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$499 3-D Printer Drew Plenty of Attention at CES (Video)

3-D printing is far from new, but a $499 3-D printer is new enough to get a bunch of people to write about it, including someone whose headline read, CES 2014: Could 3D printing change the world? XYZPrinting, the company behind the da Vinci 1.0 printer, has some happy-looking executives in the wake of CES. They won an award, and their booth got lots of attention. This is what trade shows are all about for small and/or new companies. Now the XYZprinting people can go home and pump out some product -- assuming they got a lot of orders (and not just attention) at CES.

155 comments

  1. Yeah yeah by NaughtyNimitz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But what will the cartridges cost? And will they 'expire' each time I unwrap and insert one?

    ("Nudge nudge, wink wink HP?")

    1. Re:Yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Apparently cartridge of each color is $28 USD (http://www.xyzprinting.com/en/filament)

    2. Re:Yeah yeah by mark-t · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Inkjet cartridges expire so quickly after being opened because they contain ink... which is wet, and evaporates, leaving dry residue in the compartment which cannot be used.

      You will save money in the long run in printing costs if you just buy a laser printer, because toner is dry, and does not evaporate from the container. The cartridges are more expensive, but you will buy them so much less frequently that you will actually save a lot of money in the end.

    3. Re:Yeah yeah by PRMan · · Score: 1

      This is true. We got a color laser and used the cartridges that came with the printer for over 2 years (a full year after it started complaining about being empty).

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    4. Re:Yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're probably the same idiot who tells everyone to buy CFL light bulbs because they're "cheaper", when any idiot can compare prices and see they are so much more expensive than standard bulbs you could never hope to make up the difference unless you left the light on constantly and the CFL managed to last somewhere near it's rated lifetime (which is unlikely these days).

    5. Re:Yeah yeah by CastrTroy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Same thoughts about why I don't own a color printer at home. I got a cheap ($55) black and white laser a couple years back, and I couldn't be happier. The toner is cheap (relatively), and I don't have to worry about the ink drying up, or print heads clogging before I've even had a chance to use up all the ink. I very seldom if ever need color printing, and when I do it's cheaper and easier to head over to the photo printer (Walmart) or print shop (UPS Store) when I actually need color prints. 3D printers have the opportunity to really change things, but only if I can obtain plastic for really cheap, preferably by recycling plastic from products I've already bought.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    6. Re:Yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      According to their site, each cartridge costs $28 for 600g of ABS plastic, available in 12 colors.

    7. Re:Yeah yeah by mark-t · · Score: 2

      As you rightly point out... many CFL's don't actually last as long as they purport, so they can end up being more expensive than incandescents.

      Toner, however, really doesn't ever evaporate. Ink does.. leaving behind an unusable residue in the inkjet cartridge's compartment that will require replacing long before you've actually exhausted the raw material you originally purchased unless you are printing in high enough volume that evaporation is not an issue.

      But if you are printing in that high volume, then laser is *STILL* the preferred choice, because just comparing cost of cartridges and dividing by the number of pages you can optimally produce per cartridge, toner still ends up being less than a quarter of the cost of using ink.

    8. Re:Yeah yeah by GameMaster · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Ink cartridges that expire each time you unwrap them? Where are you from, the '90's? Welcome to the future my friend, today we have ink cartridges that expire while sitting, un-opened, on the shelf.

      I'm not really joking, we have an HP plotter where I work that does exactly this. When they went to replace the ink cartridge, they found that the entire stock of back-up cartridges had already "expired" according to a pre-set date built into a chip in the cartridge. Thankfully, HP was nice enough to provide a setting hidden away in the firmware that lets you over-ride that check. My guess is that they think the pro-market might not be willing to put up with their crap if they pushed it that far.

      --

      Rules of Conduct:
      #1 - The DM is always right.
      #2 - If the DM is wrong, see rule #1
    9. Re:Yeah yeah by marcosdumay · · Score: 1

      Well, and plastic filament absorbs water quite fast, so they have all the excuse they want for expiring it.

    10. Re:Yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heh. This is so true. I've probably tried printing 3 documents at home and the printer ink is always dry. Every single time.

      They should make printer ink in one time use cartridges.

    11. Re:Yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe not. That same page lists the cartridge specs at 300g.

    12. Re:Yeah yeah by DocSavage64109 · · Score: 1

      Except cheap laser printers are roughly the same cost as cheap ink-jet printers at about $50.

    13. Re:Yeah yeah by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      I've been using the same inkjet cartridges for over a year now (I rarely print things), still works. They don't dry up that quickly.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    14. Re:Yeah yeah by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      You're probably the same idiot who tells everyone to buy CFL light bulbs because they're "cheaper", when any idiot can compare prices and see they are so much more expensive than standard bulbs

      But in this case, the idiot is the one who tells people to buy inkjets because they're "cheaper", when any idiot who can compare prices as well as consumable lifespans (which sadly is not a foregone conclusion) can tell that the price per page is better for laser at a surprisingly small number of pages printed.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    15. Re:Yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Inkjet cartridges expire so quickly after being opened because they contain ink.. which is wet, and evaporates, leaving dry residue in the compartment which cannot be used.

      Very strange how my HP880c still worked after 1 year+ unused in its box, even though the colour and black cartridges were both part-used and left installed. I must have imagined that.

      Or maybe it's possible to design cartridges so the ink doesn't evaporate, if you do it right?

    16. Re:Yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep. The last printer I purchased was an inkjet, and I used it *once* to print about ten pages. Advance to the next year, and the ink cartridges were bone dry. At work, I had a dedicated HP laserjet 4 sitting in the server room that I used about the same amount over a six year period. Never failed to print. Laser printers, if compared to light bulbs, would be more like LED bulbs. The cost more in the short term, but they really do last a long time. Unfortunately, they're opposite in terms of energy usage...

    17. Re:Yeah yeah by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      Except cheap laser printers are roughly the same cost as cheap ink-jet printers at about $50.

      "Cheap" color laser printers are a bit more than $50.

