Printing a Handwritten Note

I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that someone made a printer that uses regular ink pens. And that the penmanship is astounding. What it lacks in the personal touch department it more than makes up for in penmanship.

I can remember back when graduating high school my mom insisted that I handwrite and sign thank you notes to everyone who sent gifts. I can understand now why she did that, but at the time I thought it was some sort of punishment. I'm not a big fan of writing out anything and most folks likely use digital means to type out all their notes and messages these days.

If you need to be able to hand write something in fancy form and you lack the penmanship to do so, a group appropriately called Evil Mad Scientist has a new machine called AxiDraw that might be perfect for you. The machine is a pen plotter that can write or draw on most flat surfaces. It is capable of writing or drawing with pens, markers, fountain pens, and other writing utensils.
The writing head can extend beyond the machine making it able to draw on objects larger than the machine itself. The output from the robot looks handmade compared to items made with an inkjet or laser printer. The software behind the device is a free vector program called InkScape. The travel area of the machine is just a bit larger than US letter and A4 paper sizes and it can also write on smaller items like cards and envelopes.

The device is also open-source allowing you to create your own programs. AxiDraw might be just the thing that schools need for creating their own custom achievement certificates for kids that are more personalized than just printing names using a laser printer. Other uses include handmade invitations, drawings of people or animals in ink, cookie decorating with edible markers, and lots more. The AxiDraw sells for $450.

Hi-Tech via YouTube

Ehhhh, $450 is a lot for a printer. Then again, the last time I did thank you notes I screwed them up, badly. (long / embarrassing story I'd rather not go into) You know, maybe it is a sound investment.