21 days and $10 per cubic centimeter is all you need after you send a CAD design to Shapeways, a company who began offering 3D resin and plastic printing quite some time ago. There are specific size and detail guidelines to keep in mind due to models being printed in layers, but based on the moebius strip complete with moving parts, those guidelines can't be all that limiting. What's going to be your first 3D steel print? [Shapeways via PopSci via CrunchGear]

MakerBot founder Bre Pettis compared the CupCake to the mythical Altair 8800—but you know, for 3D printing. Next on their list is a 3D scanner that'll copy the design of objects so you can skip creating the 3D schematic yourself—turning CupCake into a replicator. We talked a bit about the possibilities of DIY object replication—Cory Doctorow's Printcrime story came up, but for now you're limited to 3D printing objects the size of cupcakes, hence the name.

You can buy CupCake fully assembled for $2500, but that takes part of the fun out of it—putting the $750 kit together makes for a weekend of awesome. Besides that very nice Empire State Building model—the tip of which was destroyed partly at my behest to show how sturdy the Lego-grade plastic is—the coolest item they'd produced was a custom lens hood for a camera. Why buy spare parts when you can just make them?

Here it is in action, generating a MakerBot coin:
[MakerBot]

With online book sales going up fast and electronic books taking off, publishing company Blackwell has decided to cut costs down and bring a huge back catalog with 400,000 volumes to the hands of readers. Or so they hope.

High-speed all-in-one printing-and-binding machines are not new, but this idea is. Using the Espresso Book Machine, any customer can walk in, pick any book from a touchscreen (or bring its own in CD or USB stick,) and walk away with a "real book" in five minutes. The price? Around $43 for a 300-page out-of-copyright book.

According to the company, this is the future of book distribution, allowing readers to get out-of-print volumes on the spot, rather than having to wait an online purchase to arrive or, worse, hunt them down in second-hand shops.

Obviously, Blackwell may be ignoring that little thing called Kindle. Fortunately for them—and unfortunately for trees everywhere—so are most readers worldwide. [Daily Mail]

The complete method is explained in the paper Fingerprinting Blank Paper Using Commodity Scanners. Here's the abstract:

This paper presents a novel technique for authenticating physical documents based on random, naturally occurring imperfections in paper texture. We introduce a new method for measuring the three-dimensional surface of a page using only a commodity scanner and without modifying the document in any way. From this physical feature, we generate a concise fingerprint that uniquely identifies the document. Our technique is secure against counterfeiting and robust to harsh handling; it can be used even before any content is printed on a page. It has a wide range of applications, including detecting forged currency and tickets, authenticating passports, and halting counterfeit goods. Document identification could also be applied maliciously to de-anonymize printed surveys and to compromise the secrecy of paper ballots.

Essentially, by scanning a piece of paper from several angles, it's possible to use shadow readings to reconstruct the paper's unique 3D features—what becomes the basic fingerprint. This fingerprint data can then be stored in something as simple as a barcode for later validation.

Now if we could only authenticate our digital data with such foolproof measures. [Freedom to Tinker via boingboing]

If the RITI coffee printer existed as a real-world product, you could do just that. The design calls for spent grounds to be poured into a cartridge and for the printing mechanism to be manually moved back and forth to create an image. I think the whole "manual labor" thing takes the eco-friendly concept a bit too far, but if old coffee could actually be used for ink I would be all for it. It would also infuse a delightful scent into your resume that would give you the edge on any job application. Plus you could lick your documents if you were ever really jonesing. [Core 77 via Inhabitat via DVICE]

Well, while it's free to download and use, Treehugger's testing found that the Ecofont, though readable, really just prints the text lighter. In our guesstimation, you could probably recreate the ink savings of Ecofont by printing your materials in draft mode instead. Plus, that way you can choose the whichever font you like.

But should you be so bold as to print Ecofont in draft mode? Existence would cease as we know it. [Ecofont via Treehugger]

