Gizmodo: Printer

Cat KO's Printer In Vicious Boxing Match

Sean Fallon — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Cats have an odd relationship with gadgets. Some cats tremble in fear while others have no problem resorting to violence. The cat in the video above falls neatly into the latter category. Sure, the internet is filled with videos of cats bitchslapping technology—but this one really lays the hammer down on that printer. A vicious flurry of rights at the end combined with enhanced sound effects make for a truly epic pummeling. It is not for the squeamish that's for sure. [soupsoup via Gearfuse]

Polaroid Bringing Back Classic 4x3 Insta-Prints With Forthcoming Digital Zink Cam

John Mahoney — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EDT

While the tears spilled mourning the death of Polaroid's instant film division are still somewhat damp, the company has a little spark of an announcement that could make hardcore 'roiders (of the best kind) happy—the company looks like it's finally getting serious about building its Zink instant digital printing tech into a camera. And it won't use the diminutive 2 x 3 inch format currrently spit out by the PoGo printer, which is the only product that currently features Zink tech. Instead, the new camera is planning to use the classic 4x3 vertical rectangle size, which became the company's trademark. And they're even taking (or pretending to take) suggestions from the public on the camera's features.

Just drop by the Amateur Photographer site and fill out the form, rating which features are important. Not a whole ton of flexibility here, but it's a nice gesture.

Zink's dye crystals are built into the paper itself, so there's no need for the white chemical pack/label area/shaking handle of the classics, but let's hope they keep that anyway, for old time's sake. I would encourage everyone to vote for that, as a write-in.

We've already seen a prototype camera packing Polaroid's Zink instant digital printing tech (at the 2x3 size), which is still apparently going to ship, someday. The new 4x3 cam is scheduled for "sometime in 2009." [Amateur Photography via Gadget Lab - Image: mocvdleung]

Video: Ants Turn Guy's Scanner Into Giant Ant Farm

Matt Hickey — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:00:22 EDT

The video is pretty self explanatory, but here it is for those who can't see it: A man and his wife had been noticing lots of ants on their computer desk but couldn't figure out where they were coming from. It wasn't from outside or anywhere else in the house. Later, the wife tells the husband that the printer wasn't working correctly. He checked out the printer/scanner combo only to find that the ants had turned it into a home. The video's pretty good, but what's he going to do next? Throw out the printer/scanner? Evict the bugs? What would you do?

Lightning Review: Polaroid PoGo Wireless Mobile Printer

Benny Goldman — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:58:54 EDT

The Gadget: The Polaroid PoGo, an inkless printer that prints 2” x 3” sticker pictures from digital cameras via USB and cellphones over Bluetooth.

The Price: $150 for the unit, 30-packs of photo paper cost $10.

The Verdict: Though, like you, I wasn't totally sure about the PoGo, after using it, I was surprised at how promising and unique the little gadget is. It solves the biggest problem with taking pictures on cellphones, the fact that you can't look at them anywhere besides your phone. The credit-card size prints look decent enough for what they are (though in Wilson's expert opinion, they're still “lousy”). It prints using Zink, an inkless technology that uses photo paper with billions of colorless dye crystals in CMY layers that change color when activated by heat. This means that the pictures are dry as soon as they develop, and you NEVER replace ink or toner cartridges. The prints are also waterproof, tear and fade resistant, and have an adhesive backing so you can stick them anywhere.

Another great thing about the PoGo is its portability. Its a little larger than a deck of cards, so if you've got pockets, you can take it around. It also connects to phones via Bluetooth so you don't have to worry about cords. We easily paired it via Bluetooth connection to a year-old, mainstream LG phone from Verizon, though it isn't compatible with every phone—Polaroid says it works with about 70% of Bluetooth-enabled phones out today. I asked them about iPhone compatibility—they said not this one.

There are a few things holding me back from totally loving the PoGo. First of all, it's slow. The process from phone to picture took 60-75 seconds, which makes printing in the moment a little less exciting. Secondly, the Li-ion battery only lasts for 15 prints, and takes two hours to charge back up. It can print while it's charging which is nice, but that really takes away from the mobility factor.

