All is good and very well when it’s about printing color graphics on sheets of paper. But what if you need to print the graphics onto a wall, an item of clothing, a piece of wood, or anything else that is not possible to feed through a desktop printer? Well, that’s where the PrintBrush XDR comes in.
PrintDreams, a Stockholm-based company developed XDR, a handheld inkjet printer, which wirelessly communicates with a smartphone app through Wi-Fi. The app allows to create the full-color graphics, and then it is transmitted to the PrintBrush. Alternatively, the data can be transferred into the USB. The internal flash memory of XDR can store up to four image files, so it can later be used without a smartphone, tablet or a laptop.
Image: PrintDreams
The users can drag the device from either left-to-right or right-to-left on almost any surface to print the graphics. An inertial measurement unit and an optical sensor are utilized by the XDR to determine the speed and direction of movement to print the graphics so that it comes out in the right way.
Image: PrintDreams
Currently, a full-page graphics can’t be printed by PrintBrush, but this capability is in works and will soon be added. In one go, it can now print up to three horizontal “swaths” of graphics, with a small gap between each of them. The device is reportedly suitable for about 4,000 imprints per charge and is powered by a lithium-polymer battery of 11.1-volt. One ink cartridge is enough to last for approximately 5000 swaths of 13 x 102 mm (0.5 inches x 4 inches).
Image: PrintDreams
The PrintBrush XDR is currently available on the Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of US$240 (SEK 2,166) will get you one XDR if they reach their goal and start its production. The retail price planned for this printer is US$299.
h/t: New Atlas