

If It Prints, It Ships:  3D Printing and the Postal Service [pdf] - dzhao
https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2014/rarc-wp-14-011_if_it_prints_it_ships_3d_printing_and_the_postal_service.pdf

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anigbrowl
This is a really excellent paper, full of forward-thinking ideas. One that
jumped out at me was 'USPS facilities could server as 3d printing hubs.'

However, I can also see other businesses lobbying against such innovation on
the grounds that it would crowd out private sector offerings, which seems to
be a common objection to allowing the USPS to offer more services at post
offices. In Europe and Japan, post offices don't just deal with mail but serve
as a one-stop shop for many interactions with government, from welfare
payments to savings accounts. The legal status of the USPS is complicated the
Constitution's postal mandate, ably discussed here if you like legal
technicality: [http://law.justia.com/constitution/us/article-1/39-post-
offi...](http://law.justia.com/constitution/us/article-1/39-post-office.html)

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rubiquity
I would approve any business advancement by the USPS if, and only if, it meant
less bullshit advertisements in my mailbox every afternoon.

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sciguy77
It's actually the postal worker unions that are to blame for the piles of
adverts you get each day. There have been a couple bills to end junk mail, but
the unions fight them tooth and nail on the grounds that junk mail counts as
free speech. Of course, much (some might say most) of the mail you get is
crap. Without that crap there's less mail to move, and consequently less
workers to do the moving.

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lmg643
i'm mostly impressed that the USPS has the analytical resources to produce
this. did they put this much thought into email, before revenues started
cratering? what was their intelligent plan to manage runaway employee
pensions? do we still need so many people physically shuffling around junk
mail? (apologies to newman). seems like they have plenty of issues to grapple
with that are closer to the present than the impact of 3d printing.

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ww520
USPS can be quite profitable if they can set the price of their products. They
can't. Congress sets the price. They are mandated to run at break-even. They
lose money when Congress reacts too slowly to market condition to set new
price.

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erichurkman
They constantly lose money. By the time they convince Congress to up the
postal rate, inflation and market conditions have already exceeded the rate
increase. All they can do is lessen their losses.

They can't add new products without Congress. They are also looking at money
services, like basic check cashing, to help the 10+ million US households
without regular access to a bank. It could be a great help to many
impoverished Americans and, at the same time, boost USPS profits – but it
relies on Congress to act. One or two Senators with heavy contributions from
check cashing companies could derail, stall, or kill the effort – a net loss
to society.

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golemotron
The only way this is a win for the USPS is if the quality difference between
commercial and personal 3D printers remains high. I don't think it will for
long for most goods, but if it does local printers you drive to will be the
winners.

Expect the 3D equivalent of Kinkos and a resurgence of big box brick and
mortal retail, albeit in a radically different form.

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smoyer
+1 - 3D printers serve two markets: production of prototype quantities and the
immediate gratification of "having this part now". The larger of those two
goals pretty much precludes adding shipping time to the process, and the
increasing ubiquity of 3D printers is making shipping unnecessary.

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acgourley
The article suggests the postal service 3D printing from their own facility.
Is there is precedent of the post office even printing ink on paper and
shipping it on behalf of others?

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sp332
The only one I can think of was when people could write letters to soldiers in
WWII by having them scanned onto microfilm, flown to a closer post office,
then printed and delivered.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-mail](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-mail)

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james33
The postal service should be worried about 3D printing. Once mainstream home
usage becomes commonplace, you would think shipping volume could drop
substantially as people begin to buy things online that then instantly print
without a need for shipping at all.

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anigbrowl
I had the same thought, but I suspect quality > speed for most people, and
they don't print often enough to justify personal investment in a high-end
printing hardware. For example, my wife and I like photography and most of the
pictures on our walls are ones we've taken, printed on canvas or high quality
photo paper. But we don't own a high-end photo printer, nor do we want to do
the work of mounting canvas on frames. I've worked with such devices, they're
not that expensive, but I just don't see myself buying a wide-format printer
any time soon. I'd rather pay someone else to do so a few times a year. By
contrast, I have been thinking about getting a new laser printer for everyday
use and reading long documents - I don't enjoy reading everything on a screen.

I suspect that many people may end up owning a cheapie 3d printer for small
things, but they'll outsource to a local hub when they want more than basic
quality. I'm very into the idea of 3d printing, but the simpler, cheaper units
are very limited - as evidenced by people at Maker Faires wearing plastic hats
that they printed themselves. Home printing doesn't cut it for a lot of
things; for example I use quite a few plastic implements in the ktichen but I
would be quite hesitant to use home-printed kitchen implements of any kind.

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eglover
Well... duh. Nothing here suggests any real change by the USPS, of course they
would ship 3D printed material, it's the same stuff they already ship, it's
not like it's different. The "could" dedicate space to it? That's exactly what
they'd do with anything with increased popularity and deals. Like... Amazon
shipping.

Even a "company" with a monopoly can't avoid going bankrupt every 5 years and
these buzzword ads won't help them. Give my letters (and 3D printed items) to
someone who actually loses when they do a crap job, thanks.

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yzzxy
How does USPS have a monopoly on shipping package goods?

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delbel
Via government mandate/fiat.

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dragonwriter
Except that that's false, as the USPS doesn't have any government mandated
monopoly on package delivery (it has a monopoly on _letters_ only, and even
that has exceptions.)

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Express_Statutes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Express_Statutes)

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Chirael
They may not have intended this to be public; the link no longer works

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Chirael
Still available from
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-
library-files/2014/rarc-
wp-14-011_if_it_prints_it_ships_3d_printing_and_the_postal_service.pdf&ion=1&espv=2)
as long as it lasts