Finally, I'm not sure I would use this on a long-term basis. The product guys said to use it in a bar to pick up ladies, but I don't know how many ladies would want stickers of me—at least, not right away. It seems like a fun fad, but when I showed it to Wilson, he couldn't wait to print pictures of his baby. High school kids, too, could probably find ongoing use for its sticker prints. There may be a wider appeal, even if I'm not the target demo.

The PoGo is a fun toy for now, and with a few tweaks and improvements, it could bring practicality and excitement back to printed pictures for a guy like me. [PoGo]

Kyocera Inkjet Printhead Spits Out 1000 Pages a Minute

Sean Fallon — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:45:00 EDT

I can't say that I have ever been impressed by a printer, but the device they are cooking up at Kyocera could be a first. Their new KJ4 series printhead can churn out up to 200 meters per minute at 600 x 480 dpi, or 150 meters per minute at 600×600 dpi—which equates to about 1000 sheets of A4. After consulting a calculator, I determined that is nearly 17 pages a second.

It seems like paper would be shooting out of there like a Gatling gun, blanketing the office in a thick layer of spreadsheets and memos. However the KJ4 claims to pull it off thanks to its proprietary piezoelectric ceramics technology. It also features a 4.25 inch printline—the largest in its class. Look for the new printhead to go global starting in April. [7 Gadgets via 2dayBlog via Crunchgear]

Trak Mobile Inkjet Printer Concept Snaps Onto Laptop Lids

Kit Eaton — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:19:44 EST

Designer Hung Chih Wang thinks the inkjet printer market has room for an ultra-mobile concept: his "Trak" design is a mini printer that snaps onto the lid of your laptop. Handy for hardcopies on-the-go, it's small enough to be USB powered and even has a detachable print head for easy travel storage. There's no mention of how you keep the ink from spilling in your bag, but that should please those dollar-craving ink manufacturers, eh? [Yanko design]

Woosim Waterproof Printer Will Give you Tickets

Kit Eaton — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:00:16 EST

Woomsim's upcoming 3-inch roll paper printer won't do anything for you, except probably give you your next speed limit ticket. But we like it because of its bright orange jacket and because it reminds us of Domokun, the Cyclops Version. Look at those teeth. That thing is hungry. For your money. [Red Ferrett and Aving]

Hanging Printer Saves Desk Space

Jason Chen — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:30:41 EST

Our current complaint with our printer is that it takes up too much space around the office, both in the horizontal and the vertical, that we need one individual shelf just to accommodate the thing. Enter the Hanging Printer. It's a standard printer, yes, but hangs off the side of your desk in order to save on clutter and to keep printouts within reach. We don't see any downside to this. [Yanko Design]

Kodak ESP 3 All-in-One Printer Has Software Facial Retouch

Jason Chen — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:00:51 EST

The Pitch: Kodak's ESP 3 all-in-one printer, which has a nice black finish and a software feature for facial retouching with "one click" that "reduces blemishes" and enhances facial features. They also claim that it saves 50% ink when compared to similar inkjet printers.
The Catch: It's hard to tell exactly what the 50% ink savings means without comparing it to other printers ourselves, but the one-touch facial retouching is good if you're no good at photoshop (like me).

Polaroid Cellphone Printer Uses Zink Tech

Brian Lam — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 01:41:01 EST

Zink's zero-ink technology was developed in Polaroid labs, so its nice seeing the tech making it back to its home marquee. More on Zink's cellphone printer and camera with the printer built in, here.

First Look: Zink Camera Has a Printer In Its Back

Brian Lam — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:35:49 EST

This rather large camera has a Zink based printer tucked inside. Can you say Polaroid awesomeness?

I was a little taken aback by the 7mp's size, but I'm an elitist. And that 2.4 inch screen and 3x zoom seem competent enough. Someone out there will love this thing to pieces when it hits the market Q4 of this year.

