Chemists invent water-jet printer
Print Edition
Most people are quite familiar with ink-jet printing. But a team of chemists from northeast China’s Jilin University has recently attracted worldwide attention by inventing a water-jet printer.
Like any ordinary printer, the machine takes a blank page and covers it with print. But instead of ink, this printer uses water. But the text fades away within 22 hours of being printed.
Professor Zhang Xiao’an, leader of the team, said that 40 percent of printed pages are thrown away after being read only once. In addition, the printer can switch between water and ink in case the user wants a more permanent print.
What makes the technology work is the paper. “It’s not some magic paper one might assume,” Zhang said, “The paper we used in our experiments is a common type that people can get anywhere.”
The paper is treated with an invisible dye that becomes visible when exposed to water. The dye slowly fades over time, with higher temperatures causing it to fade more quickly. The water-jet printing allows one page to be reprinted dozens of times. It can help offices save money on paper.
Although chemical treating is involved, the cost is still relatively low.
“According to our calculation, dye-treating the type of paper that is generally used for printing adds only 5 percent to the price. So it’s very cheap,” said Zhang. “The significance of this technology lies in the fact that it’s not only money-saving, but also environmentally friendly.”
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