The Printer That Lets You Use The Same Paper Again And Again

Here's an idea: how about a printer that lets you erase the ink on documents after you've printed them, making the paper clean, clear and ready to use again?

That's the idea behind the Eco Printer, designed by Sharsha Lee for Liteon Technology. It has recently been named the winning entry in Red Dot's 2010 Design Concept award.

Here's how it works: the printer uses a special ink, made up of photographic materials. The trick is that the ink is erased when ultra violet light is passed over it – meaning documents can be printed for the short-term, used, scanned with UV, and be ready for use again. Theoretically you'd only ever need to use one piece of paper.

Sounds useful? Perhaps. A scrape underneath the surface reveals the idea may not be as good as it seems, though.

As tech website Wired points out: "Paper is useful because of what you do to it after the ink has been laid down." The advantage paper has over a computer screen is that you can write on it, make amendments, tear bits off. That's the usefulness of paper.

But the UV light won't erase pencil or pen marks, meaning you'd have to keep the paper completely free of blemishes other than the special ink.

"If you're forced to keep the paper in pristine condition, then you may as well use an iPad," Wired said.

Posted by Canzil Ahmed.