Can I Remove Printer Ink From Paper? July 07, 2011 12:41 by Matt Bird
In the 21st century companies use huge amounts of paper every day because paper, although recyclable, cannot be reused as paper. Clearly if a solution could be found where the ink could be removed from the paper it would have a significant environmental and financial impact.According to www.physorg.com two physicists Thomas Counsell and Julian Allwood have developed a technique to remove printer ink from paper that involves a combination of solvents in order to make paper reusable. The future they envisage is that recycling plants that currently offer the facilities to recycle ink cartridges might have the capabilities to make the paper reusable. As it currently stands, the combination of chemicals and the concentrations needed do not make this suitable for commercial use and the paper is not returned to its original white.
What is the problem?
Primarily, printed paper is designed to be permanent and therefore becomes very difficult to remove the ink. Using strong solvents, as one would use on clothing or furniture, is likely to result in the paper becoming torn and unusable.
Removing Ink at home
The removal of ink primarily depends on the type of ink used and whether this is dye based or pigment based; because of the different methods used by inkjet and laser jet printers mean it is more difficult to remove ink from laserjet printing and therefore existing techniques can only really be used with inkjet printers.
- If you do decide that removing ink is the way forward to you then act quickly before the ink has had chance to fully dry into the paper. The type of paper used is also significant, many home users will choose a lower quality paper suitable for their needs, however, this paper is often thin and the ink soaks into the paper. As a general rule, the thicker the paper then the easier it will be to remove the ink.
- Lay the paper on a flat surface and dab at the ink with a cotton bud, ensure this is done gently so that the paper is not damaged.
- Use a razor blade to scrape the ink, always ensure this is done with a movement towards you and that it is done gently so as not to break or damage the paper.
Stinkyink’s top tips:
- Check your work before printing so there are no errors
- This is a time consuming process so be realistic about what you want to change or remove
- If you do make a mistake be environmentally friendly, don’t just throw the paper away, using correction fluid can save paper.
