# This some kind of Joke?, Printing organs... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426 "2003-05-06T16:13:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/1 "2003-05-06T16:13:09Z")
[Well](http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,49104,00.html) , this seems a little “out there”. God`s inkjet, it`s called, may be able to print human organs. Anyone know anything more about this technology? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/2 "2003-05-06T16:57:40Z")
I used to work on a chemistry/biotech magazine and I remember hearing about this, probably 3 years ago, at a conference. So, not a joke, but I’m afraid I don’t have any other cites to hand. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/3 "2003-05-06T17:23:31Z")
I can’t contribute anything directly but it sounds like a quantum but logical leap from what is already being done with cultured skin grafts. Can they “print” an entire limb or do the bone chips clog the nozzles? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/4 "2003-05-07T10:29:09Z")
The paper cowboy climbed out of the sack. He put on his paper pants and paper shirt. He strapped on his paper chaps, and he put on his paper hat. He climbed on his paper painted horse, and he road into town. The sherriff nabbed him, for rustling. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/5 "2003-05-07T10:38:48Z")
I don`t get it…😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/6 "2003-05-07T10:43:59Z")
Tissue printing. AFAIK it is coming along in leaps and bounds. The other day, somebody mentioned the possibility of artificial meat being made this way… maybe I will get to taste Dodo after all. ---
**Author:** ![mooka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@mooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mooka)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/7 "2003-05-07T10:46:40Z")
See this for another news story about it: [http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993292](http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993292) ---
**Author:** ![Daftbugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Daftbugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daftbugger)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/8 "2003-05-07T11:01:52Z")
They’re working on ink jet printing bone, just down the corridor from here! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/9 "2003-05-07T11:22:21Z")
That would be so cool for reconstructive surgery. I suppose it will spill over into cosmetic surgery eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/10 "2003-05-07T13:00:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*I suppose it will spill over into cosmetic surgery eventually. \*\* Maybe, but I ain’t cleaning it up! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/11 "2003-05-07T13:20:26Z")
I wonder if pies can be printed this way. ---
**Author:** ![TaxGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@TaxGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaxGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/12 "2003-05-07T13:40:22Z")
Erm . . . meat pies? 😛 (Sorry.) ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/13 "2003-05-07T14:12:09Z")
People have been printing asses for years. I can think of a few organs that have probably been printed already too. Big deal! ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/14 "2003-05-07T14:20:07Z")
Internal organs, internal organs… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/15 "2003-05-07T14:55:28Z")
When come back, print pie! Imagine a device that could print entire meals, straight onto the plate… ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/16 "2003-05-07T15:09:02Z")
I bet those damn ink cartrigdes will be extremely expensive. My HP ink is already killing me and all I print out is 2 dimensional stuff! ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/17 "2003-05-07T15:45:31Z")
As well as printing meat and organs the ultimate development of this technology is printing a whole new body for yourself and transplanting your tired old brain into it. ‘Excellent, Smithers.’ Or if the fidelity was good enough sent a printer to Mars or Tau Ceti and print the brain as well… it would take only 10[sup]15[/sup] bits to reproduce your personality on another planet… * * * Sci-fi worldbuilding at [http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html](http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html) ---
**Author:** ![Goodbeem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/958977/32.png) [@Goodbeem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goodbeem)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/18 "2003-05-07T16:16:23Z")
Portrait or landscape? ---
**Author:** ![Blt2pls](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Blt2pls](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blt2pls)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/19 "2003-06-03T04:28:32Z")
What the hell are you talking about??? ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426/20 "2003-06-03T05:08:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mooka \* > \*\*See this for another news story about it: > > [http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993292](http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993292) \*\* This link includes a further link, “Tissue Engineers Grow Penis in Lab”, which I have not looked into, enough is enough tonight. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-some-kind-of-joke-printing-organs/173426.md?page=2)