–Brian Lam

Zink [Gizmodo]

First Hands On: The Zink Bluetooth Camphone Printer

Brian Lam — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:59:25 EST

The DEMO launch you can hold in your hand is the Zink cellphone photo printer. It uses dye embedded paper inside of a pocket-sized printer to do wallet sized prints. The competition? There isn't any.

The printer transfers by Bluetooth, images of up to (maybe beyond, 3MP), downscales them internally, and pushes out prints via a simple roller. The 2x3-inch, 300 DPI shots look fantastic.

Pricing on paper is approximately 20 cents on a on a 2x3. The printer's battery lasts 20 prints per charge, and juices by USB. The internal paper tray will hold 10. Prints take for about a minute to finish from send (video after the jump). Prints are water resistant and durable enough for wallet duty, which is appropriate for a print of this size. Not bad for $99 bucks. It'll be out later this year, and I predict it'll sell like hot cakes.

–Brian Lam

Zink [Gizmodo]

Zink Pocket Printer: iPhone Companion?

Charlie White — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 12:38:10 EST

Polaroid is not dead yet. Apparently it was only sleeping, but now its research labs have smelled the coffee and spun off Zink, a company whose first product will be a stand-alone printer that's about the size of a deck of cards. This one-button printer is designed to easily connect to a camera phone, and will cost less than a hundred bucks.

Looks like a perfect companion to the iPhone, and might just work pretty well with D.A.V.E., that Seagate pocket drive with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi we mentioned earlier.

iPhone Gadget Suite? [Scobleizer]

Ultraportable Printer Does Wireless

Louis Ramirez — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 11:41:25 EST

It's not often we write about printers here on the Giz, but Brother's new MPrint MW-260 gets honorable mention for being the world's thinnest printer. It can print up to 20 pages per minute from any PC, Pocket PC, or Windows Mobile handheld. Best of all, it also prints over Bluetooth (in addition to your standard USB). No word on pricing or availability, but this is a 1-pound printer we wouldn't mind adding to our travel bag. – Louis Ramirez

Press Release (Japanese) [The Raw Feed]

Xerox Reinvents Paper, Trees Rejoice

Louis Ramirez — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:38:25 EST

Not to be confused with the spy paper we showed you a few months back, the brainiacs at Xerox have invented a new self-erasable paper that fades to white after 24 hours. The invention "came from developing compounds that change color when they absorb a certain wavelength of light but then will gradually disappear." The paper is reusable though it appears you'll need a special printer to get images on to it. I can see this working in the newspaper industry and such, but I can also see a ton of scam artists making people sign contracts that "change" over night. – Louis Ramirez

Press Release [via Daily Tech]

Konica Minolta C250 Pimps Your Bizhub

kthompson — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 08:43:27 EST

This is what happens when you give a hippie a screwdriver, a budget and a directive to redesign your office. Konica Minolta claims this prototype bizhub mish-mash will increase productivity and decrease stress levels, but if I had to stare at a psychedelic coffee pot slash retro lamp slash printerscannerfaxmachine every day, I'd throw myself out a window. Is there actually a serious company out there that would consider this affront to eyesight a useful tool? This may fit in with the culture in Tommy Chong's paper supply firm, but this abomination can't be the wave of the future, can it? – Karson Thompson

Konica Minolta C250 Bizhub Prototype [via Tech Digest]

Presto Printer, Delivering E-mail to Geezers Everywhere

Louis Ramirez — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 12:33:33 EDT

E-mailing our Luddite family members has never been as easy as it should be, especially when grandma still insists the Internet is a series of tubes. Enter the HP Presto. This sucker instantly prints incoming e-mails so grandma-ma can focus on drinking her prune juice instead of having to remember her screenname and password. The printer debuts next month for $150 bucks (service is $10/month or $100/year). Kinda pricey if you ask us. Sorry, grandma. We don't love you that much. – Louis Ramirez

HP Presto [via Uncrate]

Olivetti Ink Jet Printers With WiFi And Bluetooth

Jason Chen — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 21:45:10 EDT

The Olivetti Any Way and SImple Way are two printers with either WiFi or Bluetooth to enable you to wirelessly print photos without any sort of third-party add-on. The Any Way has a 2.4-inch LCD, prints 20ppm in black and white and 18ppm in color. A 10x15 takes 75 seconds, and has image improvement software to brush up your older photos. And of course, the optional Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity.

