Do you have a couple of grand spare to chuck at something potentially interesting? Here at PrintWeek it’s the norm for us to be writing about companies investing six- or seven-figure sums in new tech. A story I wrote yesterday about a nifty new low-cost laser printer that can print white, made me think that a slush fund for “let’s have a little play with this” low-cost technologies should be part of every printco’s budget. Take, for example, 3D printing. It’s hot, and it involves the word ‘printing’. What’s not to like? You can buy a MakerBot Replicator 2 for around £2,000. Or you could opt for a home-grown option with the 3DTouch printer from Bristol’s Bits From Bytes, also circa £2,000. It’s not printing as we know it, but boy could you have some fun creating self-promos that will engage and interest potential clients. Writing about the aforementioned white toner printer, the OKI C711WT from TheMagicTouch, I was struck by the comment from the firm’s MD Jim Nicol, who said: “The biggest problem we’ve got is working out all the things it can do.” He told me about various clever applications his customers were coming up with for creating high-margin items using inexpensive transfer materials. A relatively small investment could generate some fresh profit avenues, and at the very least a lot of high-energy creativity. Who can put a price on that?