Reusable Paper
Can you envision a day where you print something out for a quick read… and then reuse the same piece of paper the next day?
Well, researchers in California have created paper that will do just that.
According to this article on ComputerWorld.com: Xerox Corp.’s research arm yesterday showcased its latest innovations, including erasable paper.
Scientists demonstrated paper that can be reused after printed text automatically deletes itself from the paper’s surface within 24 hours.
Instead of trashing or recycling after one use, a single piece of paper can be used a second time, and reused up to 100 times, said Eric Shrader, area manager at PARC.
The so-called “paperless society” was supposed to begin years ago, as the PC revolution began. Yet, we’re more paper-dependent than ever.
As the number of electronic documents produced increases, about two to five pages are printed in the office for daily use, like e-mail messages and Web pages, which are discarded or recycled after being read.
It’s no secret that we’re still wasting large volumes of paper. Even if the paper is recycled, deforestation is still a result. Here in my office, we go through huge volumes of paper. Often people will print out large documents, only to forget them at the printer.
Reusable paper sounds like a fantastic solution for this.
The reusable paper they’ve created:
1. reduces waste
2. is environmentally safe
3. helps reduce overall printing and paper costs
We’ve got a ways to go before mass adoption, but this is certainly a great step in the right direction!
