New Xerox Technology

In an article originally appearing September 25 on the Computer World website, Xerox showed off some of it's latest technology at its Canadian research center . The new research strategy, according to Xerox's CTO is centered on information explosion, mass customization, and sustainability. Here are some of the things Xerox is working on that apply to printers and/or ink.

• Long-life photoreceptors - Xerox's team has developed a new polymer composite that can improve the life of a photoreceptor by as much as fifty percent. The new composite serves as a protective chemical agent guarding against scratches and surface wear. The statistics are staggering-already implemented in some monochrome printers this summer-they can reach a million prints and 33 percent less replacement cartridges. Ideally, Xerox would like to develop photoreceptors that exist for the entire life of the machine. To accomplish this they will be working on designing smart materials and nanotechnology that will allow a photoreceptor to heal itself.
• Reusable paper - Taking the concept of recycling paper to a whole new level, Xerox also unveiled it's progress in the development of paper for temporary images that could be erased on demand. They hope to be able to create this type of paper that could be used up to ten times with prints that could last three to five days. This could result in less energy being spent on recycling while still meeting our society's demand for paper. Paper use is on the decline in developed countries, but on the rise in developing countries due to an ever-increasing availability of computers and printers combined with growing economies.
• Natural language colour - This new technology from Xerox works by translating words into numbers for editing images. Already introduced into the Xerox Phaser 7500, the software can take words or phrases from drop down menus and adjust the color accordingly. The example given was: "make the skin-tone colours slightly more warm". This technology will be implemented with other Xerox printers as time goes on including MFP models.
• Solid ink - This is Xerox's counter to traditional liquid-based inkjet printer or toner. It allows a user flexibility in choosing the paper to print on because of the small and very circular droplets created that are not susceptible to moving once applied to the paper. Solid ink saves lifecycle energy as well as uses 90 percent supplies and waste when compared to laser printing. For more information on solid ink, you can view our blog entry.
• Cured Solid ink - One upping their own creation of solid ink, Xerox has also produced this cured solid ink that will harden under ultraviolet light and will stick to most any surface. This has great implications for the future of printing on both porous (e.g. corrugated cardboard) and non-porous (e.g. plastics). Xerox also feels that this development will lead to uses that even they haven't envisioned as of yet.
• Ultra low-melt toner - Going further with their Emulsion Aggregation (EA) toner developed roughly ten years ago, they have produced a version that can melt at temperatures 45 degrees (Fahrenheit) lower than other toners. This new version features all of the benefits of the original, so there will be no degradation in the print quality by switching over. Right now it is only being used with the 700 Digital Colour Press, but will be rolled out to other models in the future.