Printing is a relatively new technology in human history. Initially, we could only print ink onto thick parchment. Now, we can print all kinds of amazing promotional products for businesses, and heartfelt custom cards for our loved ones. Technology, of course, is the cause of this great change. If we were told just 40 years ago that so many people would own a personal computer today, we surely would have thought that it was an exaggeration. We would never have been able to imagine that a phone carried in our pockets would be able to do exactly what only a big clunky computer could do at the time. Technological advancements have enabled industry to make computers smaller and much cheaper than they used to be. These technological changes have also progressed printing, too.

Advances in printing

Printers were invented in the 1800s, but only recently did this technology take off. Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press would have thought that we were into some magical hocus-pocus if we even suggested to him what printers of today could do.

We can take a page from a website and print it exactly as it is seen and onto a sheet of paper. We can do this in either color or greyscale. This in itself is wondrous enough but when we start delving into the area of 3D printing, that is where the real magic happens. A designer can use CAD software to make a 3D design on a computer and then if it is done correctly, a three-dimensional item will be printed. This means you will hold in your hands a physical hard copy or product that is not an image on paper but a physical 3D thing that can be used for whatever intended purpose.

Mediums

Apart from 3D printers having the ability to print practically anything almost out of thin air, they can also use a huge array of matter to print them with. Printers can create products with the use of a variety of grades of plastic (depending on what it will be used for and the needs of the client), composites, edible materials (like corn starch, tapioca, and sugar cane), and PVA to name a few.

The introduction of 3D printing with metal happening today is sure to completely transform the world of spare parts and metal components. Imagine needing a specific spare part for a client’s beloved classic vehicle. The part is very rare and very expensive and very hard to source. Evolution of technology of this kind will allow you to order a spare part of any make, model, and kind and have the design specs sent to you from halfway across the globe (after payment of course). You then simply open the email attachment, load your printer with the required material, and click print. Your 3D printer then prints that exact spare as designed by the sender of your document. Whether or not companies are currently doing this is not clear yet, but it is a great business idea, right? You’re welcome.

Multiple uses

Every company in existence today will be able to benefit from 3D printing in some way. If you are in the medical field, get ready for printed prosthetics and bandages. Soon, maybe even ointments and medications. In the food and beverage arena, you can have gorgeous printed glasses, vases, and plates to name some, but before we know it, we may even be able to print a meal from a restaurant’s online menu.

For niche and especially hard-wearing products, such as customized logo mats, and mousepads, it’s still best to obtain the services of a professional and dedicated service that’s focused on such items. But for prototyping and other uses, 3D Printing is becoming more and more popular. Some companies are currently even making high-end fashion outfits with the use of 3D printing; Parts or even entire dresses are printed from a design created on a CAD program specifically for the model. How long before this becomes the norm? Imagine. You search online, find the perfect design, enter your measurements, and a design for a perfectly customized, tailored design that lands in your inbox. Now simply load your printer with the right medium and hit print. Soon we may even be able to print our groceries. I bet Johannes Gutenberg didn’t see these things coming.

Endless possibilities

If we look at the advances in printing tech over the past decade or two, we cannot help but wonder what will happen in the next few decades. Will this make physical shops and shopping redundant? How would this impact entertainment? What if we were able to print out animated characters? Can anybody say live show? Imagine having a 3D printed mini, animated version of your favorite band doing a show right in your living room. What about a full-size person?

Imagine forgetting your anniversary and then simply printing out the decor, the meal, and flowers before your partner caught on. This kind of technology is set to become irreplaceable in the future if it continues to grow. If you found a product that you simply love and it breaks, you search to find another one just like it. What if it wasn’t being made anymore? If things keep progressing the way it is you may be able to save the specs and just print out another one should the original break.

There may be no limits to what we can do with this type of technology in the future!