by Katie Marciniak and Rebecca Kaczowski

Earlier this school year, a teacher at Woodbridge High School stumbled upon a startling discovery that could curtail the school’s notorious paper issues for years to come.

The teacher found that the recently acquired and costly 3D printer residing in the library can function as a paper-making machine.

The 3d printer was designed to operate as a tool for science experiments and the creation of plastic chains, but the teacher, who wished to remain anonymous because he or she did not have authority to use the machine for this unintended purpose, discovered that when one uses experimental papyrus cartridges in the 3D printer, the printer will produce a material similar to paper.

“I realized that paper was a 3D object, so I thought, ‘hey, let’s print paper,’” the teacher said, recalling the anticipation of the annual paper shortage. “I’d heard of the papyrus cartridges and knew that this could be something we could use.”

Each papyrus cartridge contains bits of the Egyptian papyrus plant and can produce about a ream of paper similar to standard 8×11 printer paper. The 3D printed paper is compatible with the school’s ink printers and copiers. The cartridges will be available for use beginning on April 1st, 2015, when the 3D printer will officially begin printing paper nearly full-time.

However, teachers have already begun using this new experimental papyrus paper in their classes as a test run.

Senior Ed Itorial, a student who tested the paper, said, “Hopefully, we won’t have to get worksheets on bright pink pieces of paper this year. I’ve spent the past three years of high school wondering where the next piece of paper will come from, and now I know it’s coming from the library.”

Not all students had positive reactions to the recent bit of ingenuity, however. Junior Maple Branch, who has a class with the anonymous teacher said, “I enjoyed the fact that everyone would get environmentally aware at the end of the year by not using paper. Now, we’ll be killing more trees.”

It should be noted that the papyrus plant is not a tree, so therefore the product is still environmentally sound. Although it takes an hour to produce one ream of paper, the use of the printer is well within the budgetary guidelines of the district, whereas purchasing more paper was not, so this is a win-win situation for everyone.

The school board is also looking into a paper-producing plant on location for Woodbridge High School, which would be a more permanent solution to the paper problem, and could potentially lead to a textbook printing press.

For now, however, technology has come to the rescue: the paper shortage has been prevented and quizzes will be printed on papyrus paper instead of pink paper.