It sits there…staring across the room, waiting for something, anything from you. As the dust gathers within the crevices of it’s numerical keypad, it silently weeps CMYK tears that splash off it’s matte ABS plastic cheeks. When you leave the office, it stares at your monitor with misty cartridges as it remembers a day when the two of you enjoyed page after page of 8.5 x 11 bliss while dancing around the water cooler. Your 2D printer still loves you and is incredibly jealous of your 3D printing. Why not show it some much-needed love with the new Foldify 3D paper folding app (then recycle the waste)?

Draw! Create! Print! Fold!

App developers Pixle (based in Warsaw, Poland) managed to creatively execute a 2D painting app with 3D ‘print’ capabilities by offering a library of primitive shapes that are then painted and ultimately, sent to the paper printer to be cut, folded, pasted, and enjoyed:

Foldify Features:

    -print your figures directly from the application using AirPrint or send the PDF via email
    -real-time 3D figure’s preview
    -zoom, rotate and draw on templates
    -includes stamps like eyes, mouths, eyeglasses and many others
    -upload creations to Foldify server and browse other users’ figures which can be printed and rated
    -share your figures on Facebook, Twitter and other social media

While the execution is spot on for their intended market, it would be interesting to see if they could improve the app over time for slightly more complex designs that could ultimately be ‘packaged’ as a package design ideation tool for quick printable mockups:

Browse Templates

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Select Template

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Begin Painting

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Add stamps and other details

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Color Blocking

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Color Blocking

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Color Blocking

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Color Blocking

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AirPrint or Share

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Size Export

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Cut Out

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Fold and Paste

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Collect and Share

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via iTunes App Store($2.99)

Author

Simon is a Brooklyn-based industrial designer and Managing Editor of EVD Media. When he finds the time to design, his focus is on helping startups develop branding and design solutions to realize their product design vision. In addition to his work at Nike and various other clients, he is the main reason anything gets done at EvD Media. He once wrestled an Alaskan alligator buzzard to the ground with his bare hands… to rescue Josh.