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    18. Re:Yeah yeah by mlts · · Score: 1

      I still have a color laser that I bought in '06 for around $75 when a local Office Depot moved. It still sits on the network for the occasional time I need to print out a decent photo in full color, still on its "starter" cartridges...

      Yes, replacing the cartridges would be $350 or so... but for ~1000 or so color pages? Worth it. If I get ten full color photos from a $50 inkjet cartridge pair, I'm lucky.

    19. Re:Yeah yeah by mlts · · Score: 1

      I went with LED bulbs not because they will "pay me back" in energy costs. Instead, it is pure laziness on my part. Some bulbs I want to change as few times on possible, such as the one at the top of the stairs or behind a mirror.

      Plus, if I drop a LED, it bounces, and may end up breaking. I then pick it up and toss it in the trashcan. A broken glass bulb is a lot more annoying to get picked up, and a CFL is a mini Superfund site.

    20. Re:Yeah yeah by mark-t · · Score: 1

      Very unusual... you were extremely fortunate.

    21. Re:Yeah yeah by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 1

      But what will the cartridges cost? And will they 'expire' each time I unwrap and insert one?

      ("Nudge nudge, wink wink HP?")

      More importantly, how fine a line can it lay down. One could probably build one for even less if you don't mind low resolution. However, just like an dot-matrix printer is cheaper than a laser printer, very few would tolerate the low resolution.

      OTOH, if they can produce a $495 3D printer that is comparable to what is already on the market, that would be fantastic.

    22. Re:Yeah yeah by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 1

      Inkjet cartridges expire so quickly after being opened because they contain ink... which is wet, and evaporates, leaving dry residue in the compartment which cannot be used.

      While that may be true, it is not why inkjet cartridges expire so quickly (after all most printers park the head, effectively minimizing exposure to air). No, the real reason they don't last long is because manufacturers don't put much ink in them. Most cartridges could hold two to three times the stated ink levels.

    23. Re:Yeah yeah by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 1

      Except cheap laser printers are roughly the same cost as cheap ink-jet printers at about $50.

      "Cheap" color laser printers are a bit more than $50.

      And for both, they pretty much give you the printer, knowing that they will make it up on the cartridges. After all, for most "cheap" printers, whether inkjet or laser, the replacement cartridges (full set on inkjet) are about 50% or more of the cost of the printer. Since the printer comes with a cartridge set, it is unlikely there is any profit in the printer itself. It is only a means to selling more cartridges.

    24. Re:Yeah yeah by mark-t · · Score: 1

      Consider yourself lucky... your situation is not unheard of, but for every person such as you there are hundreds of others who are finding that inkjet cartridges will need replacing almost every other month. HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, Dell, Lexmark... it doesn't matter what the brand name is. All of them frequently carry the exact same problems with ink drying out.

    25. Re:Yeah yeah by mark-t · · Score: 1

      If that were the case, you would not get such a vast difference in number of pages printable with a cartridge the faster you use it after opening it. If you are printing only very occasionally, you will be printing noticeably fewer pages with it overall than if you had printed everything over a much shorter period. If your printer has been idle for even a week, you will probably need to clean the print heads just to get respectable quality... an action which all by itself uses between 10 and 20 typical pages worth of ink, and is simply wasted.

    26. Re:Yeah yeah by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Except cheap laser printers are roughly the same cost as cheap ink-jet printers at about $50.

      "Cheap" colour laser printers are a bit more than $50.

      They don't cost that much more. You can pick one up in Australia for A$80.

      Should be fine for the home printing in colour, I'd probably spend a little bit more if it were a business or I expected to to a fair bit of printing (around $150-250 depending on expected usage).

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    27. Re:Yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or you can get a CISS and pay about $30-$60 that will last you between 2000-10000 of color prints.

      The downside of this, since you're not replacing the ink cartridges often, you'll need to print a page once every two or three weeks so the heads won't get clogged, but when the ink is so cheap, who cares?

      If you do decide on a CISS system, make sure they have the icc profile for the inks being sold!

    28. Re:Yeah yeah by RoverDaddy · · Score: 1

      I don't think I've burned out a CFL in the past 8 years, and they weren't that expensive to begin with. So, anecdotally, YES they can be cheaper.

      --
      RETURN without GOSUB in line 1050
    29. Re:Yeah yeah by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 1

      If that were the case, you would not get such a vast difference in number of pages printable with a cartridge the faster you use it after opening it. If you are printing only very occasionally, you will be printing noticeably fewer pages with it overall than if you had printed everything over a much shorter period. If your printer has been idle for even a week, you will probably need to clean the print heads just to get respectable quality... an action which all by itself uses between 10 and 20 typical pages worth of ink, and is simply wasted.

      All I can say is that what you describe has not been my experience, whether at home or at work. We often exceed the number of pages cartridges are rated for. Of course, it all depends on what one prints. Maybe it depends on the type of cartridge and manufacturer.

    30. Re:Yeah yeah by mark-t · · Score: 1

      Since stories like yours are not unheard of, I can't refute the possibility it may depend on the type of cartridge, but it does not seem to depend at all on the manufacturer, since what I describe happens with them with incredibly greater frequency. Personally, I would suggest that you should consider yourself very lucky. Not many get to enjoy having an inkjet printer that costs less in replacement cartridges per year than it would to replace.

      As for your suggestion that it does not happen where you work, bear in mind that at work, many people are liable to use a single printer, so it is less likely to be left idle for as long as a home printer may be. This will admittedly tend to give it much closer to its estimated page output, but at high volumes, it's rarely disputed that laser printing is still preferable to inkjet anyways.

      I actually wrote a review in my slashdot journal about the economies of color printing several years ago, if you'd care to read it... I don't know how many people actually read it (at least one did, since it was commented on), but it's still something worth thinking about, IMO. (It's now archived and can't be commented on, I'm afraid).

