The publishing world, not associated with fast paced change, has been abuzz this past year over e-books and their readers. The true push of e-books came with the introduction by Jeff Bezos of Amazon’s Kindle but the market is now seeing true competition, most notably from Barnes and Noble’s Nook which has already sold out the allotment for this holiday season. Although publishers are now courting the e-book market, the lion’s
share of profits still come from traditional book publishing methods -
ink on paper.
E-book readers offer many attractive features over conventional books from portability to connectivity, but most of us would still rather curl up with the tactile richness of a book over a screen. At least one publisher, Melcher Media, has not completely abandoned the thought of advancing the format of a traditional book. They have created a book using synthetic paper, specially formulated glue, and a proprietary binding technique, marketed as DURABOOKS.
Unlike both traditional and e-book platforms, the DURABOOK can go where the others cannot – specifically around water. The book is completely water proof and durable since the paper is really a plastic resin with a coating applied for printability and the glue is also waterproof. Due to the unique fact that the book is plastic, and reinforced with a special binding technique, the book is pretty indestructible as well. If any of these books do become out of fashion or fail to find a buying market, the non-toxic “paper” can be melted down for reuse in other products or books. So far the application has been limited to only six books, with the bulk of the success coming from the landmark eco design book Cradle to Cradle.
Most eco-conscious printing has thus far centered around certified papers, soy inks, and a reduction of solvents in the printing process. These books use greener methods than traditional book publishing but still adhere to the “less bad” approach of design. All paper choices carry an environmental price tag and soy based inks contain “halogenated hydrocarbons or other toxins” that increase in potency when made water soluble according to the authors. The DURABOOK up ends this traditional model by attacking the very idea of what is a book and does it need paper to be effective.
For printers interested in experimenting and finding a market for this new “paper”, sheets can be purchased online from Yupo. Maybe I should get a water-proof business card!
Endnote: The plastic material used in the DURABOOK is polypropylene according to an article found on the McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC (MBDC)
website, the Cradle to Cradle certification company. The book, however,
does not have a #5 recycling symbol anywhere on the cover.
Related Info: This book is not a tree. Rinkevich, Joseph
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