Toshiba Tec Corp. has developed an environmentally friendly
printer called Loops that can instantly erase printed text and
images to reuse paper. Using a special ink that becomes
transparent when heated, Loops can use the same piece of paper
up to five or so times, according to Toshiba Tec. Conventional
copiers and printers heat powdered ink to melt it and apply it
to paper, but the new ink, which can only be used with Loops,
melts at a lower than usual temperature before hitting the
paper. After printing, applying heat a second time turns the ink
invisible. The ink, developed with major office supply maker
Pilot Corp., is currently only available in blue, with more
colors slated to be introduced later. According to Toshiba Tec,
even when the power consumed to erase the ink is taken into
account, using the same piece of paper five times achieves a
60-percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared with a
conventional machine. The reduction comes from saving the power
that would have been used to produc