Lumi is our Kickstarter of the week. It uses Inkodye and the sun to print images onto natural fibers.
Kickstarter of the Week
The Lumi Process lets you print photos onto clothing.
Web2Carz Contributing Writer
Published: August 5th, 2012
I
f you've ever wanted to be able to print a photo from your phone onto a T-shirt, you're in luck with Lumi's Kickstarter. It uses sunlight to print, and it's our Kickstarter project of the week here at Web2Carz. Let's learn more about this fascinating technology.
Lumi uses Inkodye, a light-sensitive dye for natural fibers. It's a vat dye, which is the most permanent type of dye for natural fibers. It can withstand washing in harsh soaps, boiling water, and even bleach.
The way these prints work is by using the iPhone's Lumityper app to print out an image. The app turns your image into a negative, which you then print onto transparency film. You then use the Inkodye to bind the image to the material of your choice, like wood, cotton, or silk.
Lumi started off without a Kickstarter campaign, but launched their online fundraiser to ramp up the production of the Inkodye. Their goal was to raise $50,000, but they far exceeded expectations with 3,525 backers pledging a total of $268,437. Backers who donated just $35 received the Lumi starter kit, which included three bottles of Inkodye, an instruction booklet, a stencil, and a tester negative. All backers of the project were able to download the app for free.
Check out the Lumi process in action:
