Enlightenment - piece by piece

Dismantling an old printer to reuse and learn

Consumer-quality printers are remarkable technology. For a few hundred bucks (and often less), anyone can have a high-quality printing setup in the comfort of their own home. These devices translate our virtual words and images into tangible objects we can hold, use, and enjoy. But there is a catch to having all this power in one convenient and inexpensive package - they don't last. And worse still, most aren't made to be repaired. Fortunately, recycling programs exist, and many electronics retailers will accept old printers.

But there is another way.

If you are a maker, tinkerer, or parent (or all of the above), printers are a gold mine of reusable and repurposable parts - all you have to do is take them apart.