Printing Press
In this Eureka Crate, you'll explore the science, engineering, and history behind printing presses while building one of your own!
Explore:
- Linkages & Levers
- The Gutenberg Press
- Printing Technology
Behind the design
Peek into the KiwiCo product design studio and the design process behind the Eureka Crate Printing Press.
- Your printing press is a pretty big build, but did you know that the project started out even bigger? Our earliest prototypes could easily print on 5" x 7" cards, one of the standard sizes for cardstock. But as we developed the mechanisms more (and thought about how to fit all the parts in your crate), we realized we'd have to size the press down to optimize it. Compared to where we started, your press is practically pocket-sized!
Optimize the Size
- Zip ties and R-clips aren't the only connectors we tried using for your printing press. These prototypes show some of the varieties of bolts and nested fasteners we attempted to use. They had their benefits, but they all required a lot more fussing and fiddling to get in place than the R-clips, which can slide in super easily.
Connector Collection
- Some of our prototypes didn't just have a lot of zip ties: they had zip ties with attitude. We thought that since we were including so many, it could be fun to give them bright colors to accentuate the machine instead of blending in. But when we switched to R-clips, we decided to tone down the colors to let your artwork shine.
Color Your World
