A system in an embodiment includes an image forming apparatus, an erasing apparatus, a first apparatus, and a display unit. The image forming apparatus forms an image on a sheet using a decolorable color material. The erasing apparatus decolorizes an image. The first apparatus computes, from a reduction in the number of sheets achieved by a setting for image formation in the image forming apparatus, the amount of a reduction in environmental burdens achieved by use of the image forming apparatus and computes, from the number of sheets erased by the erasing apparatus, the amount of a reduction in environmental burdens achieved by use of the erasing apparatus. The display unit simultaneously displays the amount of the reduction in environmental burdens achieved by the image forming apparatus and the amount of the reduction in environmental burdens achieved by the erasing apparatus.

According to an embodiment, an image forming apparatus performs an image forming process to form an image on a sheet, and performs an image erasing process to erase an image formed on a sheet. A conveying device conveys the sheet. A heater heats the sheet conveyed by the conveying device. A cooling device cools the heater. A processor controls the cooling device so that the cooling device cools the heater between an interval of heating the sheet by the heater.

According to at least one embodiment, a mobile printer includes a casing, a sensor, a print head, an interface, a controller, and a decolorizing device. The casing includes a power supply. The sensor detects the movement of the casing. The print head discharges ink containing a thermochromic colorant. The interface acquires image data. The controller discharges the ink from the print head based on the image data acquired by the interface and the movement of the casing detected by the sensor. The decolorizing device is coupled to the casing and includes a translucent film in which heat is generated by an applied voltage and a translucent substrate that is heated to a temperature at which the thermochromic colorant is decolorized by the heat generated in the translucent film.

A decolorizing apparatus of an exemplary embodiment includes a feeding section, a decolorizing section, and a control section. The feeding section can supply a magnetic medium having a ferromagnet in at least a part thereof. The decolorizing section decolorizes a decolorable image formed on the magnetic medium by heating the magnetic medium. The control section controls the decolorizing section to be set to a temperature which is equal to or higher than a temperature at which the image can be decolorized and is lower than a Curie temperature of the ferromagnet of the magnetic medium during decolorizing of the magnetic medium.

An enhanced paper for printing, including a substrate, an ablation resistant coating applied to the substrate, wherein the enhanced paper is ablation resistant so that it is not damaged by a light beam that illuminates enhanced paper with a fluence that ablates ink or toner but would damage standard printing paper that is made from cellulose fiber and is non-ablation resistant; and wherein the enhanced paper has physical properties of the standard printing paper for printing with laser printers and ink printers.

A decoloring apparatus includes a sheet conveying unit, a scanner, a decoloring unit positioned downstream of the scanner, a user interface, and a controller. The user interface includes a resolution setting section configured to receive input for setting the resolution of the image to be scanned by the scanner, and a processing mode setting section configured to receive input for setting whether to execute scanning processing by the scanner and for setting whether to execute decoloring processing by the decoloring unit. The controller is configured to control contents of the user interface and to perform a mode limiting processing so that when one of the scanning processing and decoloring processing is set to be executed, the other of the scanning processing and decoloring processing cannot be set to be executed.

A method for cleaning a printed band of flexible material, in which at least one side printing ink comprises with a device. The device comprises a cleaning organ such as a brush roll, and the method the steps comprises of the contacting of the band which printing ink comprises with a cleaning liquid, and the removal of the printing ink which been brought into contact the cleaning liquid with the cleaning organ to obtain a cleaned band of flexible material.

Before the effective of adhered liquid getting rid of, comprises the device a pair of wiper blades into the direction of transport of the band remotely of one another are located and are for the removal of the cleaning liquid the band at an angle first via an uppermost wiper blade and subsequently via a lowermost wiper blade of the pair fed.

According to an embodiment, a decoloring device is disclosed. A decoloring unit decolors an image formed with decolorable colorant on a sheet. A reading unit reads a surface of the sheet to determine whether the surface of the sheet is reusable. When the surface of the sheet read by the reading unit is determined to be not reusable, a marking unit adds a mark to the read surface. A first tray receives the sheet on which a mark is added by the marking unit.

An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes a decolorable image forming unit that forms a decolorable image with a decolorable material. A mask control unit controls the decolorable image forming unit to form, with the decolorable material on a sheet, a mask that hides at least one portion of an image formed on the sheet with non-decolorable material.

The disclosure relates to ink compositions for digital printing on an external surface of a plastic article. The ink compositions comprise an ink removal-promoting additive. In some aspects, the ink removal-promoting additive can facilitate the separation or loosening of the image from the external surface of the article when the image is exposed to a liquid-based solution at an elevated temperature. Also disclosed are recyclable plastic articles having an external surface with an image printed thereon using the disclosed ink composition and methods for removing cured ink from a plastic container. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.