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Back up files with a printer and scanner

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Cpilot:
Backing up Data with your printer
PaperBack is a free application that allows you to back up your precious files on the ordinary paper in the form of the oversized bitmaps.
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images added:

[deXter]:
This is cool, I guess, but you can only store 500kB per page. Didn't someone invent a technique to store gigabytes of data on paper, using colored circles and triangles?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/23/rvd_system/

Cpilot:
This is cool, I guess, but you can only store 500kB per page. Didn't someone invent a technique to store gigabytes of data on paper, using colored circles and triangles?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/23/rvd_system/
-[deXter] (October 02, 2007, 12:29 AM)
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Not sure, I just ran across this and thought others might be interested.
It's pretty rare to actually find anything truly new under the sun.

mwb1100:
This reminds me of a system that came out in the 80's that let you print high density barcodes that could be read by a special scanner.  For a short period, Dr. Dobb's Journal printed these high density barcodes in their magazine so people with the scanner could get the code listing on their computer without having to order a floppy disc or download from the BBS.  If I remember correctly, the system was also sold as a way to archive data more safely than on floppy discs.

I'm surprised that I can't find any mention of this scheme on the Internet (maybe my Googling skillz just aren't up to snuff).

In any case, I think the idea is very interesting, even if it might not be 100% practical.  And if there's anybody who still has a bunch of floppies lying around archiving data just waiting for the magnetic signal to fade, archiving that data to paper might just end up being more permanent.

Ralf Maximus:
All I keep thinking: Blank DVDs are cheap.  Printer supplies are expensive.

Although, it *would* be cool to use this technology to have software tatooed on my butt.

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