I’m a techno-lumberjack and I’m OK…
By Davey Winder in Editorial
Posted in Data Protection, Blog, Printers on
Guilty as charged. I print hardcopy of important documents so they do not get lost, so that I can keep them safe, so that I can easily share them with anyone who might need to see them. And it appears that I am not alone in participating in this retro-archiving activity, despite my high tech background, as a new report from the EMC Corporation suggests British business is printing so much stuff that it is costing around
Nanotechnology machine gun printer showcased
By Davey Winder in Editorial
Posted in Printers on
High-speed nanotechnology printing that promises to revolutionise the print industry in the same way that the Vickers machine gun did for rifle weaponry was showcased at the Gorillas of Tomorrow technology innovation event in Cambridge today. Promising to combine the
HP has print head in the clouds
By Davey Winder in Editorial
It will probably have passed most people by, not least because HP isn
Use an inkjet printer or die
By Davey Winder in Editorial
Posted in Printers on
That is the rather surprising apparent conclusion of research carried out by the Queensland University of Technology, which suggests that laser printing is just as bad for your health as smoking. The tests on more than sixty different laser printers revealed that a third were emitting potentially dangerous levels of toner micro-particles. Particles small enough to penetrate the lungs just by being alive in the same room, in the same way as standing in a room with a tobacco smoker leads to passive inhalation.
The story does sound a little far fetched, and the Australian researchers calling for governments to place health warnings on printers does little to add to the credibility. What next, having to go outside to do your printing?
Still, the fact remains that micro-particles of toner-like material emitted by these devices could lead to respiratory irritation or perhaps even more chronic illnesses such as have been associated with the use of Asbestos for example.
The testing apparently took place in an open plan office space, with air-bound particle levels being measured throughout the day and night. Office hours proved the most dangerous, with levels unsurprisingly increasing the most when new toner cartridges were used but also when graphics intensive printing was done which demands a greater quantity of toner.
There is, however, no research material available to link levels of laser toner micro-particles in the air with illness, let alone death. Who do you think would die first, a non-smoker with a laser printer or someone on twenty a day using an inkjet?
My guess is that a new round of research funding is coming up at the Uni
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