    31. Re:Yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The copy cat Chinese tear the bottom out of the 3D printing market

    32. Re:Yeah yeah by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 1

      I don't doubt that laser printing, b&w or color is cheaper than ink-jet printing. I only question the shortage of a cartridge from limited use. My preference would be to have a color laser at home, but the amount of color printing I do doesn't offset the additional upfront costs, at least for a good quality one. What I really miss, although not that it was inexpensive, is the Alps printer. Why do I miss it? Because it actually printed white! It wasn't cheap, but it was unique in its ability to do that (and far cheaper than printers that do it today).

  2. Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    proprietary file formats, filliment from them (perhaps an odd profile), and thier softwware.

    1. Re:Pass by x0ra · · Score: 2

      just wait 6 month and the file format will be reversed engineered, same for the software.

    2. Re:Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      stl is a standard CAD file format

    3. Re:Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, but then they let you wrap it up in thier format with printing parameters. This very well may be usefull, but why describe it as proprietary unless you think you can keep it locked down, or it includes some sort of DRM mechanism?

    4. Re:Pass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go ahead reverse engineer all the 0's and 1's you like... I'm going to design a user printable cartridge... and then... user printable filament! I'll be rich! RICH I tell you! MWAH HA HA HA

    5. Re:Pass by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Do we have a 3d printing standard format yet?

      PostScript 3D!!!!
      Well actually PostScript is still a proprietary format.

      So I guess we need PCL 6-3D!!!

      If you saying something is in 3 Dimensions you need the explanation marks.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    6. Re:Pass by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Informative

      just wait 6 month and the file format will be reversed engineered, same for the software.

      According to their website the printer will accept STL files, which is an open, well documented, and widely supported industry standard format. Nearly any CAD software, including nearly all FOSS CAD programs, will export STL, in either compressed binary, or human readable ascii text.

    7. Re:Pass by mhajicek · · Score: 1

      It's called STL, short for stereolithogrophy, and it's been around for decades.

  3. 3dnewsen article - auto translated? by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

    The article at dailynewsen.com is so full of grammatical errors that it looks like a machine translation. It's really hard to understand. Slashdot editors need a shared list of "don't link to this site" domains, so that if they get a submission that is based on one, they can find a better source instead.

    1. Re:3dnewsen article - auto translated? by devjoe · · Score: 5, Informative

      Specifically, it appears to be a translation-and-back-again of the LA Times article which is the first link in the article, or an automated synonym-substitution (trying to avoid being detected as copyright violation for reposting stories in full, perhaps, though strangely they link to the original article at the bottom). The other articles on their site (see Latest USA News sidebar on the right) appear to have undergone the same process.

    2. Re:3dnewsen article - auto translated? by fbumg · · Score: 1

      Holy crap, that is bad.

      --
      I know I don't know what I don't know.
  4. I'd pay more for color by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

    If I had a choice between a monocolor 3d printer or a color 3d printer- it would be color all the way.

    This field is so young, I expect a significant increase in quality over the next couple years too so that makes me want to wait.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
    1. Re:I'd pay more for color by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      If by "colour" you mean multiple different plastics then yes. You're much better off using one ABS/PLA filament and one PVA than two colours since it allows the support material to be printed in water soluable PVA.

      The quality has bee going forwards pretty quickly.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    2. Re:I'd pay more for color by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      More then just Color.
      I would like Color, with multiple materials. Say Plastic, with metal, glass and rubber.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:I'd pay more for color by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Being with plastic is being melted before it puts its layer down, why don't we mix the pigments in at the point that it is melted.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    4. Re:I'd pay more for color by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Difficulty.

      The plastics are melted as far as a fairly stiff goo. Basically you've got a conical nozzle with a basic resistive heater and thermostat attached. A servo shoves a solid filament dow a tube at the nozzle.

      Basically, the current extruders are REALLY simple. Mixing in pigment would increase the complexity vastly. It's not that hard to have multiple extruders and you get better flexibility too. With even more extruders, you can have several sized nozzles. A small one for delicate outer work and a large one for high speed internal infill. 4's quite symmetric. A good setup is two thin in different colours, one wide for infill and one PVA for support.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  5. Why is it so cheap? by Predanuke · · Score: 5, Informative

    Because it doesn't use the standard filament. http://www.xyzprinting.com/en/... You have to buy the 'ink' from them.

    1. Re:Why is it so cheap? by Kenja · · Score: 3, Insightful

      By comparison, their filament is around three times as expensive as others (more if you just get bulk rolls) at ~$46.67/kg.

      --

      "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    2. Re:Why is it so cheap? by PRMan · · Score: 2
      From their website:

      The da Vinci 1.0 will also notify you when the filament is running low so you don’t run out.

      I'm sure it will...

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    3. Re:Why is it so cheap? by wramsdel · · Score: 2

      I was at CES, and I specifically asked to see one of the filament cartridges. Assuming the ones on the show floor are the same design that will ship with the printer, there are no electrical contacts on the cartridge, so likely no "chip" as is the case with ink cartridges. It looked to me like it would be fairly straightforward to reload one of the cartridges with commodity filament.

  6. "So you buy the filaments from us...." by macraig · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Proprietary consumables? Seriously? When are we gonna get past this crap? Ever?

    1. Re:"So you buy the filaments from us...." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get Stallman to start a branch off the FSF. OPF (Open Printing foundation) to demand that printers accept standardized ink cartridges, and that the ink recipes become free (as in spinach) [not sure what that parenthetical means].

    2. Re:"So you buy the filaments from us...." by jythie · · Score: 2

      Well, it is a viable business model. We have not gotten away from it because it tends to work.

      People complain about proprietary consumables when it comes to printers, yet people keep buying the ones that use them. Printers exist that are pretty favorable to 3rd party refills, but they are more expensive so people tend not to buy them.

      You can have low initial cost + higher recurring cost, or high initial cost + low recurring cost. There is enough consumer demand for both models that options exist, but just because both exist does not mean we can easily mix and match, not if we want the company to keep building then devices.

    3. Re:"So you buy the filaments from us...." by Mashdar · · Score: 1

      We'll get over it when the human brain starts being rational (read never).

    4. Re:"So you buy the filaments from us...." by laird · · Score: 1

      In the video interview, they say that it's standard ABS and PLA filament. So while it's in cartridges that might be OK, as long as they don't try to lock people in. That is, if you can buy your own supplies from competing vendors and use them, that's what matters. At $28 per 600g, that's pretty expensive - it works out to $47/kg, which is quite high.

