Abstract
It is briefly surveyed how an imaging technology has been progressed against the changes in social environment surrounding printing technology, and, in user's requirement on image for the past 30 to 40 years. We summarized the recording principle of various printing technologies, the characteristics and usages. We could summarize a nature of differences between three existing printing technologies (Electrophotography, Inkjet and Thermal recording) and those which were finished its role, or, disappeared. As a result, we have found that existing printing technologies have usages utilizing its characteristics, which other printing technologies don't have, or, they are technologies developed according to each usage. In addition, we have found the printing technologies required 10 years from now is a value-added one. It mentions 3D printing technology as an example.
This report is documented based on the contents of the Keynote Speech “Novel Printing in the Near Future—Principle of Hardcopy—” in the annual conference ICJ2010 of the Imaging Society of Japan.
