I do not know about you, but I do remember the days of the first Polaroid camera that would develop a black and white or color picture in just one minute. Wow, at that time, it was great. You did not have to wait days to receive your pictures. I know I am dating myself, but there is a reason why I am telling you this story. There could be a similar story brewing for the future of inkjet cartridges.

Have you heard of “Zink”? No not Zune, Zink. Well, you may hear of this a lot in the not so distant future. ZINK Imaging's patented technology, being shown for the first time at the DEMO 07 conference, 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. "DEMO has made its reputation by introducing disruptive technology to the marketplace and ZINK is definitely one of the most exciting new technologies we have ever had at DEMO." Zero Imaging, or as it is referred to as zero ink (ZINK), is a new technology that is literally inkless. It is creating the future of digital printing. You will be able to produce high quality prints and photos without a ribbon or ink cartridge.

So how do they do it? What is their secret?

The secret is their patented paper. This technology houses dye crystals inside the paper with a polymer layer outside. Before printing, the embedded dye crystals are colorless, so Zink paper looks like regular white photo paper. The Zink printer uses heat to activate and colorize these dye crystals. The printing process is now radically simple. Just add paper and press "print". The result is high quality, long-lasting, durable, and affordable images.

What is so unique about this company is that it is going mobile. Mobile you say? Yes. Zink plans to make it possible for you to be able to take pictures using your cell phone and printing the result instantaneously, at that moment, not when you get home in front of your inkjet printer. This is a market that could potentially be huge! I will be writing more about this technology, what products are in the pipeline to deliver this technology and also will try to measure the impact on the ink cartridge industry and the companies that might be affected, like a Lexmark or a Hewlett Packard. So, if you would like to add your feelings about this technology or comments, either email me through my web site or my blog.

Richard J. Martin is the owner of the Remanufactured Laser Toner web-site. He issues informational newsletters regarding future trends in the ink cartridge industry as well as different ways to save on your purchase of printer cartridges. Richard may be contacted through his website at http://www.tonerr.com/ or at his blog http://tonerr.blogspot.com/