I've just looked through an IPC Review which dropped on my doormat
yesterday.

I'd like to bring to your attention an anomaly.

In this day and age, IPC specs and suchlike start out their life on a
computer. From there, it is easy to convert it to a PDF format, burn a
CD-R and then duplicate it into CD-ROMs for next to nothing. The
alternative is to print out a set of originals, prepare offset plates
and print them out, page after page after page after page, staple them,
trim them, put them into large envelopes and transport the many kg
(producing CO2), a much more costly operation.

Which is the more environmentally favourable method of distribution?
(Better still would be to send the PDF file via the Internet.)

Yet the price of receiving a document as a paper copy is much less than
in an electronically-readable form. Should not this be exactly the
inverse? Not only because the electronic form is cheaper, but to save
the trees, the use of polluting inks and the CO2 produced by the energy
required to make the paper (even recycling paper consumes energy),
bleach it, package it and mail it. Should not the IPC set an example?

Best regards,

Brian