Lincoln, Lincolnshire (PRWEB UK) 24 July 2013 -- Print supplies retailer, Inkfactory.com demonstrates printing with 3D printed inkjet cartridges. Designed and 3D printed at its facility in Lincolnshire, England, the prototype black and colour cartridges are capable of printing at a comparable speed and quality to the Kodak branded cartridges they are modelled on.
The 3D printed cartridges have a total plastic material cost of approximately £1.60, compared with £20 for a set of Kodak cartridges.
"We're excited about a future where customers can download a 3D model of a printer cartridge - or any other object - to print at home, thereby avoiding excessive postage costs", said Tim Johnson, Managing Director.
Because of the size of most cartridges it costs nearly £3 to deliver them by First Class post, but posting a kit containing just the ink components (that can't yet be made at home) will cost closer to £1. "A print-your-own cartridge kit could cost our customer less than £5 including delivery," said Mr Johnson.
"We believe that domestic 3D printers will become widespread within the next ten years and this will have an impact on our industry that we cannot ignore," said Marc Liron, former Microsoft MVP and now Head of Printing Research at Inkfactory.com.
"The 3D cartridge project is part of our on-going research into the future of the domestic printing market," said Mr Liron. "Today we decided to prove that it was possible, and in so-doing, highlight the opportunities for innovation that 3D printing presents for retailers and product designers in Great Britain."
Kodak cartridges were chosen for the experiment because Kodak printers (now out of production) were advertised for having comparably low running costs, some branded cartridges cost considerably more.
Tim Johnson, Inkfactory.com, http://www.inkfactory.com, +44 1522833344, tim.johnson@inkfactory.com
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