Xerox Seeks Erasable Form of Paper for Copiers – New York Times
Xerox is attempting to create a product which would allow one to use the same sheet a number of times when making photocopies. Essentially, one could make a copy and then somehow erase the copy to later use the same sheet. The realization driving this advance was very interesting: that paper is becoming a display medium, as opposed to an archival medium. I think this succinctly expresses something the underlying reason why so many people gravitate towards reading on the printed page as opposed to on screen.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound as though the product will be able to use plain paper. This has been a hindrance to many copying technologies in the past. For example, the “Diffusion-Transfer-Removal,” or DTR, method of copying (which was quite popular prior to Xerox’s becoming popular) required a chemically coated paper to make a copy. It’s possible that this could become popular on it’s own, but I’m sure if Xerox knows their history, they’ll look more closely at toner technology as opposed to paper.