I’ve been waiting for news like this for a long, long time. Who over here agrees with me that those pesky inkjet printer manufacturers make a killing over the sales of ink cartridges? I mean, the ink inside is literally worth their weight in gold, and gallon for gallon is way more expensive that what the entire world is running short of – petrol. Here’s news on zero-ink printing technology that represents a significant and far-reaching advance in printing technology which has the potential to capture the imagination of the entire world. How does zero-ink printing technology work, you ask? Well faithful readers, head on after the jump and be enlightened.

Zink (I suppose this is an abbreviation of zero-ink) utilizes advanced heat-reactive crystals impregnated into the paper that enables the production of durable, full-color, high-resolution prints from printers tiny enough to fit in your pocket. Heck, at that size, they can easily be integrated into mobile imaging devices as well. I’m also quite sure that one niggling question at the back of your minds would be this – is zero-ink printing technology going to hit our pockets hard? Good news for times like these where falling into a recession is a very real concern for everyone – the answer is no, or to put it more artistically, refreshingly inexpensive.

The Zink paper itself comes impregnated with dye crystals that are colorless unless they are treated with heat. As for the Zink printer itself, it is but a thermal transfer engine which will stimulate the crystals into corresponding colors whenever you want to cough up a full color print. Each Zink paper comes with a quartet of layers, where is consists of the base and three color layers (primary colors of cyan, magenta and yellow) to get your started. A protective polymer overcoat remains on top, where precisely targeted heat pulses of specific duration and temperature can pass through to produce accurate and vibrant prints. These printouts are not only durable, they are also waterproof and heat-resistant to boot. I can’t wait for it to hit retail stores soon enough.

Source: Gizmag