The Instant Cartridge Printer

“The package is the product.” With this motto firmly in mind, Yuexun Chen and Chia-Chen Hsiao have designed a printer that is really its ink cartridge that is really its packaging. Got it? Put another way, the package you just bought is the ink cartridge is the printer.

The size of the printer is determined by the size of the paper it prints on, and the bold large number on the package tells you how many of these pages it will print before it runs out of ink.

A built-in USB port allows you to connect your camera directly to the printer.

Is this eco-friendly? For one, it saves on the packaging, so check one.

We already throw away (or recycle) ink cartridges, and it’s no different here, so check two.

Ah, but do we throw away our printer everytime we print? Before you answer, No, consider that the actual printing nozzles and technology are already in our modern ink cartridges. [Ever wondered how the ink actually gets out of a solid cartridge? See the electrical contacts?]. The larger printer housing simply serves the purpose of moving paper through and the ink cartridge from side to side. And, too often, you can buy a new printer (plus ink cartridges) on sale cheaper than the cost of replacing the spent ink cartridges!!!

No “printer housing” as such means less stuff to throw away or to recycle. On the whole, not a bad idea, though something at the back of my mind tells me there will be more wastage overall (if only because we tend to throw away cartridges that are not completely empty).

[coroflot]