Don’t remember when or where I saw the above picture, but what’s to stop somebody… printing that picture? Wouldn’t a more apt replacement for content they didn’t want printed be… a blank page?
Ah, but what is "printing"?
I suppose we’re getting into philosophy now: can you "print" a blank page? I’ve unwittingly done it many times with blank paper shooting out of the printer, but has it truly been "printed"? I would define "printing" as material being adhered to paper, but if the definition is merely having paper passed through a printer then perhaps you could print a blank page. Would it still have printing if a printing press creates a page full of white space?
I’m off to print a blank page to stare at for a while.
Two things occur to me.
Firstly, printing doesn’t neccessarily involve paper. Pressing the “prnt scrn” key, for example, or “printing” to PDF or to a fax software. Not that this makes any difference, but it does make me look clever.
Secondly, the best way to print a blank page is to scan it first, then print the image. Or just “print” to PDF, hence ironically doing the complete opposite of what most “normal” people would call printing.
I approve of your reasoning good sir, and formally endorse them as an extension and improvement of the current post.