Self-erasing printers where the ink disappears after three weeks so that the paper can be reused. This is all based on interaction between ink and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is a remarkable pollution-saving invention when used alongside digital storage so we might move towards the 1975 prediction of a paperless office. At least with re-usable paper this is no longer “single use” and so, like the plastics we were warned about by our own King back in the ‘70’s, these innovations will help move towards carbon neutral businesses with a lower environmental impact and cost.
There is also another device that removes ink from printer paper using laser technology to vaporise the ink and this process has coined the phrase “de-printing” and it also involves special paper to prevent ink soaking permanently into the paper. For more information de-printing technology