OKSU is a digital printer designed by Alex Zhulin, that produces physical connections to what you see online and was developed as a senior project for the British Higher School of Art & Design in Moscow. This remarkable printer uses NFC and Z-Ink technology, which means that no ink cartridges are needed.
Heat from a Z-Ink-enabled device activates the color-forming pigments within the Z-Ink Paper, producing equal or better image results than traditional printers. The NFC chip in the printed card also makes it possible to activate other NFC-enabled devices simply by being in the card’s proximity (similar to how QR codes direct you to websites, for example). In other words, it’s an instant printer that produces physical connections to the digital world…It does this two ways: to start with, it makes printing what you see on-screen super easy. Secondly, you can tap your printout on any connected device to re-access the webpage, image, video or music album that you printed out.
The OKSU is still in the concept phase right now, so there’s no word yet on pricing or when it would be available, but the overwhelming interest thus far has given Alex Zhulin the incentive to move forward with the project. And so, he plans to develop a prototype and then take the project to Kickstarter, where he will no doubt receive full support from the community (and while doing so, hoping to keep the purchase cost under $200).
