Toshiba has devised a printer that can re-use paper. The B-SX8R, which has been available in Japan since July, utilizes paper made of the same kind of plastic that you find on the outside of soda bottles. When this paper is exposed to heat above 180ºC the pigment turns black. However, if it is exposed to temperatures between 130 and 160º it turns white, thereby making it possible to remove previously printed images.

Similar to thermal technology used on fax machines in the 1970s and ‘80s, Toshiba claims that the printer generates 1.5 kg CO2, while most others emit five times that amount. Selling at £5 (~$10.00) each, the same sheet of paper can be recycled up to 500 times. The printer will be available in the U.S. and Europe in 2008. Check out the demo on YouTube if you want to see the £5,000 (~$9,661.00) B-SX8R in action.