When available, consumers can simply upload 3D files in STL, OBJ, or VRML formats to the Staples website and Staples would then send the finished product via mail. The service called "Staples Easy 3D" will initially be rolled out in the Netherlands and Belgium in Q1 2013. "Other countries" will follow quickly, Mcor said.
The service will use Mcor's new Iris 3D printer, which was launched at Euromold 2012, which is currently held in Frankfurt, Germany.
"Given our market leadership in commercial print, why would we ever stop at two dimensions?" said Wouter Van Dijk, president of the Staples Printing Systems Division in Europe, in a prepared statement. "Customized parts, prototypes, art objects, architectural models, medical models and 3D maps are items customers need today, in a more affordable and more accessible manner. Mcor will help us to keep prices low, quality high and color brilliant as we meet the demand." Mcor said that the Iris printer supports "more than one million hues simultaneously as it creates photo-realistic physical objects from 3D data." The maximum resolution is 5760 x 1440 x 508 dpi.
If you don't want to wait for Staples, Mcor would also be happy to sell to a 3D printer beginning in December. Iris is priced at 11,300 Euros, which translates to about $15,900.
