SPRANQ, a full service creative communications agency, recently designed Ecofont, a typeset that uses 20 percent less ink. The Dutch design firm based in Utrecht, Netherlands, created eco font with the goal of informing consumers, designers and printing companies about the environmental impact of using less ink and less paper.
Colin Willems from SPRANQ had a hunch that a font can use less ink while still retaining its daily and professional use. The company followed his lead by testing and designing various typesets and removing different shapes from each letter. The end result was eliminating small circles. The font is based off of Vera Sans, an open source letter, and when in size 9 or 10, the removed circles are barely noticeable.
Ecofont is free to download. SPRANQ doesn’t want to turn a profit, but rather contribute to environmental awareness. Donations are welcomed, though. The font is compatible with Mac OS X, Windows Vista, Windows XP and Linux.
In addition to an environmentally friendly product, the company offers a few tips on reducing your eco-footprint:
1. Update old printers for newer models that are eco-friendly.
2. Print only when necessary.
3. Use unbleached recycled paper when you are printing.
More about eco-friendly innovations
• Check out these eco-friendly gadgets from this year’s Greener Gadgets Conference.
• The Kyoto Stove won this year’s Climate Change Challenge. Find out why a solar-powered cooker made out of cardboard boxes took home $75,000 in prize money.
• From chip bag to handbag, TerraCycle products go from waste to consumer products.
