Staples Pilots In-store 3D Printing Services with 3D Systems

Here comes 3D printing. Retailer Staples (SPLS) is selling 3D printing services aimed at small businesses and consumers in a two-store, joint pilot project with 3D Systems (DDD) to determine the market’s viability and the best sales strategy.

The office supply giant, which first blueprinted its 3D printing plans a year ago, is experimenting with the services at its locations in New York and Los Angeles. It already sells some 3D printing hardware and accessories in a limited number of outlets and has offered 3D printing services in Europe for about a year. The Rock Hill, S.C.-based 3D Systems also offers its own printing services.

If the test provides favorable results, the retailer could expand it to more locations to tap into the market’s sizeable potential, officials said. Gartner projects enterprise and consumer 3D printer shipments by 2017 to rise to some 1.1 million units from the current 38,000 units and spending to reach $5.7 billion from the current $288 million.

“3D printing offers enormous potential for small businesses, and by using Staples, they can print with the technology without having to invest in it,” said Damien Leigh, Staples business services senior vice president. “The test with 3D Systems will help us learn about our customers’ needs for a local 3D printing service, and how Staples can help them make more happen for their business through 3D printing.”

Staples didn’t detail pricing for the 3D printing services. According to BusinessWeek, the Staples location in New York has seven printers to produce objects in six different materials. Larger jobs will be outsourced to 3D Systems, the company said.

IT heavyweight Hewlett-Packard’s (HPQ) chief executive Meg Whitman last month projected a June entry in the 3D market for the vendor—a statement Martin Fink, the company’s chief technology officer and HP Labs director, walked back the next day when he said a late October date is the target date but nothing is on the docket for June.

HP has a 3D printer in prototype but Fink, who should know, called 3D printing “really still an immature technology, but it has a magical aura.” He said the “sci-fi movie idea that you can magically create things on command makes the idea of 3D printing really compelling for people.”

To improve SMBs’ and consumers’ familiarity with 3D printing technology, Staples is opening demo areas in each store where customers can use design software and watch 3D Systems’ printers in action. Each store will have a photo booth to capture customers’ facial images for the purpose of personalizing 3D products. Customers also will be able to produce personalized smartphone cases. Each store will house a 3D Systems consultant onsite and trained Staples’ personnel.

In January, distributor Ingram Micro (IM) said it is testing the 3D printer market with supplier deals with 3D Systems’ and New York-headquartered MakerBot’s technology as its anchor offerings in a portfolio of 3D printer equipment priced at less than $5,000.