Use a laser, save a tree

Hand-held lasers that can remove ink from scrap paper so that it can be used again may be coming to an office near you, results from a new Cambridge study show. What we need to do now is find someone to build a prototype. Thanks to hand-held scanners and laser-jet printers, the feasibility for reusing paper in the office is there." - —Dr Julian Allwood Julian Allwood, Leader of the Low Carbon Materials Processing Group at the University of Cambridge, tested Toner-print removal from paper by employing a variety of lasers. The results showed that toner ink can be removed effectively without causing significant paper damage, allowing the paper to be reused, without being discarded, shredded or sent to a recycling plant. Coupled with advances in hand-held scanning technology, wireless devices, shredders, copiers and printers, the research means that ink-removing devices may soon be a common sight in offices around the country. Julian M. Allwood said: "What we need to do now is find someone to build a prototype. Thanks to hand-held scanners and laser-jet printers, the feasibility for reusing paper in the office is there." The implications of the study also extend beyond the workplace and into the forest.