Previously, different materials were used for printing on 3D-printer: glass, organics, synthetic fibers, and more. Now students from McGill University in Canada have been able to apply the most common liquid on Earth: water.

They modified a relatively old Fab@Home Model 1, having replaced the extruder with liquid feed system. To prove the efficiency of technology, the team produced a gigantic mug and a few smaller ice sculptures. The official purpose of the project is to explore alternative ways of creating complex architectural models. But why making architect models that melt? However, the tourism might be the area with a good opportunity to earn money: imagine such machines in public places, selling soft drinks, bottled in icy mugs, shape of which customer could choose. Interesting, huh?

Informations for the inquisitive minds.

Print CEO blog published a video on the history of printing that Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus, School of Print Media, Rochester Institute of Technology, created with his students a few years back. In the video, Frank walks you through major milestones in the history of printing. From Johann Gutenberg to papyrus to important contributors in the development of type to Ben Franklin to Mergenthaler to Frederic Ives.

Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI), “the office equipment industry’s leading independent authority and provider of competitive intelligence, testing and reviews on multifunction (MFP), copier, printer and fax products”. BLI semi-annually present its “Pick” award to the products that perform the best in their respective categories throughout BLI’s in-depth lab test.

During the test, BLI evaluates all critical performance areas, including reliability, image quality, productivity, print drivers, feedback to workstations, administrative utilities, ease of use, network setup, toner yield, cost of ownership and more.

HP Selected in Three Color Printer Categories

The HP Color LaserJet CP6015dn received a BLI “Pick” award in the large workgroup color printer category, while the multifunction printer based on the same engine, the Color LaserJet CM6040f, was recognized in the printer MFP category. “The CP6015dn and the CM6040f offer users dark text, smooth lines and good color output at a competitive price,” said BLI Senior Test Technician Tony Maceri. “And with HP’s standard security features and extensive color access controls, business users have multiple options to control the output devices on their networks.”

Meanwhile, Oce, a global leader in digital document management and delivery solutions was recently awarded four Spring 2008 “Pick of the Year” awards from BLI, too.

Three Oce color devices, the Oce cm4521, Oce cm5520 and Oce cm6520, won “Outstanding Segment 4 Business Color MFP” Pick of the Year awards; the Oce im4512 achieved the “Outstanding Segment 4 Monochrome MFP” Pick of the Year award. “We are honored to receive the level of prestige given to our devices by being awarded these ‘Picks’,” said Tom O’Neill, Director Product Marketing, Oce North America, Document Printing Systems. “BLI’s testing criteria and opinions are highly respected and winning these Segment 4 awards really shows our devices are in a class of their own.”

Using your photo printer to the fullest does not require expensive equipment. This is a step-by-step guide for those who want to calibrate his photo printer at home.

Ink + paper = something unexpected

You should know that ink is either a solution of coloring agents or a water suspense of solid color particles. And paper is some porous surface with certain roughness, own whiteness, thickness and reflecting power.

So when ink meets paper, rarely something good comes out of it (especially when they are made by different brands) under default printing settings: the results of this interaction are often hard to predict. Bu there’s something you can do about it.

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