Xerox researchers have developed an experimental printing technology, which they call "erasable paper" that creates images to last only a day, and the paper can then be reused.

Though still in a preliminary state, this technology blurs the line between paper documents and digital displays, and could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in paper use.

The "erasable paper" technology is developed by Xerox Research Centre of Canada (XRCC), in collaboration with PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xerox. The company has already filed for patents on the technology.

The company believes this technology will someday replace printed pages that are used for just a brief time before being discarded. According to estimates by Xerox, two out of every five pages are printed in the office for a single viewing that consist email, Web pages, and other reference materials.

According to Xerox, in the present version, the paper self-erases in about 16-24 hours, and can be used multiple times. But to develop erasable paper further, researchers needed to identify ways to create temporary images. The "a-ha" moment came from developing compounds that change color when they absorb a certain wavelength of light but then disappear gradually.

In addition, scientists at XRCC are working on the chemistry of the technology, while their counterparts at PARC, which is the birthplace of the laser printer, are investigating ways to build a device that can write the image onto the special paper. They have already succeeded in developing a prototype "printer" that creates the image on the paper using a light bar with specific wavelength as a writing source, and the written images are then erased naturally over time or immediately by heat exposure.

Commenting on the new technology, Eric Shrader, Area Manager of Industrial Inkjet Systems at PARC, said, "This will remain a research project for some time. Our experiments prove that it can be done, and that is the first step, but not the only one, to developing a system that is commercially viable."

The temporary documents are part of Xerox's ongoing investments in sustainable innovation or "green products" that are also beneficial to the environment. These innovations include solid ink printing technology that generates 90 percent less waste than comparable laser printers; more energy-efficient printers, copiers, and multifunction devices.