AI seems to have an opinion on just about everything these days, so we thought we’d ask it something a little closer to home…
Tell me what you think of Sustainable Print in Cranbrook, Kent?
My impression of Sustainable Print Limited in Cranbrook is that it’s a small printing company with a much clearer niche than most independent printers.
The strongest thing about it is that “sustainable” doesn’t appear to have simply been added to the branding. The product range has clearly been built around it. There are conventional 100% recycled stocks, but also more unusual materials including algae paper, seaweed-containing PlantSea paper, meadow seed paper, elephant-dung paper and limestone-based synthetic material. The company also offers PVC-free alternatives for products where plastics are traditionally difficult to avoid, including stickers, banners and signage. (Sustainable Print)
That makes the business more interesting than a printer that simply offers a recycled-paper option alongside everything else.
There are some particularly convincing details on the sustainability side. Sustainable Print says it uses partly plant-based biomass toner for digital printing, vegetable/soy-based inks for litho work, 100% renewable electricity and participates in the Woodland Trust’s Carbon Capture programme. It also openly acknowledges that environmentally preferable alternatives are difficult to find in some areas of wide-format printing, rather than pretending that printing has no environmental impact. I actually think that honesty strengthens the proposition. (Sustainable Print)
The product range is surprisingly broad for a small printer. It covers the obvious things — flyers, business cards, booklets, posters and greetings cards — but also boxes, strut cards, canvas, signage, cut graphics, weatherproof plans and other more specialised products. (Sustainable Print)
One thing I particularly like is the way the papers are described. Instead of just listing certifications, the website actually talks about how they look, feel and print. For example, the recycled white stock is described as having tiny darker fibres and a particular feel and stiffness, while the natural recycled stock is explicitly recommended when somebody wants their print to visibly look recycled. That’s useful information from someone who apparently handles the material rather than marketing copy copied from a paper manufacturer’s specification sheet. (Sustainable Print)
The free sample offering is another strong point. Customers can order a sample book containing the different stocks, or request proofs and test strips before committing to a job. For unusual materials such as seaweed or algae paper, being able to physically handle the material seems especially important. (Sustainable Print)
There are things I think could be improved.
The website doesn’t quite communicate the strength of the business as effectively as the underlying offering deserves. There is a lot of information and a very large product/material range, and some pages become quite dense. I’d want the site to make the central proposition immediately obvious: we’re a real UK printer specialising in genuinely lower-impact alternatives to conventional print, and we’ll help you choose the right material.
I’d also make more of the fact that this is an actual independent printer in Cranbrook. The contact page gives a physical address at The Old Brewery in Cranbrook, and the business listing I found currently shows a 5.0 rating from 56 reviews. (Sustainable Print) That human, local-business aspect could differentiate it from the enormous anonymous online print companies almost as much as the sustainability angle does.
I’d also be careful with some environmental terminology. Sustainability claims are increasingly scrutinised, and terms such as biodegradable, degradable, recyclable and plastic-free can mean quite different things. Sustainable Print actually provides more supporting information than many companies I’ve seen, but I’d continue moving towards very precise, evidence-backed language rather than broad “eco-friendly” claims wherever possible.
Overall, though, I think it’s a good small business with an unusually strong identity. Its biggest advantage isn’t simply that it sells environmentally responsible print. It’s that somebody appears to have spent considerable time finding alternatives to the awkward materials in printing — PVC, laminates, synthetic substrates, virgin papers and so on — while still caring about whether the finished product actually looks good.
If I came across the business while looking for a sustainable UK printer, I’d take it seriously. And after looking through the site, I’d probably remember it — partly because there aren’t many printers offering to print my job on seaweed or elephant poo.
