this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2023
1854 points (100.0% liked)
196
16508 readers
2206 users here now
Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.
Rule: You must post before you leave.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
The accuracy required for the ink droplets just isn't there for prosumers.
I can (and have!) built multiple extruders for a variety of 3D printers. Some of my own design.
Sadly, the tolerances for an inkjet are at least an order of magnitude greater.
I have zero doubt that a few clever hardware hackers could design an open source inkjet printer. But A: They'd get sued back to the mesolithic by every printer company with a patent. And B: the process would likely involve micro machining your own hardware.
I've just said, "fuck it" to the entire industry. I'm in my early 40s and I'm reasonably sure that my Brother laser will outlive me. And possibly the heat death of the universe.
Patents expire after, what, 20 years? I'd be happy with an open source printer based on 20 year old technology.
I'd take a tractor fed dot-matrix printer over my current one just so I could play with the paper thingies on the edges.
You'll pay an arm and a leg for tractor feed paper though.