as your standard product if you change the way you use it.
Answer:
Shop around and try different substitute products until
you find the one that works best.
' Let the blanket wash set on the blanket for a short time
after being applied.
On two-color and multi-color presses, apply the blanket
wash to all the blankets and then go back to wipe it off
of each blanket in the same order.
' Wipe the blanket with a firmly wrung water-soaked wipe
before you start cleaning. This will remove some of the
excess ink as well as any paper lint.
How can I make the thicker substitute wash
easier to use?
Some of the substitute blanket washes are thicker and
more oily than traditional washes, and may not absorb
as quickly into shop wipes.
Answer:
Give the wash enough time to soak into the wipe.
Keep a supply of shop wipes and substitute wash
mixed together in a covered container. Then use
the wash-soaked wipes, squeezing or wringing as
much wash as possible back into the container.
This method may actually help you reduce the
amount of wash you use.
Do the washes also work on ink rollers?
Many of the volunteer printers said they prefer to use
the same wash on their blankets as they do on their
rollers, ink trays, impression cylinders, and printing
plates. Many, but not all, substitute washes can be
used throughout offset presses.
Answer:
Check with the product supplier to be sure that the
product can be used as a roller wash and is compatible
with the other components of your press.
Using substitute washes effectively on other parts of
your press may require changes in your technique, as
in blanket washing.
Ask the supplier for information on the techniques best
suited to each product.
What should I do if my substitute blanket wash
has a strong or unusual odor?
Some of the substitute washes, especially the terpene-
based washes made from citrus products, may have a
different or strong smell. However, many press operators
who have switched to a substitute product say that they
prefer the smell of the substitute to the strong solvent
smell of a traditional wash. Regardless of the wash you
use, there are several steps that can be taken to reduce
odor problems you may encounter.
Answer:
Increase the ventilation (around the press or the
source of the odor).
Use as little blanket wash as possible and avoid spills.
Cover blanket wash and used wipe containers.
If odor continues to be a problem, try different
substitute products to find one that works best for you.
Design for the Environment
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Don't Give Up Too Soon
Every printer changing to substitute blanket washes needs to get xperience
with the new cleaning techniques. Printers should follow the supplier's instruc-
tions and consult with other printers using the same products. Ultimately,
though, you will need to determine for yourself what
At first, the differences may seem awkward and time-consuming. But
many printers have shown that substitute blanket washes perform as well as
standard washes after the initial adjustment. As you are getting used to the new
products, keep in mind that your efforts may
reduce your blanket wash
consumption, create a safer, healthier
work place, help improve the
environment, and reduce your costs.
About the Design for the Environment Lithography Project
The goal of the Design for the Environment (DfE) Lithography Project is to provide lithographers
with information that can help them design an operation which is more environmentally sound,
safer for workers, and more cost effective.
Concentrating on the process of blanket washes, the partners of the DfE Lithography Project,
in a voluntary cooperative effort, evaluated 37 different blanket wash products. Information was
gathered on the performance, cost, and health and environmental risk trade-offs of the different
types of substitute blanket wash. For more details on the evaluations,
please refer to the "Evaluating Blanket Washes: A Guide For Printers."
In addition to the Lithography Project, similar DfE projects are currently
underway with both the screen printing and flexography industries.
Design for the Environment
To obtain additional copies of this or other bulletins and case studies, or for more information about
EPA's Design for the Environment Program contact:
EPA's Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC)
U.S. EPA
401 M Street, SW (7409)
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (202) 260-1023 E-mail: ppic@epamail.epa.gov
Fax: (202) 260-4659 DfE Web page: http://www.epa.gov/dfe
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