While we’re all trying to cut down our paper usage by printing less, and relying more on digital copies of documents, there are times when it’s just better to use paper. Well, since some situations are unavoidable, Toshiba Tec has come up with a solution to help make things better. The company has come up with a printer that makes use of a special erasable toner. This special toner can be easily erased so that the paper it was used on can be easily erased again. No special paper is needed for the process, only the ink is required.
If you’re wondering how it works – it’s basically a special toner that loses its color when heated. When users feed the used sheets into the copier, it heats it up to “erase” the ink, which provides a blank sheet of paper to print on again. While the ink is gone, the imprint from the printing process is still there, so it is still advisable not to use it with sensitive documents.
Sounds like a great idea, though people will have to make note of which documents were printed with erasable ink if they plan to make the most of it. Users will also have to remember not to leave their documents in very hot places (i.e. in the car on a hot day). Check out the video demonstration above.