One Printed Page Equals A Book
By: Sandy Berger Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2002-12-19 12:13:26
One Printed Page Equals A Book
By Sandy Berger
Imagine if the information contained in an entire set of encyclopedias could fit onto a single sheet of paper. Today books, documents and reports are printed on reams of paper and take up countless filing cabinets, boxes and even floors in corporations around the world. Future devices, like the one imagined by two Syracuse University students for Lexmark International's "Design the Business Printer of the Future" contest may make it possible to layer information on paper to more easily and compactly archive business documents.
The Electronic Archive Printer, created by Ryan Bednar and Nate Schaal, senior industrial design students at Syracuse University, earned the $10,000 top prize in Lexmark's contest. Bednar and Schaal will share the cash prize and will each receive a Lexmark E320 laser printer. The roommate team created a theoretical device that marries the positive qualities of paper, such as portability and readability, with cutting-edge electronic storage technology.
Their innovative design allows the user to layer multiple pages of information onto a single, standard letter-size page, compacting the space needed to store documents. The Electronic Archive Printer builds up layers of information on a substrate that is inserted into the print bed. The device lays down an insulating binding agent and prints conductive ink over the insert. A small beam of ultraviolet light cures each layer. A navigational device printed on the page allows the user to "surf" or "turn" the many pages contained in the single sheet. The pages can then be stored in a unique notebook that protects the document and acts as a power source.
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