PRINKO

What it does

PRINKO transforms printer repair from frustrating to intuitive. Its modules open in seconds, revealing problems that normally take over an hour to reach. It makes repair significantly cheaper than professional service, and as approachable as replacing the ink.

Your inspiration

After six months volunteering at a repair café, I watched volunteers fix computers, phones, and radios, but turn away every printer. Of the few accepted, only 38% got fixed. When I tried fixing printers myself, it took 73 minutes just to reach a faulty printhead. The issue wasn't technical complexity, it was design. Printers weren't built to be fixed. Instead they contribute to the rapidly growing e-waste stream and deplete valuable resources. I wanted to change that.

How it works

Transparent windows let you see what's happening inside. Moving gears confirm mechanical health, ink cartridge motion shows printing activity. Problems become obvious at a glance. PRINKO organizes printer functions into four accessible modules. Cyan for ink, Magenta for paper feed, Yellow for power supply and control functions, and Grey for Display interface. Each module slides out like a smooth drawer. No tools, no hidden screws, no damage. Magnetic connectors maintain electrical continuity without hindering module removal. Component access that traditionally requires over an hour now takes under 30 seconds. So when something breaks, users can see the problem, reach the part, and fix it without hesitation.

Design process

I started with a literature review on repair legislation, methods for evaluating repairability, and common barriers to repair. Expert interviews revealed a lack of design-led interventions for printer repair. To understand user expectations, I had volunteers draw on blank origami printers showing where they expected components to be located. This informed clay models and foam mockups to experiment with modular organization and drawer concepts. I built a mechanical version to test the paper feeding system. Separately, I experimented with handle ergonomics and magnetic latch strength through iteration. I then combined my findings to create the current prototype, which demonstrates the paper feeding mechanism and visual diagnostic windows, proving the modular architecture maintains functionality while enabling rapid component access. This prototype was tested with repair café volunteers using three diagnostic scenarios: no power, grinding noise (mechanical failure), and no ink output. All volunteers said they'd attempt repair with PRINKO, a major shift from previous sessions, where none would attempt repair on traditional printers.

How it is different

While other repairable products exist, they often still require technical knowledge and tools. PRINKO eliminates these barriers entirely. Unlike modular designs that hide problems, PRINKO's transparent windows let users see exactly what's wrong before opening anything. While "repairable" often means "with the right screwdriver," PRINKO modules slide out like a smooth drawer with no tools required. Color-coded modules organize components by function rather than by failure mode. Where other modular approaches take significantly longer for component access, PRINKO takes under 30 seconds. Most repairable products assume technical competence. PRINKO assumes curiosity and provides transparency to build confidence.

Future plans

Next steps involve fully integrating print functionality into the modular architecture through software development and printhead sourcing. With a fully functional prototype, patent applications for the visual diagnostic system and modular architecture would protect the licensing value and establish this as valuable IP in the repairable electronics space. As right-to-repair regulations expand, PRINKO’s architecture could be licensed to printer manufacturers seeking compliant, user-friendly design.

Awards