Imagine if the information contained in an entire set of encyclopaedias could fit onto a single sheet of paper. Today books, documents and reports are printed on reams of paper and take up countless filing cabinets, boxes and even floors in corporations around the world. Future devices, like the one imagined by two Syracuse University students for Lexmark International`s "Design the Business Printer of the Future" contest, may make it possible to layer information on paper to more easily and compactly archive business documents.
"This design is very creative and demonstrates the innovative thinking that is going on in colleges today," said Paul Rooke, Lexmark executive vice-president and president of its Printing Solutions & Services Division. "Paper remains a very useful medium for business communication. The ability to get more information onto a paper-like medium in a useable way is an innovative concept."
The Electronic Archive Printer, created by Ryan Bednar and Nate Schaal, senior industrial design students at Syracuse University, earned the $10 000 top prize in Lexmark`s contest. Bednar and Shaal will share the cash prize and will each receive a Lexmark E320 laser printer. The roommate team created a theoretical device that marries the positive qualities of paper, such as portability and readability, with cutting-edge electronic storage technology.
Bednar and Schaal predict that the overwhelming accumulation of documents in businesses and libraries today will continue to waste valuable office space and deplete natural resources. Their innovative design allows the user to layer multiple pages of information onto a single, standard letter-size page, compacting the space needed to store documents. The Electronic Archive Printer builds up layers of information on a substrate that is inserted into the print bed. The device lays down an insulating binding agent and prints conductive ink over the insert. A small beam of ultraviolet light cures each layer. A navigational device printed on the page allows the user to "surf" or "turn" the many pages contained in the single sheet. The pages can then be stored in a unique notebook that protects the document and acts as a power source.
"With this design, you`re actually printing on paper that changes," said Michael Miller, editor-in-chief of PC Magazine and one of the nine contest judges. "Over time, this technology could have an amazing impact in terms of making paper that`s thin, light and changes all the time and that can store all sorts of information."
"All businesses have a need to archive documents," said 22-year-old Bednar from Middletown, New Jersey. "Our design is a new and unique concept that solves real business problems by making the space available on a printed page boundless and no longer limited by the confines of a traditional 8 1/2 -inch x 11-inch sheet of paper."
Bednar and Schaal entered Lexmark`s contest to practise what they were learning in college, boost their resumes and to try to capture the cash prizes. Bednar and Schaal agree that their hard work was worth it.
"Clearly the students did a lot of research on trends in technology, materials and surfaces," said Bryn Mooth, design group editorial director for ID and HOW Magazine and a contest judge. "It`s not going to happen tomorrow, but this type of concept could be a part of our lives five to 10 years from now. It would be a fascinating thing to watch unfold."
According to 23-year-old Schaal from Belmond, Iowa, the design from concept to completed proposal took about one month. His classmates and professors played critical roles in shaping the final design. Professor Don Carr, the sponsoring professor at Syracuse, will also receive a Lexmark C750 colour laser printer for his laboratory.
"The future of many technology-oriented companies like Lexmark lies in the creative minds that are being developed in our colleges and universities," said Rooke. "This contest has been a wonderful opportunity to see these students` ideas and see what the future may hold for all of us."
Lexmark`s "Design the Business Printer of the Future" contest was intended to spur the imaginations of college students to create innovative printing devices that will enhance the future of business communication. To enter the contest, students were required to submit a 1 000-word article describing the device, a sketch of the physical design and a three-minute video testimonial. A panel of Lexmark executives, leaders of design and engineering professional societies and magazine editors judged the submissions based on creativity, design/functionality and technical achievement.
Lexmark also awarded cash prizes for the second- and third-place entries. The second place entry, submitted by Bryant Griffin, a senior at North Carolina State University, was awarded the $7 500 prize and a Lexmark E320 laser printer. His design, called "The Mini", is a small, mobile device that can print, fax and scan documents for business users on the go. The device, although only 3.5-inch x 4.5-inch, features a unique "telescoping" mechanism that can hold a traditional sheet of paper to be scanned into the device or to be printed out of the device.
Brigham Young University`s Jacob Hall submitted the third-place entry and won the $5 000 cash prize and a Lexmark E320 laser printer. Hall`s design, called "The Palm Printer", is a small PDA attachment that emits a light beam. Instead of printing ink onto paper, Hall proposes that paper be pre-treated with a substance that changes colour when certain wavelengths of light energise the substance.
Submissions from Ben Sharpe at the University of Washington in Seattle and Veronique de Groot at Savannah College of Art & Design earned honourable mentions. Each will receive a Lexmark PrinTrio all-in-one inkjet printer.
More information about Lexmark`s "Design the Business Printer of the Future" contest, winners and judges can be found at www.lexmark.com/win10k.
For further information, please contact Cathy Steyn at telephone (011) 329 0999; fax (011) 792 7449; e-mail cathryn.steyn@lexmark.co.za
Share
Lexmark International, Inc is a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of printing solutions - including laser and inkjet printers, associated supplies and services - for offices and homes in more than 150 countries. Founded in 1991, Lexmark reported more than $4.1 billion of revenue in 2001, and can be found on the Internet at www.lexmark.com.
Editorial contacts