Xerox developing reusable paper
The trouble with a lot of the corporate speak about going green is the promises can seem abstract, or worse, like just another PR campaign. Xerox Corp. is working on a green technique that’s as plain as the stack of papers on your desk. Scientists at Xerox can make the print on documents appear — then disappear in time, allowing paper to be reused.
Using a molecular compound similar to the one on tinted eyeglasses, which darken or lighten depending on the amount of ultraviolet (UV) light in the environment, Xerox labs have developed paper that changes color when exposed to UV light. Unlike tinted glasses, however, which change color instantly upon walking outside or into a building, the print on Xerox’s paper fades gradually over 16 to 24 hours, or it can be erased instantly by heating the paper.
The goal is to produce an erasable paper that costs two to three times the price of regular paper but can be used hundreds of times. People can relate, Xerox scientist Paul Smith said.
“We got enormous feedback from customers. They loved this concept of a green technique,” said Smith, laboratory manager at Xerox Research Centre of Canada, near Toronto.
Source: searchcio.techtarget.com