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Inkless Printing
Printing is intrinsic to the physical reproduction of virtually all written and visual content. Since the explosion of computing and digitization at the close of the twentieth century, we have witnessed a significant social and technological change within this medium driven by consumer appetites and behaviour. The emergence of portable and miniaturised screen technologies such as the smart phone, laptop and tablet have lessened the need for costly and cumbersome printing products.
With this dramatic shift in mind, the aim of the project was twofold: firstly, to appraise in detail the current landscape of print technologies and the reasons behind the manifest stagnation in design and waning consumer desire for many of these products; and secondly, to explore ink-less printing technologies that utilize light sensitive surfaces to record images and text. This may provide a rewarding alternative for a substantial segment within the current home and office landscape, in particular the opportunities that re-writable printing can provide in reducing waste and cost compared to current ink printing techniques.