Paper to use, again and again

Monday, 8 August 2011

Taiwanese researchers have come up with a novel idea to save on the use of paper and other printable materials – erasable paper.

The “i2R e-Paper” is a kind of paper and the printer used to print onto it is thermal – the same as in fax machines. When the words are no longer needed on the paper, they can be erased. The “paper” can then be reused. Again and again – up to 260 times!

The product was developed at the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan, where researchers say it will ideally be used to replace paper signs and posters.

John Chen, vice-president of the institute and general director of the Display Technology Centre says: “I think the greatest breakthrough was that traditional display devices usually require electricity to write, but our technology made it closer to how we would use normal paper,” reported Reuters.

“First, it does not require patterned electrodes – it is very light, soft and rewritable. From this perspective, this is a true e-paper.”

The i2R e-paper has a different coating to other paper. It is covered by a plastic film and cholestric liquid crystal, a type of liquid crystal structured similarly to cholesterol molecules.

Once it is connected to electricity, the printed paper can be erased, easily and with no fuss. A modified printer has also been developed, which erases the paper by rolling it backward.

The researchers hope the paper will be available to consumers within two years.

The paper is already in production and costs about $2 for an A4-sized piece of paper.

“In many cases, such as transportation tickets or ID badges, it will save you from printing the same thing 259 times. In terms of environmental production, this is very meaningful,” said Chen.