      So overall I'd say that if they really can sell a reliable printer that size for $500 that's an awesome deal. And the fact that they're also doing a lame copy of Makerbot's strategy (e.g. http://us.gallery.xyzprinting.... is really bad version of Thingiverse) is OK, because their software can read STL files, so you can get files (or design your own stuff) so it doesn't matter that they also have a proprietary file format.

    5. Re:"So you buy the filaments from us...." by pruss · · Score: 1

      And both models can make sense to a buyer. I think I do about 98% of my printing on a b+w laser printer with low page costs. Occasionally I have something to print out something in color, typically for the kids. It makes sense to buy a color printer with low up-front costs for such rare use.

  7. Not one link to the company in summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Nice going, "editor". You managed not to provide a single direct link to the company that makes the product you're talking about.

    1. Re:Not one link to the company in summary by ClosedEyesSeeing · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure I got there from the last sentence that links to the product manufacturer's website.

      So, yes, good going, editor.

    2. Re:Not one link to the company in summary by asylumx · · Score: 1

      Second time today I've seen a dumb comment that ignores the 2.5 hour difference between when they posted and when the comment they are replying to was posted. Probably the editors fixed the issue since the GP made his comment.

    3. Re:Not one link to the company in summary by Bob+The+Cowboy · · Score: 1

      Man, it really is "damned if you do, damned if you don't" around here. Someone else would have complained if they had, labeling it a Slashverstisement.

      Oh I just checked. They did provide the link. It's a tricky one though. The link to the company, XYZprinting, is hard to find. Check back in the summary and look for the underlined word "XYZprinting". Click that and you should go to the company website. I know, its weird, but there you have it.

  8. Why are 3D printers so exciting? by MobyDisk · · Score: 3, Interesting

    From the latimes article:

    Even though 3D printing is all the rage at the Consumer Electronics Show, many people outside the industry are still puzzled by all the fuss. "Explain 3D printers to me. Why are they useful?" one non-techie friend of mine tweeted me this week, after I posted a picture of a 3D printer at the show.

    The show is called the *consumer* electronics show, not the *producer* electronics show. Most people are not makers, so they won't be excited about a technology that lets them make something. Even if people want something, a 3D printer requires that you know how to design that item.

    When someone invents a 3D designer, where you can say "Build me a thing that..." then you might get the consumers excited.

    1. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by macraig · · Score: 2

      You've never heard of 3D scanners, I guess? Or open-sourced downloadable 3D files?

    2. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      But but but it's making things! You know how exciting 2D printers are, right? I mean, you can print documents! You can literally print any document you want to print! If you type it up, it can suddenly exist on a real piece of paper in the real world!!! And you can print color pictures, too! Any color picture you want! All you need to do is learn how to make color pictures you actually want to print on paper, and you can print it just like that! Isn't that awesome? All the cool kids want 2D printers!

      Now, extend that to the mysteeeeeerious world of 3D! Now you can print ANY kind of object that you want, right in your own home, assuming that you only want to print resin-based doodads and trinkets! And that you want to model them yourself, IN 3-D!!! Just imagine all the possibilities! Then please tell us what consumer-level possibilities make this worthwhile and not something destined to collect dust like the 2D printers that were given away for free until manufacturers gave up entirely, despite the creative possibilities inherent to putting things on paper!

    3. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, I heard that's where people we're getting designs for untraceable baby killer guns, the government should make it illegal and only allow to approve designs.

    4. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by jythie · · Score: 2

      There is a lot of middle ground though. Go into any DIY home improvement center and there will be a wide range of tools available for consumers to support any number of wood or metal projects. Some machines (like a CNC or vacuform frames) end up being outside what the average DIY consumer will utilize, but many others (drill press, table saw, etc) have found their way into many non-producers homes and projects. It is still pretty early to guess which way these plastic fabricators will go.

    5. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

      I most certainly have!

      I see that you are on the cusp of making a point though. Go ahead and make it, since it might be s a valid one. Do you think that these technologies will make consumers interested in 3D printing?

    6. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

      It's funny because you point out that 2D printers are dying, which I notice too. Long ago: "Print Shop" was the killer app for a PC. Everyone wanted a computer + a dot matrix printer so they could maker banners and signs. I don't see people doing that today. Or maybe that still exists in the elementary school - middle school market that I don't see as much any more?

    7. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by harperska · · Score: 1

      Most people are not authors or graphics designers, yet nearly everyone with a computer has a need for a traditional 2D paper-and-ink printer. There is already a large library of downloadable 3D printable content, and if 3D printing becomes mainstream there will surely be 3D modeling software made along the lines of Word or Paint that is easy to use and good enough for Joe Homeowner to make that plastic widget he needs for that DIY project rather than going to the hardware store, or to make themed decorations and favors for Timmy's 12th birthday party, or countless other scenarios like that. Most people aren't 'professional makers', but plenty of people out there are casual hobbyist or home 'makers'.

    8. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by mark-t · · Score: 1

      I think that the reason you don't see it happening today is because the most prominent printing standard today, inket, tends to use very expensive consumables, and a price-conscious consumer is not likely to want to waste a lot of money printing frivolous things. Printing on a dot matrix printer was cheap in comparison... probably more than an order of magnitude cheaper, even in today's dollars.

    9. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 3, Funny

      The killer application of 3d printers will be to print a new back to the battery compartment in remote controls

      --

      "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
    10. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Laxori666 · · Score: 2

      Also, utensils. I don't want to have to go all the way to the fucking kitchen when I get delivery, sit at my desk, and realized they didn't include the fucking fork and knife.

    11. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by cdrudge · · Score: 1

      So a traditional 2D printer manufacturer shouldn't go to CES either then? I mean, people who would use such a thing would be producing, not consuming.

      And besides, a 2D printer requires that you know how to design that print out too.

