Designer Gives the Printer a Minimalist Update

Printers aren’t normally seen as fashion statements, but this conceptual design from Ludwig Rensch may have you thinking otherwise. The German-based designer has reimagined the home-office gadget by turning it on its side, Fast Co. Design reports.

The device, dubbed “Paper,” more closely resembles a piece of brightly colored luggage than something that prints documents. In place of a stack of single pages, an upright scroll is fed into the machine and cut into individual sheets once it emerges from the other side. Paper can also be used to make scans and copies. After opening a panel in the back, users insert the document and watch as an LED light on top of the box tracks its progress.

According to Rensch, his goal was to make a printer that reflected the designs he was seeing in the digital sphere. He told Fast Co. Design, “I wanted to make a product of the future, but it shouldn’t be blue and translucent like an item of Star Trek. So I asked myself, how would a company like Google design my printer if it was an app?”

Paper is just a concept for now, and its unique design would likely make it a poor candidate for mass production. Rensch says he’s not sure if the device’s printer heads and arms are able to fit a standard inkjet, which would be a major hurdle for commercial buyers. Luckily there are plenty of practical options out there to meet your printing needs.

[h/t Fast Co. Design]

All images courtesy of Ludwig Rensch via Vimeo.

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.