What’s that? You’re stuck in the middle of no where and need to print off an important document? Never fear, Zuta Labs’ Pocket Printer is here!
The Israeli team of engineering students at the Jerusalem College of Technology have recently secured financial backing through Kickstarter for the release of the novel printing device to the paying public in 2015.
That’s right, sometime in the near future your briefcase may be the home to a pocket sized inkjet printer. So how does it perform?
As of now the Pocket Printer prototype is only able to print roughly one side of A4 text every minute. Additionally, the prototype can only print on paper in greyscale, although it can print on all standard paper sizes. The Pocket Printer’s greatest disadvantage at this moment in time, however, is its reliance on a hardwire connection to a computer or mobile device to receive instructions.
Zuta Labs attribute the Pocket Printer prototype’s lack of features and sluggishness to the parts and materials available at the time – hence the Kickstarter. Now they’re as confident as ever that all these hurdles will be overcome and are already working towards utilizing lighter, stronger motors, lightweight ink cartridges and a wireless bluetooth interface. In the future they hope to see a version of the Pocket Printer that can print in color and on a range of media such as tiles and fabrics.
But despite Zuta Labs’s passion for printing, it’s difficult to imagine anyone willing to pay $240 for the Pocket Printer. In an age of smartphones and tablets, more and more documentation, from plane tickets to full contracts, are being transmitted, stored and displayed electronically. Printing itself is becoming phased out.
Furthermore, mobile printing solutions have already been in production by many major printer manufacturers for years. While many of these “portable printers” are admittedly larger and more cumbersome than the Pocket Printer, it’s difficult to see how Zuta Labs could compete against the raw brand recognition of companies like Brother, Epson, Hewlett-Packard etc.
Well, at least it looks cool, I suppose. What do you make of the Pocket Printer? Let us know by dropping a comment below!
[Kickstarter via BBC News]
I don’t need one but the $400k raised proves there is a market for it. I think it makes total sense for contractors (design, construction, landscaping, etc) of all kinds on remote job sites to print plans, mockups, or invoices.