    12. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      What's wrong with tape? More seriously though, I haven't had this problem for quite a while. All my remotes have the original back cover and are fully functional. Some of them are over 10 years old. I do remember this being a problem with the remotes we had in my house as a kid. Maybe it's because plastics have improved, or because we don't have to replace the batteries as often, but I really don't see this as a big problem. I can't think of anything I personally would want a 3D printer for, that would make me want to have one at my house. I could see uses for the local Walmart having one, but I can't see using it more than a couple times a year, and they all seem to take up quite a bit of space.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    13. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by macraig · · Score: 1

      When they're made more like appliances that don't require education, yes. That applianc-ization doesn't have to include proprietary consumables, though.

    14. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These printers will work like media players, you buy/copy the output, not create it yourself. Once you can pirate plans for fabricating tat, these things will take off.

    15. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by tahuti · · Score: 2

      I would say 3D printers are at the stage where "micro" computers were in early 80's, yes there were big expensive real computers and almost a toy for home use that you often needed to assemble by yourself. Did majority need computer then, no; today, well who doesn't have smartphone.

    16. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by 50000BTU_barbecue · · Score: 1

      I don't see too many printers that can handle fanfold paper anymore either.

      --
      Mostly random stuff.
    17. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem with tape is the same problem with the clip on the compartment breaking... kids.

    18. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by mark-t · · Score: 0

      Unless there's some kind of unprecedented and revolutionary breakthrough in plastics, The time it's going to take a 3d printer to manufacture a fork and knife for you is probably going to be considerably longer than it would take for you to fetch said utensils from the kitchen.

    19. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      And it's beginning to wrap back around on itself, to the point where many people no longer own personal computers. Personal computers were really just a means to an end. Most people who owned a computer had no interest in owning a computer. They wanted to be able to do word processing, send email, access the web, chat with their friends, Almost none of them (percentage wise) wanted a machine they could write programs for. The internet was probably the "killer app" that made most people want to own a computer, as there was no other way of going online without owning a computer. I know quite a few people who now no longer own a PC, but rather do all their computing on a tablet, which is locked down to the point where you can only buy apps from a single store. And they are completely happy with this. More-so than they have ever been with any personal computer. Even as a techie, I can probably count on 1 hand the number of times I've used my computer for something that wasn't programming since I got my tablet. Like you said, "who doesn't have a smartphone".

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    20. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Most people are not authors or graphics designers, yet nearly everyone with a computer has a need for a traditional 2D paper-and-ink printer.

      Citation needed. Citation astonishingly needed.

      If someone wants to communicate with someone, there's email or social media, not printing letters. If someone wants to pay a bill, there's the internet. If someone wants to promote something, there's the internet. If that's not enough and they absolutely NEED to promote in the real world, consumer printers are terrible for that (both by quality and cost), and they're better off getting bulk deals with print-on-demand poster printing services. Fewer and fewer people even use them for printing out things like show tickets anymore, as most venues these days have scanners that can conveniently read QR codes displayed on a cell phone screen.

      Hell, not even authors or graphical designers need traditional 2D printers. Authors work entirely in the digital domain and submit their manuscripts in PDF form (barring esoteric works that require specifics of pyhsical paper or backwards agents/publishers who refuse to use that new-fangled in-ter-nets technology). Graphical designers don't print things anymore apart from things requiring the aforementioned printing services, not your common traditional 2D printers. Artists either work purely digitally or do their work on blank paper that never sees a printer. Very very few people actually need or use 2D printers. Even my little laser printer, well beyond that which most consumers would buy, rarely gets any use.

      In fact, the only professions I can think of that absolutely require a printer are legal, government, and insurance, and those are mostly for legally-mandated paper trails. The regular Joe and Jane on the street, though? Not as much a use for them.

    21. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      personal computers had a bit more promise than printing out plastic frogs and weak mechanical parts that snap the moment they receive a gram of force

    22. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

      So what would the consumer use the 3D printer for? You gave 2 examples: copying objects with a 3D scanner, and downloading objects off the internet.

      I'm not sure how useful the first is for the consumer. Presuming that a 3D scanner will only ever be able to copy static objects, nothing with moving parts. So they could copy parts, perhaps to fix things. EZ drywall repair maybe? Fix that broken picture frame, coat hanger, or curtain rod? Well... assuming it isn't so broken that the copy won't be broken too. Or that it is easy to fix the part digitally. I'm not so sure on that though. It might work for simple toys or game pieces.

      The second case is downloading parts online seems more useful to me. You could print snap-together things that can move. So there you get your guns, toys, etc. Just pay a licensing fee per print. I could see manufacturers putting out the 3D design of something rather than making the part. But there are lots and lots of obstacles there, so it might not ever be worth doing. Time will tell.

    23. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

      So a traditional 2D printer manufacturer shouldn't go to CES either then? I mean, people who would use such a thing would be producing, not consuming.

      touché! Were there any 2D printers there? I didn't think that kind of thing would be show-offy enough.

      And besides, a 2D printer requires that you know how to design that print out too.

      Yes, but the 2D design is much easier. I find that anyone can learn how to design a useful 2D object, and has cause to do so. Hence the signs/banners example. 3D objects are a whole other dimension, pun intended. I suppose, if and when the day comes that 3D design software is as easy to use as 2D design software today, then that would change the outlook. I'm not sure that is possible though. Time will tell...

    24. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Laxori666 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I can wait, I just don't want to have to move.

    25. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by cdrudge · · Score: 1

      I have no idea if there were any 2D printers there. I'd be surprise if someone didn't have something there. But the point still remains that you can be a producer as well as a consumer simultaneously.

      With Thingverse and similar sites, there are already tons of items to print, or starting points to tweak to suit your needs. Or 3d scanners. Or if you can't find what you're looking for, SketchUp isn't THAT hard to learn to start using. Yes there is a learning curve. But there's a learning curve to any software used to create quality 2D printouts beyond basic word processing type stuff.

    26. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The show is called the *consumer* electronics show, not the *producer* electronics show.

      Personal Computers started out in the same whiz-bang category of "why would joe-six-pack want one?". Ink printers: same deal. In fact, people never really needed printers at home, they could have run to the library or kinkos. Who needs a sewing machine at home, let alone a programmable one? Aren't they at CES if they're super fancy?

