Xerox Reusable Paper Details

The idea of ​​reusable paper is described in science fiction a few decades ago. Now it is finally close to its embodiment.

The new technology is in the early stages of development, but it is already clear that reusable paper on which you can print a ray of light with a certain wavelength, and the information disappears by itself in a few days, is capable of carrying out a fundamental revolution in office life. The mountains of printed sheets in the trash bin and toner-stained hands will forever disappear.

For the first time about this technology became known in September 2006, and now on the site of The Future of Things published additional information , previously unknown.

Reported reusable paper research began at the Canadian Xerox Research Center of Canada (XRCC) in 2003. By now, scientists have achieved certain results: the paper created by them already withstands 50 rewriting cycles.
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Principle of printing
For printing, you need a special printer or prefix to an existing printer. This device must be equipped with a source of ultraviolet, with which the image is applied. In places of UV-irradiation the paper darkens. The print remains from 16 to 24 hours, and it begins to lighten immediately after printing, and after a day it disappears completely.



The paper itself is multi-layered, and one of the layers several microns thick contains a photosensitive mixture of a secret composition (such as spiropyran). It darkens from ultraviolet radiation and brightens in its absence. Such substances are often used in the manufacture of sunglasses that darken in the sun. Xerox engineers have achieved that the substance darkens quickly, and brightens very slowly.

The image is applied using a light tube, which acts as a drum with a toner in a laser printer and processes specified areas of the paper passing by.

The print resolution is not reported, except that it can be much higher than 150 dpi (scientists use 150 dpi and have not yet experimented themselves with the maximum resolution). Logically, the principle of ultraviolet irradiation can provide ten times higher resolution, comparable to the resolution of the human eye.

Now a team of researchers is working to better control the process of natural clarification of the substance over time. Their goal is to find a way to slow down or stop the degradation process, while maintaining the ability to erase the image on their own at any time.

Another problem is the cost of technology. A new type of paper should have a reasonable price. Each sheet of such paper should not be much higher than 10–20 sheets of plain paper. Then many will go for it to save on ink and toner. When these problems are solved, then it will be possible to think about the commercial application of the new technology.

At the moment, the technology provides only monochrome prints (they turn out purple), and the appearance of color is not even foreseen - the researchers are not faced with such a task. Yes, it is not necessary, because reusable Xerox paper is positioned as a replacement for drafts, and not ready documents. It is assumed that the "print drafts" will be one of the additional options in the multifunctional Xerox devices. Then office workers will have a new habit - gently take sheets costing a few dollars per tip, God forbid, not rumple, because this A4-RW sheet must be passed through the printer another 20 times.

With the help of Xerox technology, it can make another revolution in the print market, as it has repeatedly done. It was in the Xerox laboratories that the world's first laser printer and fax machine appeared on plain paper, and copiers are still called “copiers” in some countries .