Zero ink, Zero Boundaries: Zink challenges designers

By Rich Trenholm on 04 June 2009, 10:55am

Zink, the company that prints digital photos without ink -- zero ink, geddit? -- has launched a competition for designers, students and the bored to imagine what the future holds for instant printing.

Zink products work by baking specially treated paper, creating the print-out from crystals impregnating the paper. The result is a printed photo, dry-to-touch in under two minutes. Zink first appeared a couple of years ago, and after a no-brainer tie-up with Polaroid is now the technology behind the Polaroid Two digital instant printer. The company is looking for creative types like you -- yes you, you with the arms -- to come up with an instant printing system that will "re-imagine printing and its role in the digital world using the Zink technology to fuel the future possibilities of this unique technology platform." And make Zink lots of money, obv.

Full details and rules are at the competition homepage. Submissions are due by Monday 8 June and will be judged by an esteemed panel of design authorities, including representatives of MIT, Harvard Business School, Engadget and Gizmodo. Being pretty esteemed ourselves in some circles for our smarts -- namely, the Croydon Sprocket and Testicle Tuesday Pub Quiz, unbeaten since April 2009 -- we decided to take a crack at it. After all, we've got form in these kind of competitions. Sadly, our proposal for shoes that print stickers with our faces on so we leave a trail of happiness didn't get past the concept stage. Over to you.