Shapeways now offers rapid prototyping in full color

[Nyrath]

http://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/ ... nting.html

Shapeways is a rapid prototyping service that will accept your computer generated STL files and print them in plastic. Now you can have the surface painted. For instance, you can make a sphere and print a map of the earth on it.

STL files can be created by using the free software Blender

I know this is sort of specialized, but I thought a few readers would be interested.

As a side note, they can also print using a plastic material that is sort of transparent.

[macfrank]

But (there's always a but) the resolution is very limited and there are size and geometry restrictions that go far beyond Shapeways already excessively restrictive printing limits.

If you want something big, lumpy, grainy and without too many surface details and in color, yeah, it's great.