I learned of an exciting new technology today called ZInk or Zero Ink printing. The ZInk paper has all the colour chemistry embedded within the paper itself, using clear micro crystals that change colour when subjected to heat. The paper is also coated with a clear polymer, giving it improved water resistance over current technology.
The real trick with ZInk though isn't just the fact you no longer need to buy expensive ink cartridges or ribbons but the miniaturisation that can be achieved by the absence of bulky print heads and cartridges. My guess is it will be less than a year before we see the first mobile camera phone with a built in printer.
Products are already using this technology from Dell, Tommy and Polaroid, who must be relieved that the once dead market for their print on demand cameras could now make a revival in the digital age.
From an industrial design point of view this holds many exciting connotations. First we have the possibility to print on demand business cards, which could be tailored to your prospect. Imagine you are speaking with a buyer of products aimed at the mother and baby market, you could print a business card with a picture of something similar you worked on, whilst the next day you could print a card with a picture of a washing machine project for a white goods buyer. But more than that, for industrial designers we could be looking at a busy period ahead as designing peripherals and embedding the technology comes into greater demand providing work opportunities, whilst portrait photographers could print directly from their camera to get a proof or to hand out a sample at a wedding, the possibilities are truly exciting.
Innovation has often been touted as the key to pulling the global economy out of recession, and looking at the ZInk technology, I feel optimistic that a turnaround is just around the corner.
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