    27. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Culture20 · · Score: 1

      It's funny because you point out that 2D printers are dying, which I notice too. Long ago: "Print Shop" was the killer app for a PC. Everyone wanted a computer + a dot matrix printer so they could maker banners and signs. I don't see people doing that today. Or maybe that still exists in the elementary school - middle school market that I don't see as much any more?

      I think that the reason you don't see it happening today is because the most prominent printing standard today, inket, tends to use very expensive consumables, and a price-conscious consumer is not likely to want to waste a lot of money printing frivolous things. Printing on a dot matrix printer was cheap in comparison... probably more than an order of magnitude cheaper, even in today's dollars.

      I'd say the big reason is because dot-matrix print paper easily lent itself to large banners and signs whereas today's printers (where the paper is all unattached to the other sheets) need a lot of tape and extra work to make banners.

    28. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by harperska · · Score: 1

      Not everybody who counts is a slashdot geek. My in-laws regularly print off crosswords from the internet so they can do them wherever, and still routinely print off directions from google maps. My parents who are incredibly tech savvy often print off emails and such for my elderly grandmother who will go to her grave having never owned anything with a general purpose CPU in it. This Christmas, we printed nice "to/from" labels for all of the Christmas presents we gave. Yes, the necessity of a 2D printer is decreasing every year, but it I don't think it has decreased as much as you think it has, especially among the non-tech-savvy regular Joe and Jane.

      But even as the necessity of the 2D printer decreases over the coming years, the point still stands that 2D printers were/are still incredibly useful to non-professionals, and an inexpensive, easy to use 3D printer certainly can be as well.

    29. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by macraig · · Score: 1

      There's this:

      https://medium.com/the-magazin...

      One of the libraries in my county acquired one last year.

    30. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by wasteoid · · Score: 1

      If you're that lazy, and you obviously don't object to cold delivery food, just get a blender and throw all your cold delivery food into it and drink your meals. Laziest way to eat is to drink. No utensils needed.

    31. Re:Why are 3D printers so exciting? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And broken Fridge / Freezer shelves!

  9. When it stops getting profitable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    As long as people base their purchasing off the initial price, instead of TCO, this will happen.

    1. Re:When it stops getting profitable by macraig · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I know....

      (And this is precisely why the Libertarian free-market ideal doesn't work, because consumers are idiots that break the free market process every time.)

    2. Re:When it stops getting profitable by BoberFett · · Score: 1

      So without the government stepping in and telling manufacturers how much they're allowed to charge for their products, consumers will spend more than YOU believe they should?

      That really does embody the progressive mindset. People are stupid, and they need your "vast intelligence" to get through life. All they need to do is put you in power and you'll lead those sheep to greener pastures.

      Brutal dictators throughout history have thought the same way.

    3. Re:When it stops getting profitable by macraig · · Score: 1

      That's an impressive job of twisting what I said to confirm your own bias. I neither said nor even clearly implied what you claim.

      What I did say is that consumers are (ignorant) idiots. What I implied in the process is that THEY NEED TO BE EDUCATED to avoid these sorts of bad choices that act against both their interest and those of other citizens and the market. Unfortunately, good luck trying to sufficiently educate the current typical crop of Homo sapiens to create a free market that actually works.

  10. Re:pretense abounds about current currencies by macraig · · Score: 1

    This is the most counterproductive *coin propaganda I've yet seen. Well done!

  11. Shoes? by jklovanc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In the future, users may be able to print shoes that are tailored to the exact size of their feet, among many possibilities.

    Have they looked at the different materials that go into shoes these days? The different parts need to have different qualities. The sole needs to be grippy. The uppers need to be flexible and porous. The insole needs to be cushioning yet supportive. This is done today by using many different materials. Sorry but materials that come out of thermal printers don't have all those qualities and generally don't hold up under the stress shoe are put through. Let's try to be realistic about what this technology can do.

    1. Re:Shoes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually this latest posting on /. http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/01/27/1912242/worlds-first-multi-color-multi-polymer-3d-printer-unveiled links to this press release http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9245785/3D_printing_now_in_living_color_ and the photos and video there show shoes and claim they can print soft rubber-like material. NEAT!

    2. Re:Shoes? by Lanforod · · Score: 1

      How bout crocs. Those seem to be a basic plastic... :P

    3. Re:Shoes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How distopian.

    4. Re:Shoes? by jklovanc · · Score: 1

      There is an exception to every rule.

    5. Re:Shoes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's try to be realistic about what this technology can do.

      Google "3d printed shoe". Both fashion and running shoes have already been made this way.

    6. Re:Shoes? by jklovanc · · Score: 1

      Yes they can but they are still restricted to three kinds/colors of photopolymer, Sure one can use two of those materials to combine into a colored hard shell and the other to handle the soft inner lining. What about the sole which would be a third material so there goes the colors. What about the microfiber liner? Take a look at the average running shoe and you will find more than three different materials and many of them probably can not be replicated using photopolymer.

      As with most 3D printing hype the products look great but how do they stand up to actual use? I would like to see the results of someone trying to run in those shoes.

    7. Re:Shoes? by jklovanc · · Score: 1

      If you look at the articles found by google you will see that only components are being 3d printed. The article claims that the entire shoe, including liner and sole, will be printed in one pass. That claim is doubtful at best. Then there is the discussion about practicality. Sure today's 3-d printing can make shoes like crocs but if they are uncomfortable or wear out in a few hours there is an issue.

  12. Re:o look more cloned trash out of china/taiwan by macraig · · Score: 1

    Nope, no bigotry here.

  13. Waste disposal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    3-d printing could be the most exciting thing to happen in petro-chemical byproudct waste disposal since single-use plastic grocery bags. In fact, they're the perfect product to divert that waste stream since they are banning single-use bags in California. Now you can cache the undesireable fractions of the refining process in your very own living room before they ultimately find their way to the landfill. Better yet, you can pay for the privelege of doing so.

