Xerox Goes Invisible

April 29th, 2008

By Ben

What’s better then going green? How about going clear.

Xerox is currently developing a new type of paper and printer that would allow someone to print a document, only to have the ink fade away after 16 to 24 hours, so that the paper can be reused.

Cnet reports that users don’t have to wait for the paper to fade either. By running it through the special printer made for this paper, the printer will erase the old image before putting the new one on.

How is this possible? The paper is coated with photosensitive chemicals that turn dark when hit with UV light, and according to Xerox’s tests, the paper can be used hundreds of times.

Imagine printing out a meeting agenda, only to realize that one item was left off. Instead of having to re-print an agenda for everyone at the meeting, the same paper can be ‘cleared’ and re-printed on, cutting down on waste. The only problem people could run into is if something important is printed – only to have it disappear the next day or week once you really need the information.

Entry Filed under: Green