In the melee of festive activities, it is easy to forget our environmental responsibilities. Here are a few easy ideas for how to enjoy a greener Christmas.

1. If you are buying battery operated gifts, opt for rechargable batteries.

2. Dry citrus peel (orange, clementine, lemon, lime) in your airing cupboard and throw onto an open fire on Christmas morning to give your home a really festive aroma.

3. Buy beeswax or vegetable based candles. They're better for your health as well as the environment.

4. If you're buying a real tree make sure it comes from a sustainable source. In the New Year, check your local council's website for details of your nearest Christmas tree recycling point.

5. Both Tesco and WHSmith accept used Christmas cards from January 3rd. These are collected by the Woodland Trust.

6. Don't forget to compost all those veggie peelings!

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Web fed offset litho presses use the same basic printing process, lithography, that we looked at last month (visit em-jays.co.uk/archivehtml if you missed that one. The simple difference is that the press is fed by a web or reel of paper rather than sheets. So what impact does this have on the print buying process?

The main difference is speed. Sheetfed presses run at up to 12,000 sheets an hour. A web medium sized web press will run at up to 60,000 cut offs or sections per hour depending on the weight of paper being used and the age of the press. If thinner paper is run too quickly the web will break. Some of the larger newspaper presses can run at between 70,000 and 90,000 cut offs an hour. Web offset is generally most economic for runs between 25,000 and 1,000,000 copies, above this gravure is usually a cheaper option.

Another deciding factor is whether the press is coldset or heatset. With a coldset press the ink dries naturally through evaporation and absorption and consequently is suited to uncoated paper. Because there is no oven element the presses are smaller and can be more economic for the right type of work. With a heatset press the ink is dried rapidly by forced-air heating and is better for coated papers.

As with sheet fed presses sizes vary considerably. webs can be supplied in sizes ranging from 240mm wide to 2500mm wide. Standard sizes for A4 work would be 435mm for a 8pp section, 870mm for a 16pp section and 1305mm for a 24pp section. Web presses are limited in what weight of paper they will run generally 45gsm - 150gsm. Whilst some presses will run lighted stock anything heavier will certainly have to be produced sheet.

With web presses there are also a variety of configurations, including single web where one web is fed at a time, twin web where two webs can be used of different widths to vary section sizes on the same press or the same width to create double the section size or double the run in the same time, and double circumference where two plates are fixed to the drum so that two impressions are achieved from each pass.

As we've said before it really does come down to using the right tools for the right job.

Next month: digital print,
how it works and when to use it