December 20, 2006—Xerox Corporation scientists have invented a way to make prints whose images last only a day, so that the paper can be used again and again. The company says that the technology, which is still in a preliminary state, blurs the line between paper documents and digital displays and could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in paper use.
The experimental printing technology, a collaboration between the Xerox Research Centre of Canada and PARC (Palo Alto Research Center Inc.), could someday replace printed pages that are used for just a brief time before being discarded. Xerox estimates that as many as two out of every five pages printed in the office are for what it calls “daily” use, like e-mails, Web pages, and reference materials that have been printed for a single viewing.
According to Xerox, temporary documents are part of the company’s ongoing investments in sustainable innovation—or “green products”—that deliver measurable benefits to the environment, such as solid ink printing technology, which reportedly generates 90 percent less waste than comparable laser printers; more energy-efficient printers, copiers and multifunction devices; and other paper-saving innovations.
For more information visit Xerox.
