Researchers Use Lasers to Un-Print Printed Paper

[Guest]

Removing printed toner on paper, similar to how we use an eraser to clear pencil writing, is not something entirely new, but there has never been a feasible approach for the mass market.

Researchers Use Lasers to Un-Print Printed Paper : Read more

 

[arvalin_dakaria]

But would it be cost effective?

 

[keyanf]

Something tells me fixing the print code so you don't wind up with various pages with 1 line each in the first place is more cost efficient...

 

[mcd023]

if you have an office that prints and disposes tons of paper, it'd be effective. just be sure not to get them crumpled! how many new paper jams would that cause?

 

[Marco925]

so now the printer manufacturers have a new product to charge next to nothing for, but make us replace the laser every few weeks for $1000 a pop

 

[nebun]

[citation][nom]arvalin_dakaria[/nom]But would it be cost effective?[/citation]
most likely NO

 

[GenericUser]

It would be really cool if it could somehow store the evaporated toner for re-use.

 

[livebriand]

[citation][nom]Marco925[/nom]so now the printer manufacturers have a new product to charge next to nothing for, but make us replace the laser every few weeks for $1000 a pop[/citation]
lol... right now, my printer claims some of the toner cartridges are low. When it actually decides they're empty, I'll be using a little trick to force it to use it anyway. lol... printer manufacturers love to charge you too much for things...

 

[Benihana]

[citation][nom]livebriand[/nom]lol... right now, my printer claims some of the toner cartridges are low. When it actually decides they're empty, I'll be using a little trick to force it to use it anyway. lol... printer manufacturers love to charge you too much for things...[/citation]
Oh Brother! I hear you on that! 😛

 

[Genny]

It's far better suited for destroying confidential documents than any sort of 'green initiative'--erase ink then shred. I can see it serving a purpose.

 

[joytech22]

[citation][nom]Genny[/nom]It's far better suited for destroying confidential documents than any sort of 'green initiative'--erase ink then shred. I can see it serving a purpose.[/citation]

I'm sure that since it damages the paper in a way, they could just find out what the original content was anyway but the smarter thing to do would be to "erase" it with the un-printer and shred it both ways.

 

[Alsone]

What about lung disease though?

I thought toner particles were long thought bad for the lungs and yet this process sounds as though its atomising them off the paper through using the laser. Surely that will be hazardous to office workers.

 

[JOSHSKORN]

[citation][nom]keyanf[/nom]Something tells me fixing the print code so you don't wind up with various pages with 1 line each in the first place is more cost efficient...[/citation]
Ha I remember my first Visual Basic class, creating a report...I screwed up in that very manner.

 

[Guest]

Make it solar powered and you got a deal!

 

[neon871]

Researchers on AMP Energy drink............!

 

[cookoy]

How much power would be needed to power up the laser to wipe clean a standard letter-size or A4 sheet of paper? Will the toners be totally evaporated without leaving residues?

 

[back_by_demand]

Eventually this will be incorporated into all standard laser printers, then we can print, erase and re-use most standard printouts
...
This will never be used for confidential documents, however

 

[leo2kp]

I can't see this being widely adopted. Much of what is printed contains private data, which would probably be recoverable when erased.

 

[rantoc]

Considering its paper i have a feeling the paper jams costs when printing on used paper will outweigh the gains...

 

[__-_-_-__]

[citation][nom]arvalin_dakaria[/nom]But would it be cost effective?[/citation]
no. Because:
the price of removing the toner is bigger then recycling it even considering the environmental cost.

 

[gallidorn]

I'm sure when this technology becomes available, someone will figure out how to remove specific sections of print and then check cashing fraud will increase substantially!

 

[Onus]

Will a specifically formulated toner be needed? How much will that cost, AND, how much will we be charged (two different things) ? What sort of pollutants will be produced by evaporating it into a relatively closed office (or home) ? How much power per sheet will it require, and how will that compare to the cost per sheet of buying new paper? How much time/effort will be needed to process paper for re-use?
I can envision some relatively closed environments where this concept could make sense, such as regenerating internally-used reference materials, work orders, and other documentation; where it can all be collected and centrally erased for re-use, but in general it looks like trying to use a kitchen knife as a screwdriver (or a screwdriver as a kitchen knife).

 

[CaedenV]

Now providing Black lung disease in Yellow, Magenta, Cyan...

 

[freggo]

Does it come with an 'un-erase' option ?
I can see kids changing from "The dog ate my paper" to 'my printer deleted my report" 🙂

 

[Tab54o]

It's going to cost way more in power to erase a sheet of paper then its probably worth and only works on laser printers.