Yes, they have. It's called a printer with an indelible ink cartridge.
[Reply]

I've not heard the term "indelible ink" since dot matrix ink ribbon days.

Not so good for digital data archival though.

For printed media, things definitely have come a long way in recent years. HPs professional inks for example are guaranteed to last 200 years, so good for archival. I've got a B9180 that uses these inks and it does produce amazing results, if expensive to run.
[Reply]

It's fine for digital data storage.

Got a bad block on your floppy? Fire up the track editor and get typing...

21 00 80 c9 .. .. .. .....


[Reply]

There is a programme which will convert your file into some sort of barcode like image, which can be printed, and then scanned to get the file back.

I forget its name. It is on my HD somewhere though.
[Reply]

The Android market is starting to use barcodes to link phones to app downloads. But these newer square pattern style barcodes have started to be in use everywhere you look... on posted mail (DSA, PPI etc), in hospitals (you even have on with your detailed embedded in it on the wrist tags they put on patents now) and even in supermarkets and on food.
[Reply]

I see these square barcodes in things like magazines and websites. Unfortunately it is not possible to see what they mean just by looking at them, and I don't have a barcode reader.
[Reply]

Yes, some magazines are doing this so you can scan them in with a smartphone. Most I've seen just contain a weblink, so the reader doesn't have to manually enter the url. Others as I mentioned above are in mobile phone related magazines and link to app downloads. Quite a cool idea, but as you have said, limited to only those with access to a device that can scan them.
[Reply]

Do what i did a few years ago and buy a disk box and if the top is clear get something to cover it over to make it nice and dark inside. I sprayed mine all black.
[Reply]