    1. Re:Waste disposal by laird · · Score: 1

      True, for ABS.

      If you use PLA, which the large majority of 3D printers do, it's not try. PLA is made from corn and is completely recyclable, either by re-grinding the plastic and re-extruding it, or by throwing it into a composting system where it decomposes.

  14. Why? by fiordhraoi · · Score: 2

    Something that accepts .STL format (which most CAD type programs let you output now) and G Code (pretty much the standard for CNC machines) as well as their own XYZ format is hardly locked into "proprietary formats." Do you have to use their software? To do the actual printing, sure. But it looks like you can do the design in a number of other tools as well, as long as you can output the aforementioned .STL or G Code. Buying filament from them? Sure, possibly a pain. But then, for the vast majority of printers nowadays, you "have to" buy the ink cartridge from the company. And since it's in a cartridge, it's presumably easier to load - one of the most common complaints I've seen for products like Makerbot is that loading the filament is tricky and you often have to fiddle and do numerous test prints to get it right. Is that solution going to be best for a high-volume printer? Absolutely not. For a hobbyist who wants to print maybe a dozen things every few months? Should be fine.

    1. Re:Why? by marcosdumay · · Score: 1

      And since it's in a cartridge, it's presumably easier to load - one of the most common complaints I've seen for products like Makerbot is that loading the filament is tricky and you often have to fiddle and do numerous test prints to get it right.

      Loading a filament is easy. They'll have a market if their filament does not jam, the printer does not need calibration, and the cartige protects the filament from humidity.

      Getting the second one (no calibration) right is a feat of engineering, but plausible. I'll belive somebody solved any of the other problems when I see it, with extraordinary evidence. Based on apearences, my belif is that they solved none of those problems.

    2. Re:Why? by mlts · · Score: 1

      I wonder what the layer thickness and X-Y resolution will be on the device will be. If I choose to print out a model similar to a class ring, will I get something where I can read a fine inscription on the inside, or will it be a glob of plastic that is sort of roundish.

    3. Re:Why? by marcosdumay · · Score: 1

      Normal (read cheap) steppers, drivers and pulley give 80 steps/mm or more (80 is the default RepRap value, 160 is getting more common). Printing precision depends almost exclusively on vibration control and hotend dimensions, none of which take part at the "resolution" number a manufacturer will give you.

  15. I looked at it @ CES by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The overall construction was in line with a cheap 2D printer. The rails where thin, the structure in general seemed to be flimsy in comparison to the other 3D printers that were there. The proprietary print medium and the cheap-ish construction were enough to put me off and I was ready and willing to buy.

    1. Re:I looked at it @ CES by wjcofkc · · Score: 1

      Proprietary?

      http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/01/27/130232/499-3-d-printer-drew-plenty-of-attention-at-ces-video#

      --
      Brought to you by Carl's Junior.
  16. 3-D printing. Pffft! by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1

    Who cares about 3-D printing? Come get me when they have 4-d printing!

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  17. printrbot is cheaper by houghi · · Score: 1

    http://printrbot.com/shop/prin... OK. It is a kit, so you need to build it yourself. USD300. Want the new kit? USD349. Assembled it comes to USD449.
    If you do not need the wood, you can have it all for USD259.

    I have been thinking about buying a 3D printer, but for me the price is not yet low enough.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    1. Re:printrbot is cheaper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
    2. Re:printrbot is cheaper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not bad but about half the printer size at ~4" cube and the 2014 model with the bed and extrusions is $349 kit form.

      So, maybe the XYPrinting hardware is a good deal at $499 if we can hack it to eliminate the proprietary parts. If it requires not only a brain replacement(Arduino/Ramps/Pololu/LCD)($90 direct from China) but also a head replacement then it loses lots of "low price" value but still would be cheaper than the Makrbot.

    3. Re:printrbot is cheaper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Peachy is both cheaper and cooler than the daVinci. Hells yeah to photolithography. Anything to get away from this terrible scourge of FDM or FFF printers.

      Bonus captcha: makers

    4. Re:printrbot is cheaper by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      The MakiBox LT (PLA only) is 200$.

  18. Re:3-D printing. Pffft! by kirkb · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Due to miscalibration of the 4th axis, your object was printed 255 years ago."

    --
    Slashdot: come for the pedantry, stay for the condescension.
  19. Re:o look more cloned trash out of china/taiwan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    actually no, there was nothing said about the race, just facts with dealing with an overseas company, unless its now racist to point out someone doesnt speak English

  20. Model making by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I was at a model train show this weekend and the had a printer demo there. The were printing small plastic buildings. The printer was $1500 .... Thing is, someone serious in he hobby could easily spend that in models on a layout. If these things get to $300 and print an order of magnitude faster than what I was seeing in the demo, every modeler will own one. It would literally be a time saver and the 3D models are all "open" (free).

  21. multiple materials by rossdee · · Score: 1

    I want transparent aluminum, scrith, and superconductor

    1. Re:multiple materials by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      oh, well in that case, is it too much trouble to ask for one with mithril ? ? ? ...or velveeta..
      i'm flexible...

    2. Re:multiple materials by mhajicek · · Score: 1

      I want adamantium endmills.

  22. Reprap printers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can build them, they are safe, I built one for the sam price. If you charge for the filament, then the printer should be free, no?

  23. Just like nerf guns by dirtaddshp · · Score: 1

    make the gun cheap but the ammo expensive.

  24. There are other types of cheap 3D printers by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Here at the UW, a major science university, we have 3D printers that use compostable material that can be used for food production inputs, and print using a "plastic" that isn't a plastic at oil, breaking the oil chain and allowing clean fuel sources like hydro, solar, and wind to replace inputs from oil and coal in other systems.

    There's even a new startup building next to the HUB.

    Change is here. And, while 3D TVs aren't doing well, 3D printers are doing quite well.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  25. Re:3-D printing. Pffft! by sinij · · Score: 3, Funny

    No, not again. I... why does it say time jam when there is no time jam? I swear to God, one of these days, I just kick this piece of shit out the window.

