PixelRoller is a paint roller that paints pixels, designed as a rapid response printing tool specifically to print digital information such as imagery or text onto a great range of surfaces. The content is applied in continuous strokes by the user. PixelRoller can be seen as a handheld “printer”, based around the ergonomics of a paintroller, that lets you create the images by your own hand.

Ever increasing technological boundaries have removed the user from the creativity of the printing process. This separation diminishes the possibility of creative and live input during output.

Conventional Printing is usually bound to a certain location, output method and process. Each printing process is very specific for each single application and the technology has become less adaptable and inflexible for the end user.

Alternatively manual painting requires certain skills, time and is limited in accuracy. However the ability to print manually has advantages in terms of influencing the output, engaging with the medium and the freedom of not being limited to one substrate.

In the past year at the RCA we have created a tool which, when further developed, will allow for creative and flexible fast- response printing on a great number of different surfaces.

Combining the advantages of both disciplines described above offers the flexibility of manual printing with accurate reproduction of digital information on any surface, allowing the user to influence the output in real-time.

The option to print anywhere, onto anything, is an important factor which will provide the users with the ability to print digital content onto floors, walls and ceilings, both indoors and outdoors. Further substrates will include surfaces such as paper, brick, concrete, glass, and grass. And all of them will be printed onto in one stroke, without the need of changing the process in which to print.

The PixelRoller project creatively combines existing technologies that have surrounded us for years to create a series of products specific to certain applications, such as signage, fast response imagery or simply allow the ability for the user to change the pattern of their wall paper.

The software for the first PixelRoller prototype was created using processing which proved invaluable to the development process.

For more information, please contact us more@random-international.com. For more images, please visit the PixelRoller at the RCA 2005 Gallery.