Published in 1999, 48 pages. 6" x 9"
17 Tree-free and recycled swatches
Written by Daniel Imhoff
Foreward by Randy Hayes
ISBN-0-9673788-0-X
US $ 15.00
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From Rags to Wood
Although paper has been around for at least 2,000 years, the rise of wood-based industrial papermaking in the mid-19th century changed the world with a nearly unprecedented power. Today, U.S. per capita paper consumption is estimated at over 700 pounds. The global paper industry is one of the world’s largest users of energy and fresh water, and wields considerable impacts on ecosystems, including the consumption of as much as 40 percent of all wood harvested, and the release of persistent, carcinogenic chemicals that are the byproducts of the bleaching and delignification processes. The use of post-consumer and non-wood fibers should be a top priority for anyone interested in reducing the impacts of paper production.

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Tree Free Paper — Overview

While it is fairly well-known that wood-based paper is largely a 20th Century phenomenon, and that the impacts of paper production and over-consumption are taking a devastating toll on forests worldwide, there remains a true void of information on environmentally preferable paper options.

The Guide to Tree-free Recycled and Certified Papers - the first volume in the Wood Reduction trilogy - is such a book. Designed specifically for professionals (graphic designers, procurement specialists, print production managers, and others) this practical volume lays out the case against wood-based paper, and offers a practical resource of the best high-post-consumer content recycled and non-wood content papers. Artfully designed, easy to read, this book's most impressive element might be its swatch section, where users have handy reference to 17 different leading environmental stocks.

With 14,000 copies in print, this book is quickly becoming a purchasing bible for environmentally minded paper consumers. Now, Watershed Media has made the contents of the book available on the web. If you don't have a copy for your studio reference section, you still might consider buying one while limited supplies hold out.