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So here’s a brief run-down of printing as most of us know it: you type something up on your computer, press the print button, go over to your printer and grab the sheets of paper that are the result of this operation. In the mundane course of your day-to-day responsibilities, do you ever wish that printing could be something more exciting? Something more like, say, Star Trek, where you could type something into your computer, and instead of just getting a 2-D print-out, you could print the actual object? Well, although you probably won’t want to scrap your paper and HP ink just yet, technological advances may slowly be getting you closer and closer to your dream.

At McGill University in Montreal, Canada, a futuristic three-dimensional printer has been equipped with the power to “print” out ice sculptures. Yes, you read that right ice sculpture. A class of designing and engineering students came up with the concept by equipping an already existing 3-D printer with a special system to transport and freeze water.

The fruits of their labor? Some whimsical, ambiguously shaped sculptures and a giant beer mug (these are, after all, college students; oversized beer mugs seem very important at that age). Admittedly, for the moment, this project doesn’t appear to have very much use-value, apart from a draw for tourism. And hey, local liquor establishments would probably be glad to have a drinking vessel guaranteed to keep beer ice cold.

Well, whoever said the future of printing had to be useful. It’s still pretty cool! At least it gives you something to daydream about the next time you have to spend an afternoon photocopying and printing some plain old paperwork or less-than scintillating brochures at your office’s regular 2-D printer. One thing’s for sure: you wouldn’t want to be printing out those important contracts as an ice sculpture, so count yourself lucky that the ink-and-paper model of printer hasn’t gone out the window quite yet.

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