Paper-saving ink
The paperless office is far from being achieved – despite the growth of digital media, e-mail, e-books and the Web.
However, ways of reducing paper use have to be found – not only to save the environment but to help companies cut costs, says Ursula Burns, the president of Xerox, best known for its printers and photocopiers. Burns says paper use continues to grow because “people just like it. It’s easy to manipulate and manage. It’s also relatively ubiquitous and cheap.”
Xerox is preparing for a world where paper is used much less. “This is not only because we’re interested in cutting down fewer trees but because technology is available that will allow you to print less.”
The lifetime of paper documents is getting shorter – people print out Web pages and e-mails and discard them within hours. “We must figure out ways for customers to remove low-value paper,” Burns says.
An interesting new technology, developed in Xerox’s laboratories in Canada and California, could provide a solution. The technology, known as erasable paper, means that ink on a printed page disappears in a predetermined period – usually less than 24 hours.
Burns, who was in SA last week to talk to customers, says the technology is in the final stages of development – and Xerox thinks it could significantly reduce paper use.
It has developed compounds that change colour when they absorb a certain wavelength of light but then gradually disappear. The written image fades naturally over time or can be immediately erased by exposing it to heat.
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