Zero ink printing cometh soon

Juniper Foo | Jan 30, 2008

Polaroid of the instamatic cameras is finally making one of our most fervent wishes come true, that is ink-less printing. Not less ink, mind you, but no ink. All of which is excellent news to consumers like us who've oft lamented over the highway robbery cost of ink cartridges. Fuel prices aren't the only things hurting our pockets. So how does all this ink-free printing work?

According to the literature, Polaroid's pocket-sized Zink (zero ink?) printers use advanced heat-reactive crystals impregnated into the paper that remain colorless, until they are heated. This is where the magic happens. Precisely targeted heat pulses of specific duration and temperature from the Zink printer stimulate the crystals into corresponding hues for a full color print.

The best part? These printouts are water-, heat-resistant and durable to boot. Can't wait, particularly if this turns out to be pocket-friendly in more ways than one!

Filed under: Printers
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jhei

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jhei says...
Cool. But wait! If we're gonna be paying so much more for the photo paper intended for this one then it may be a major drawback. Let's find out soon.

Jan 31, 2008 09:39

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AndyPolaroid

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AndyPolaroid says...
The paper will only cost 30 - 35 cents (USD) per print ... and because there is not ink, there is no hidden costs.

Few corrections abotu the media, the prints are water and tear resistant, however they are not resistant to extreme heats due to the science used in the technology. Each sheet of ZINK photo paper is embedded with billions of colorless dye crystals that activate to full colors when passes under a thermal printhead - extreme heat conditions.

for more information, visit www.polaroid.com/onthego

Jan 31, 2008 22:29

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