Staples to Offer “Easy 3D” Printing in 2013

Forget about making copies. Starting early next year, Staples stores in the Netherlands and Belgium will begin offering a new "Staples Easy 3D" service, bringing 3D printing to the masses with the help of Mcor's "Iris" 3D printers. That's right, if you lose an oh-so-crucial chess piece or need a custom-made mask, you'll be able to have Staples print one out for you for easy in-store pickup or delivery.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Mcor's Iris printer creates 3D objects by gluing stacking, gluing, cutting, and printing reams of paper. The end result has a wood-like hardness, Wired reports. Since Iris printers use paper rather than plastic, they can achieve realistic coloration similar to what you'd find in a high-quality 2D printer, offering more than a million available colors and a maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 x 508 dpi. The video below shows how well the Iris handles printing detatched heads and skulls. (Don't worry, it's not as gruesome as it sounds.)

You'll need to have some basic CAD design skills to create a 3D object, though; Tom's Hardware reports that users will have to upload 3D files in STL, OBJ, or VRML formats to the Staples website to take advantage of the Staples Easy 3D service.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Although the early roll out will be limited to just a pair of European countries, Mcor said that Staples Easy 3D will move into other regions in short order.

This story was provided by Laptopmag.com, a sister site to TechNewsDaily.

• 15 Most Overpriced Gadgets of All Time
• 10 Future-Proof Gadgets You’ll Still Love Next Year
• Best Wireless All-in-One Printers: Review Roundup