The idea that using environmentally-friendly products in printing gives inferior results is being challenged by printer Steve Elford.

Steve, who has just started his own business, Twelfth Knight Graphics, with his partner Coco Sato in Brighton, said quality did not have to suffer because green materials were used.

He said: "The quality of the printing is extremely high, equalling the best achieved using traditional materials which polute the planet."

Having worked in the printing industry for 20 years, Steve decided it was time to realise the long-held ambition of working for himself. By sticking to his green principles to only use organic, soya-based inks and paper made from renewable sources, he felt his business had something different to offer.

Getting the new business off the ground was not plain sailing. He said: "The first problem was finding the premises. It took us six months and then the building needed complete renovation. Fortunately, I have had experience in the building business when I worked for my uncle and I was able to do the work myself."

Steve and his partner did everything from laying floors to plumbing and electrics to decorating. Now, with the premises in good shape, the press is running.

In just a month he has established a customer base larger than he projected for the year.

He said: "Having worked in the printing business for many years, I've often been appalled how wasteful it can be and how polluting the inks and washes are. So I was determined that the service I was going to offer would be as green as it could be.

"I did my training with a Brighton firm called Elmut Clifton where I was taught by some of the most highly- skilled craftsmen in the area, so my standards when it comes to quality of print are very high.

"Now I've combined high-quality printing with environmentally-friendly products. All the inks I use have a soya base, which is a renewable resource, rather than being an oil-based product from a non-renewable source. The paper I use also come from renewable sources, the whole printed product is bio-degradable and won't harm the earth. This is important to me and my customers too.

"More and more people are concerned about the damage being done to our planet by the use of polluting chemicals and the waste our society produces. The heavy rain we have experience in the past year is just one sign that things are going wrong and it's up to us all to do something about it."

Steve can be contacted on 01273 202871.