Thursday, January 11, 2018
Casio's $50,000 Printer Can Turn Paper Into Faux Leather, Wood, and Alligator Skin
gizmodo.com: As a rule, we rarely post news about printers here on Gizmodo because, as a rule, they’re mind-numbingly boring. But Casio’s new Mofrel system does something truly innovative: it can add 3D textures to your printouts, turning flat paper into faux leather, stone, wood, and even simulate embossed stitched fabrics.
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3 comments:
Reading this article reminds me of the time that I first read about a 3D printer. I don't exactly understand every use of it, and I don't see a personal use to it, but I can certainly imagine how this would be useful in the theater world. Although most theaters cannot afford to spend $50,000 on one of these machines, being able to create an actual texture on paper would do wonders for the designers that create 3D models. Imagine an industry where someone is able to add a texture in a 3D rendering software like Vectorworks or Cinema 4D and is then able to print out that exact texture to add to real foam core models. From there, depending on the size of the sheets of paper, you could even create things like crown moldings or chair rails without having to go through other companies and deal with late or incorrect shipments. This printer sounds revolutionary and unrealistic at the same time.
This is a piece of technology that blows my mind. I read the description of the special card-stock-esque paper and the multi-step and layered printing process, and it is still way beyond me. The technology of printers has grown an insane amount from just 2D ink prints, to 3D plastic prints, to printing chocolate, to this 2D textured prints. Like Hannah said, I cannot see any theatre spending $50k on a printer like this, unless maybe it was Disney. I think that the theatre industry has a unique way of making ends meet to get the desired look they want with the budget they have. If a surface needed a texture on stage, it would only have to appear textured, it would not need the actually feel like the material because the audience would not be touching the set, unless it was an interactive theatre experience. When I saw this headline, my first thought was that this printer could be used by a company creating low cost shelters for refugees. Fifty thousand dollars is a large investment to make, but some how I can see the printing of a soft texture on paper being less inexpensive than fabric, maybe? Perhaps that's just me dreaming for a better world. Hopefully one day this printer technology could be made affordable enough to use it for good, or for design work, or for cool products.
While I agree with the fact that no theater would logically be able to afford this or have a reason to buy one - except Disney, perhaps - I think it's applications in performance are much more aligned with the realms of film, TV, and music videos. The close shots required by those media means that everything must be perfectly detailed, down to the exact stitching, the embroidery on a cuff or collar, or even just how much or how little something has been distressed to show wear and tear. The ability to use textured paper in place of many more highly expensive options may not be something big blockbuster studios would want to do or even have a need to do, but smaller studios that can't afford exact leather details or stone emblems could use this to their advantage, or a music video could use it in an artistic and visually interesting way. They may not afford it themselves, but I'm sure someone who can will quickly make a 'print by the order' business that could help those smaller companies use the new technology without breaking the bank every time they do.
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