  26. Am I missing something here? by hubang · · Score: 1

    Didn't the Solidoodle come out at $499 years ago? Takes 1.5mm filament on a spool. I'm a little confused by this.

  27. Nobody seems to know what to do with a 3D printer by hyperfine+transition · · Score: 2

    From the article "Gary Shu, XYZprinting's market development division senior manager, said the 3D printer can quickly create objects that users may need in their homes, such as a plastic cup or a plastic spoon.". I hope he comes up with a few better ideas than that.

    Actually, a 3D printer would be useful to me for hobby projects like cosplay props, although probably a bit expensive. But around the house ? I look around for things completely made out of plastic that it would be practical to print if they broke or I needed another one but it's a struggle.

    I suppose what all of these 3D printer manufacturers want to convince themselves and their investors is that there is a mass market for their product. The cheap printers still look very much like a hobbyist tool to me though.

  28. Added after my comment... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...without so much as to an acknowledgement of the goof. A+ work, Slashdot!

  29. Re:3-D printing. Pffft! by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Funny

    PC LOAD CHRONOTONS? What the fuck does that mean?

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  30. Re:3-D printing. Pffft! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You need the Wonderland mod to fix that:

    "The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday-but never jam today

    It must come sometime to jam today, Alice objected

    No it can't said the Queen It's jam every other day. Today isn't any other day, you know”

    Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

  31. I did the same by Radical+Moderate · · Score: 1

    In two or three years, I might have bought one toner cartridge. Been so long I'm not sure. So much cheaper than inkjet.

    --
    Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
  32. Ouch by Radical+Moderate · · Score: 2

    Aren't market development senior managers supposed to be kind of visionary....or able to fake it? Cups and spoons? Really?

    --
    Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
  33. People are Makers by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    Most people are not makers

    I challenge that assertion.

    Just look at the size of the scrapbooking industry, or hobby stores in general.

    Or cooking classes and cookbooks.

    Most people ARE makers. Most people like creating things. There's no reason to think that devices that can produce small useful things for a myriad of hobbies will not be accepted by a huge range of people.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  34. Check the timestamps, you dumb cunt. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The GP posted his comment 2.5 hours before yours. It's entirely possible the link was subsequently added by an "editor" once he realized his foul-up.

    It's tricky to spot, though. The time stamp is a little to the right of where it says "Anonymous Coward". The key is that it has a colon and is preceded by an ampersand. I know, it's weird, but there you have it.

  35. Re:o look more cloned trash out of china/taiwan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You get called a racist on the Tesla motor's site if you even ask where the cars are manufactured.

  36. Re:3-D printing. Pffft! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Damned 8 bit year fields!

  37. Brother MFC-665cw keeps ink from clogging by KWTm · · Score: 1

    If unusued for a week or two, my Brother printer will exercise the ink cartridge briefly to prevent it from blocking. Yes, this does involve using up a bit of the ink. I had our brother printer sit unusued for a year, plugged in, turned on (just in case we needed it -- but we happened to be in a phase of our lives where we didn't for a long time). I noticed that the ink level would go down slowly even when unused.

    Compare that to my old HP inkjet. Sat unusued for a season or so, and then the ink cartridges were unusable. Had to be replaced.

    Don't know if exercising the cartridge was the only factor, but I am impressed by how the Brother printer maintains itself. Now 7 years old, and still going strong.

    As for cheap ... one HP inkjet cartridge (black ink only; order colour separately) is about $25.

    For the Brother printer, 4 black cartridges, two cyan, two magenta and two yellow cartridges (individually wrapped) is $6.25 on Amazon for the ten cartridges.

    Yeah, I think I'll stick with the inkjet for a bit longer.

    --
    404555974007725459910684486621289147856453481154 in hex is "You sank my Battleship?"
    [GPG key in journal]
  38. cartridges last just fine by SuperBanana · · Score: 1

    Inkjet cartridges expire so quickly after being opened because they contain ink... which is wet, and evaporates, leaving dry residue in the compartment which cannot be used.

    BS. Back in the 90's I used the same ink cartridge in an old deskjet for something like a year or two and it worked just fine; it eventually ran out of ink and had to be replaced. I live in a state where it gets extremely dry during the winters. No issues.

    We have a giant plotter-size inkjet at work that hadn't been used in 3 years. The print head was clogged to hell and back, requiring a lot of squirting of alcohol and deionized water, but after I had run several cleaning cycles, all the jets cleared out. I'd been worried the ink inside the mechanism and cartridges would be bust, but the same cartridges lasted us for several rolls worth of prints that looked great, and new cartridges were not noticeably better (yes, I waited until we'd likely used up the ink in the tubing.)

    The deskjet was built well before companies started going crazy with chipping everything. The plotter-sized printer was built for a market that wouldn't tolerate that kind of bullshit; the printer warns you if the cartridge is old, but the error message is buried in the ink settings page and it never complains again.

  39. Re:Nobody seems to know what to do with a 3D print by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

    The market for 3D printers could be bigger than the CNC + Laser cutter + Vinyl cutter market combined. It's still a small fraction of the whole population, but the market is there.

  40. Re:3-D printing. Pffft! by mjwx · · Score: 1

    "Due to miscalibration of the 4th axis, your object was printed 255 years ago."

    Be grateful that the programmer declared that variable as char and not int, then your object could have been printed 65535 years ago.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  41. Location? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wouldn't that depend on where you live? It's 40deg C here today (104 F), and that is standard temps for the month of Jan. Ink Jets don't last long where I live...

  42. But CES is bad for start-ups? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or so the internet was telling me.

  43. Re:3-D printing. Pffft! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry about that. 10 years from now I screw that up and accidentally set back technology 10,000 years when a 4-D part accidentally materialized in Lothar Thagg's heart, killing him instantly. He was just about to discover agriculture too.

  44. Printer printer by hicksw · · Score: 1

    Call me when I can get a 3D printer that can print a 3D printer, CC licence preferred.

    Let us not get too involved with wishing for reasonably priced ink for it. RMS could explain what I am trying to imply.
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    I could try to list the things for which I thank RMS, but I don't think he would approve of some of them.