The Simple Way, a lower end printer, has the same 20ppm for b/w and 18 for color, but doesn't have the optional photo faxing. Oh, and Olivetti is only available in Europe, so tough titties to us in the US. – Jason Chen

Olivetti's new ink jet printers with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth [Tech Digest]

Sony UP-D75 Dye Sublimation Printer, For All Your Fake ID Needs

Charlie White — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:05:36 EST

If you're looking for the highest quality photos with a smudge-proof coating on top, look no further, because the Sony UP-D75 Dye Sublimation printer cranks out crispy color photos and then laminates a clear finish onto them with your choice of glossy, textured or matte finish.

This first-class treatment comes at a steep price, though, because it costs $2995 to possess this high-end unit that can keep those pesky smudges off your photos. It's not that fast, either, taking 80 seconds to create a 300dpi 8x10 page. Even so, it might be nice for creating fake IDs. Not that we would do anything like that.

Sony UP-D75 Dye Sublimation printer laminates printouts [ bergizmo]

Sony photo products [Amazon]

KODAK Photo Printer 500 Hands On

johnb — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 14:12:00 EDT

More exciting than the jump up in their digital camera lineup may be Kodak's hot little portable Photo Printer 500 that's compatible with just about every digital media card out there-and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The smaller than a breadbox (how big is a breadbox, anyway? Let's say smaller than an Aquaman lunchbox) printer has slots for SD, MMC, CF, and xD cards on its front, a USB port on the side and generates pretty durable 4X6 prints on paper seemingly identical to what's used in C-41 processing. At the product demo on a boat that traveled around Manhattan in the driving rain yesterday, grenadine that was poured onto a photo of me (that I had intended to send to my mother) wiped right off. The Bluetooth partnering was a little problematic at this press unveiling, but the rough water on the East river from the driving rain during the launch (Get it? Launch? I kill me.) had the lights dimming a little bit and the straining inverter may have been to blame. The not-ready for prime-time beta models I worked on (final product ships October 4) froze up a couple of times, but the prints that it did produce were fast (done in about a minute) rich, and, well, frameable. An image Blue-beamed in from a Razr and printed was surprisingly credible.

A couple of the tech writers and publicists looked a little green as we pitched up the east river, but I gleefully printed image after image that I previewed on the units' 3.5 LCD screen, channeling my inner photography 101 student. The 500's got simple in-printer fixes like basic cropping, red-eye and contrast, and corny-but-cool sepia and B& W options. The secret weapon here is the ability to print directly from any program like iPhoto or Photoshop, when the printer forgoes the kid-tested and mother-approved algorithms of its KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology that makes those wedding/family reunion/graduation pictures all look so similar to each other. Priced at $249, and with printer paper sold in bulk packs that bring the per/print cost down to $.29 per, both Kodak's target grandmas who jones for pictures of little Johnny and Janey and those of us who may have forgotten how much more gratifying it is to hold an actual print in our hands rather than just stare at a somehow more impermanent image on our computer screens may be having some serious talks with Santa on this one.

And mom's still getting that print.

Product Page [Kodak]

New Lexmark Photo Printer Burns CDs Too

gizmogo — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 15:50:11 EDT

Truly rendering the PC unnecessary in digital photography is the new Lexmark P450, the world's first inkjet photo printer with a built-in CD burner. But that's not all; you can also print from a variety of memory cards, from a USB flash drive, also via a Bluetooth adapter, so that you can finally print out all those gloriously grainy cellphone pics. And if you're concerned about not having Photoshop to clean out those red eyes, the Lexmark P450 also has a photo editing feature that allows you to crop, rotate, color fix, and remove the dreaded red eyes. Available for $199 come October.

Press Release [Lexmark via Strange New Products]