Go 3D, revitalize photo with new technologies

Everything old is new again. And possibly lighter weight, stronger and more convenient if made by digitally guided 3D printers.

Everything old is new again. And possibly lighter weight, stronger and more convenient if made by digitally guided 3D printers. Comic-ventriloquist Jeff Dunham makes his Achmed The Dead Terrorist character using one. Jay Leno uses a high-end printer to make replacement parts for his classic cars. U2 singer Bono used one to create a steering-wheel-shaped microphone he could swing from during a concert tour. With many 3D printers down to the $1,000 to $2,000 price range, they’re almost ready for homes. Even when they are cheap enough, we think many people will still prefer to use specialist centers that master a bank of machines and can access a multitude of different and unique production materials and them on hand. We think what Kinko’s did for copying & printing could happen again with a similar concept based 3D printers. Readers intrigued by the emerging 3D industry may want to look into its first trade conference/expo on the east coast—Inside 3D Printing, at New York City’s Javits Center on April 22-23. Another potential business model has surfaced from a classic name in photography that could be right for today’s cell phone-loving consumers. This month, the first 2,000-square-foot Polaroid Fotobar store opened in Delray Beach, Florida; nine more to follow in different cities this year. Customers can also easily upload from social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Picasa. Then they can enhance images on bar-top workstations, and pick the materials, substrates and framing options for their pieces, with the help of on-staff Phototenders. Purchases will be shipped within 72 hours. It is an intriguing concept now that most photos are taken on cellphones – and many never printed. This could help unleash the printing potential of the 1.5 billion pictures taken daily.