Cardboard Printer Made From Recycled Paper

Almost every large office building in the U.S. has some sort of program to recycle the reams of printer paper that get used every day. Many companies have also instituted programs to better handle the disposition of old electronics equipment, including the printers that spit out all that paper.

The Origami combines these ideas: it’s a personal mono laser printer with an exterior made out of 100% recycled paper.

Origami was designed by Min-chui Kim, Sang-in Lee and Seung-wook Jeong of Samsung Electronics, with an eye toward simplifying the complex structures usually required for building a printer. The exterior provides the same durability as a plastic cover via an origami-based assembly method to house the print engine. (Folding cardboard makes it stronger; the same principle is at play in this cardboard bicycle.)

The printer was one of several products that won a Gold rating in the annual Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2013 competition. You can see a complete list of winners here.

Two other Samsung products also took home Gold designations. The Mate is a customized personal printer, while the screw-free personal printer, Clip, uses integrated clips in the housing to allow for a simple, foldable construction process.

Source: IDSA