First Full-Color Micro Images Produced with a 100,000-dpi Resolution

This breakthrough allows coloring to be treated not as an inking process, but as a lithographic matter, which can potentially revolutionize the way images are printed and be further developed for use in high-resolution reflective color displays and high-density optical data storage.

The inspiration for the research was derived from stained glass, which is traditionally made by mixing tiny fragments of metal into the glass. It was found that nanoparticles from these metal fragments scattered light passing through the glass to give stained glass its colors. Using a similar concept with the help of modern nanotechnology tools, the researchers precisely patterned metal nanostructures, and designed the surface to reflect the light to achieve the color images.