Published on February 2nd, 2009 | by Ariel Schwartz

RITI Printer Uses Coffee Grounds for Ink

February 2nd, 2009 by Ariel Schwartz

Coffee grounds are beginning to seem like quite the multi-purpose substance. First we heard about the possibility of grounds being used as biodiesel, and now we’ve received word that the world’s first printer to use coffee grounds for ink is a contestant in Core 77 and Inhabitat’s Greener Gadgets Design Competition.

The user places coffee grounds or tea dregs into the RITI Printer’s ink case (located on top of the printer). After inserting a piece of paper, the user moves the ink case left and right to print the image. The ink case needs to be washed thoroughly after use.

While the manual labor involved in running the RITI Printer makes the device impractical for large printing jobs, it’s perfect for printing on the go.

The RITI Printer is one of 50 finalists in the Greener Gadgets Design Competition. You can vote on your favorite design here.

Photo Credit: Greener Gadgets Design Competition

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Tags: coffee grounds, greener gadgets, inhabitat, printer, printing, riti

About the Author

Ariel Schwartz was formerly the editor of CleanTechnica and is a senior editor at Co.Exist. She has contributed to SF Weekly, Popular Science, Inhabitat, Greenbiz, NBC Bay Area, GOOD Magazine, and more. A graduate of Vassar College, she has previously worked in publishing, organic farming, documentary film, and newspaper journalism. Her interests include permaculture, hiking, skiing, music, relocalization, and cob (the building material). She currently resides in San Francisco, CA.