Now taking reservation orders from the first 1,000 early adopters!
Desktop Factory has received extensive press coverage over the past several months, and as a result the emails and calls continue to pour in with requests to get in the order queue. Most recently we made the cover of Popular Science magazine's September 2007 issue — which has pushed interest from the technical community over the top. So after careful consideration, we have decided to respond to the demand of early adopters (you know who you are) who are clamoring to get their hands on this innovative and exciting new technology. We are now taking reservations for our Desktop Factory 3D Printer with a 10% deposit! Shipments are planned for 2008.
PLEASE NOTE: The orders we already have on file from those amazing customers who assisted us with our initial market research will remain at the very front of the line! So no worries there!
BETA CONTINUES AT ART CENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN
As we shared with you in our last newsletter, Desktop Factory installed our first external 3D printer at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California on July 23, 2007. To learn more about this global leader in art and design education please visit www.artcenter.edu.
The team at Art Center has been doing a great job putting our printer through its paces — even as their educational term was coming to an end, a rather hectic time at this institution. We continue to print some exciting new geometries and push the limits of Desktop Factory. Early feedback has been very helpful, suggesting that the ease of use and the form factor is terrific, while there are opportunities to enhance our deployment of support structures.
We look forward to the next few months with Art Center as a new term is just beginning and they will be exploring student use of our 3D printer. Stay tuned and we will keep you updated on our progress with this important customer beta.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
We have finally selected the product name for our 3D printer. It has taken longer than it should have but we were facing a real dilemma. Imagine, if you will, over 500 different choices for a product name from some very creative people. Many of the names were compelling enough that we actually researched them to insure that they could be trademarked. Some early, very good art work was commissioned to illustrate a few of the choices so that we could 'see' our 3D printer.
But alas — this exercise, although a standard practice for most companies, just did not resonate for the Desktop Factory team. And why, you ask? Well, it is actually quite simple.
When you have named your company Desktop Factory and your product is literally a Desktop Factory — how can you call it anything else? Since our customers and supporters kept referring to our printer consistently as the Desktop Factory, we already owned the perfect naming convention — so it's done! Introducing the... Desktop Factory 125ci 3D Printer.
BTW, the "125ci" represents our 5x5x5 inch build envelope which has a capacity of 125 cubic inches!
RECENT NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
In August, we were invited by Professor Neil Gershenfeld, the director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, to exhibit Desktop Factory at the Global Fab Lab Forum at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Professor Gershenfeld wrote the book "FAB — the coming revolution on your desktop — from personal computers to personal fabrication" and is the leader in bringing the idea of "fab labs" to developing countries and economically challenged local communities. His premise is that anyone should be able to fabricate solutions to their specific, local challenges or needs using a variety of currently available and soon to be launched technologies. In one of his "fab labs," children in inner-city Boston made saleable jewelry from scrap material. Villagers in India have used their lab to develop devices for monitoring food safety and agricultural engine efficiency.
Desktop Factory generated a great deal of excitement at the Global Fab Lab Forum and we look forward to working with Professor Gershenfeld on his vision for personal fabrication.
From September 13 to 16, 2007, we are exhibiting at WIRED Magazine's NextFest at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Each year, WIRED leverages this venue to unveil exciting new technologies and inventions to the press and the public. It is truly an honor to have been asked to showcase Desktop Factory at NextFest. The exhibit will be open to the public starting at noon on the 14th and ending at 6pm on Sunday the 16th. For those of you who are local, or if you are in the LA area on business or vacation — we hope to see you at NextFest!
THE MOMENTUM IS BUILDING!
As I conclude this newsletter I want to again thank our many supporters and customers for your ongoing interest and encouragement. We now have over 4700 registrants on our website, from all over the globe representing every industry, and we are confident that number will continue to grow as we begin to take reservation orders and form a community of early 3D adopters who will help us change the way the world thinks of printing.
We are already planning for our next customer beta installation of the Desktop Factory 125ci 3D printer and will expand to additional customers over the next few months. As our printer continues to perform well and we leverage beta feedback and suggestions, we move closer to commercial launch, in late 2007/early 2008.
The initial orders from our market research phase, which concluded in March, will be prioritized for first deliveries. We are now ready to expand our list of early adopters through our special Desktop Factory reservation program beginning September 13, 2007. I hope you will take advantage of this unique opportunity to be one of the first 1,000 members of this exclusive 3D community. Thanks again for your support of our mission — affordable 3D printing for the masses.
If you have questions or comments, please post them to our website and I will continue to respond within 24 hours. We have encountered some issues with spam software and incorrect phone numbers or email addresses — so if you do not receive a response in 36 hours, please send another inquiry or contact us by phone at 626-229-3190.
Cathy Lewis
CEO
If you feel you received this message in error, or would like to unsubscribe from future promotional mailings from Desktop Factory, please write to unsubscribe@desktopfactory.com
Desktop Factory has received extensive press coverage over the past several months, and as a result the emails and calls continue to pour in with requests to get in the order queue. Most recently we made the cover of 
We have finally selected the product name for our 3D printer. It has taken longer than it should have but we were facing a real dilemma. Imagine, if you will, over 500 different choices for a product name from some very creative people. Many of the names were compelling enough that we actually researched them to insure that they could be trademarked. Some early, very good art work was commissioned to illustrate a few of the choices so that we could 'see' our 3D printer.
As I conclude this newsletter I want to again thank our many supporters and customers for your ongoing interest and encouragement. We now have over 4700 registrants on our website, from all over the globe representing every industry, and we are confident that number will continue to grow as we begin to take reservation orders and form a community of early 3D adopters who will help us change the way the world thinks of printing.