CANON U.S.A. TURNS PRINTING INTO PLAYTIME WITH TWO NEW COMPACT PHOTO PRINTERS New "Basket-Style" Photo Printer Blends Style With Convenience For All Ages LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., May 13, 2008 - Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging, announces two new additions to its line of compact photo printers: the radical SELPHY CP770 and the exciting ultra-compact CP760 Photo Printers. These sensibly sized photo printers tout a fresh, unique design which simplifies printing for all users and makes it easier to print photos instantly, almost anywhere. Whether it's baby's first steps in the nursery or grandma and grandpa's summer road trip, these compact photo printers can provide the whole family with instant memories almost anywhere -all without having to use a computer or camera to download images. These new printers are the perfect choice for anyone who wants to experience the joy of printing photos. The Canon SELPHY CP770 compact photo printer is the cute carry-it-all solution for those looking for a small photo printer for the home or on-the-go. The SELPHY CP770 photo printer comes bundled in a basket-style storage bucket, which not only houses the printer, but also stores coordinating accessories including paper, ink cartridge and power cord. The unique design is the first of its kind and allows consumers to tote the printer virtually anywhere they need to go: summer camp, birthday parties, wedding showers, or a scrapbooking get-together. Canon's new design innovations were created with a focus on improving mobility and usability based on the printers' broad range of uses, including printing photos for family albums, school art projects and scrapbooks. Each printer has larger buttons arranged in a "makes-sense" layout, designed for simplicity and easier navigation through menus. The number of buttons on each printer has been reduced from 12 buttons on previous models, down to nine for more simple functionality. "Canon wants to keep photography fun for the whole family by making it easier for children and adults to print out instant memories and share them with everyone," said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. "The fun design and ease of use helps make these printers the perfect gift for anyone who wants a new and convenient way to display and share their photographs." Canon SELPHY CP770 Compact Photo Printer The inviting "basket" design and fun colors make this printer appealing for moms, kids, grandparents or anyone who wants access to a photo printer for their entire memory portfolio. At first glance, many might not think of the SELPHY CP770 as a photo printer because its appearance is such a natural fit for a child's playroom or family living room. An on-the-spot photo printer makes a great gift for friends and family, too. The printer is equipped with a 2.5" High-Definition LCD monitor to preview images before printing. The monitor itself has also been angled so that it can be easily viewed, even when sitting at a table that the printer is resting on. The SELPHY CP770 compact photo printer is available in a friendly apricot and crisp white color. The optional Canon NB-CP2 battery pack, makes it easier than ever to print photos while on the road or camping. The NB-CP2 battery pack can provide hours of printing power before each recharge and has a suggested retail price of $79.991 This printer makes it easier than ever to print out priceless shots taken from a mobile phone or other handheld device2 3. The CP770 compact photo printer supports the new, must-have "IrSimple" feature4 — a high-speed infrared wireless communications standard allowing consumers to wirelessly print snapshots from their mobile phones, PDAs or other digital devices. The printer accepts a wireless infrared signal to transmit photo data from mobile phones and other devices that support this standard. Canon SELPHY CP760 Compact Photo Printer Easy to use, the new Canon SELPHY CP760 compact photo printer helps turn digital images into photography with a compact simple to use design to print great 4x6 inch photographs and make the most out of a digital camera. Now the whole family can crowd around the printer and easily see images on the new 2.5 inch, Thin Film Transistor (TFT) control screen which can be clearly viewed from various angles. The easy-to-view screen also lets users quickly navigate through menus and neatly preview images before printing. The addition of simplified card slots lets users plug in memory cards or print straight from the camera with a USB cord. Portrait Image Optimize & Face Detection Without A Computer New Portrait Image Optimize technology from Canon allows users to correct and improve their image quality all without a computer. When "red-eye" occurs in photos, the CP770 and CP760 printers can automatically determine the position of the red-eye and change the pupils back to a natural color for printing. The CP770 and CP760 printers can lighten or darken individual areas of an image, making it possible to create a photograph where the face and background are well balanced. These functions will also identify a subject's face inside an image, and correct to the ideal brightness and coloring for "brilliant" images. New and Improved Photo Lamination Both the CP770 and CP760 photo printers feature new overcoat technology to help reduce blurring, and fingerprint smudges. After the yellow, magenta and cyan colors have printed, a special overcoat layer is applied to the image through a proprietary lamination process. Not only does the lamination help to reduce bleeding and blurring of printed photo, it also helps to reduce the risk of water and fingerprint smudges, as well as fading that can be caused by ultraviolet light, gas and other such environmental factors. Canon BU-30 Bluetooth Adaptor Making it even more convenient to print images is the optional Canon BU-30 Bluetooth adaptor. Available for both the SELPHY CP770 and CP760 photo printers for a suggested retail price of $49.991, the BU-30 adaptor allows images to be sent from Bluetooth enabled devices directly to the SELPHY model to be printed2. The SELPHY CP770 and CP760 compact photo printers carry an estimated retail price of $149.99 and $99.991, respectively.

He announced DreamColor, an open standard for bringing color control and consistency across the entire digital imaging industry. At first it will be applied to HP printers, of course, but HP hopes the DreamColor logo (see it in the pic above?) will festoon any electronic device or software that has anything to do with color, bringing a consistent color standard to every device, both professional and consumer. Then they can all get along, working together in peace and harmony. But wait, there's more. Hollywood celebrities got in on the act, too.

HP trotted out DreamWorks Animation SKG co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg (pictured above, he's the "K" in the SKG) to endorse the technology. Katzenberg's certainly one who has invested a lot of time and effort into consistent color at his studio with its a string of animation hits. The company worked with HP to develop the DreamColor technology.

Said Katzenberg, "HP, with its DreamColor, has managed to create something remarkable for the marketplace." Get it? DreamWorks, DreamColor? Oprah/Uma? A consistent color standard across the entire industry? Great idea. Stop the presses. Could Utopia be around the corner? – Charlie White

Too cool for your phone [Gadget Madness]