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by njharman 4947 days ago
Yeah, totally. I can already order 3D printing and get it shipped to my doorstep. No drive to staples required.
3 comments

Maybe many of the people that shop at Stsples are not aware this technology even exists.

In my experience, at least in my locale, the shoppers ask for help finding a USB cable over an HDMI cable. If they are in Staples paying 10x the rate on a cable instead of at monoprice, this just might be something of a value add on.

What many don't know is that a few Staples offer a significant print shop on site. Yes, you can order 1000 rounded corner 4/4 business cards online for near free, or you can pay $90.00 at Staples. Some just haven't yet learned how to enter words into google yet. It's surprising actually. So surprising that LMGTFY is a huge whoosh!

You don't have to drive to Staples. Apparently, they will deliver, much like their existing print services.

They are using a 3D printer that uses glued paper, rather than plastic. I don't know if Shapeway offers that. It'll be interesting to see what the pricing is, and what you can do with layered paper vs. plastic.

The important thing isn't whether you can get stuff 3D printed at Staples. The important thing is that we're nearing an inflection point for 3D printing the way mobile was when the iphone came out in 2007. Meaning, if you missed the elevator ride up with the smart phone, there's another ride coming around the corner.

We don't currently offer the Mcor iris line at Shapeways. It actually just launched so I'm not sure if anyone does yet.

Our CEO was just at Euromold so he may have some insight as to whether or not we should look into the paper-based tech.

Or just buy the thing that you want printed in 3D.

Most times it's a small item such as a connector or some small thing, like a small part to fix your toilet.