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» Zink : Ink free Photo Printing On the Go

(February 2007)

Each year, millions of pictures are taken by camera phones and other devices but are never printed because consumers just don’t know how or the process is too difficult.

ZINK Imaging has invented a whole new way of printing digital images through the simple process of just adding paper.

ZINK Imaging’s patented technology shifts the printing paradigm from an ink cartridge or ink ribbon, to a totally ink-less system. Images ‘magically’ appear on the ZINK paper without a drop of ink. Not bad for a device roughly the size of an iPod!

The key to the ZINK process is the ZINK paper, which is protected by more than 100 patents and patents pending. Dye crystals are embedded in the ZINK paper and are activated by heat from a ZINK printer. The crystals then colorise, producing high quality, long-lasting, durable, and affordable images.

Cyan, magenta and yellow crystals - each activated by applying different levels of heat for different lengths of time - are enough to reproduce the full colour spectrum. About 100,000 pulses of heat come every second, which means a 2x3-inch print rolls out in less than a minute. Although fax machines and other devices have employed aspects of thermal printing technology before, Zink has mastered ways to incorporate it into an inexpensive yet long-lasting format.

The ZINK printing technology will enable a new mobile printing market. Later this year, ZINK Imaging’s partners will launch the first products using ZINK technology. These products are designed to take printing where it has never before been possible - into the pocket of every camera phone and digital camera user. With ZINK, printing in the moment becomes possible.

Link: Zink : Ink free Photo Printing On the Go

Product Page : Zink , Reference: biosmagazine

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