New 'rewritable paper' could hang ink printing out to dry, Chinese scientists say

Angela Meng scmp.com A team of scientists from Jilin University has developed a "water-jet" printer that they say may make ink printing a thing of the past. The secret lies in the paper, which is coated with invisible dyes that react with water. Words and images of a slightly lower quality than ink-jet or laser printing appear as the jet of liquid touches the paper. The research was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. "The days of rewriteable paper are coming - printers of the future will use water-jet paper," the research paper said. The cost of water-jet printing was about 1 per cent of traditional methods as a single sheet of paper could be used about 50 times, according to the lead researcher, Sean Zhang Xiaoan. The paper would probably be more expensive than normal, but without the need for ink cartridges the process would be cheaper, Zhang said. The chemists are still working on the system as it can only print in a limited range of colours, including blue, purple and gold. They are also working on improving the quality and durability of the print, which lasts about a day. The report did not say when the technology might be ready for commercial production. to read more: scmp.com