"Solar Cells Via Inkjet Printing!? Like My Epson Stylus Pro 4880!"

It can be hard to stomach pop science journalism sometimes, especially when it thinks it has a catchy hook for the public. Take, for example, this Popular Mechanics headline: Startup Makes Cheap Solar Film Cells ... With an Inkjet Printer

"Zoinks! I just printed out Google Maps directions to Kevin's house on one of those. I could have a start-up! (This story really speaks to me.)"

To be fair there are some similarities between the FUJIFILM Dimatix materials deposition printer and your average home and office printer. Both have the ability to deposit biological fluids including cell patterning, DNA arrays, and proteomics; both restrict the printing process to a temperature-controlled vacuum theta platen; and both have "drop-watch" fiducial camera systems that allow "manipulation of the electronic pulses to the piezo-jetting device for optimization of the drop characteristics as it is ejected from the nozzle." No? Oh, yeah. Sorry that's only the Dimatix.

[Link to FUJIFILM's press release celebrating Konarka's use of their printer for organic solar cells. Note: Organic solar cells are grown without pesticides by farmers who respect Nature's bounty.]