Since it pulled its Exilim digital cameras from the U.S. market, you might be wondering what Casio had to show at CES last week. Well, the company is still known for its line of popular watches and musical keyboards, as well as projectors, cash registers, and calculators. But at CES Casio announced that it’s bringing over a little gadget from Japan that lets you make custom ink stamps at home.
The Casio stamp maker (called Pomrie in Japan, but there’s no word if that name will carry over to the U.S.) is targeted toward people who are into home arts and crafts, but if you need to create a variety of stamps quickly (bank info to endorse checks, signatures for signed documents, etc.), the device can come in handy. Besides the preset frames and graphics (more than 650) that come with the software, you can use your own art.
The small thermal printer works with a connected PC or Android smartphone. There are two versions: one with Wi-Fi and USB (STC-W10) and another with just USB (STC-U10). To use, you first create a stamp image via the desktop software or smartphone app. The image is then sent to the device for processing, where it applies the image onto a specialty stamp sheet. When the stamp sheet is done, you’ll have to do some manual finishing touches: The stamp sheet is attached to a block (stamp base), and from there you can apply colors or use a one-color inkpad. Finally, stamp away. The device will come with a few included supplies to get you started, but materials will be available when you need to refill.
The bad news is that Casio designed the stamp maker strictly for Windows and Android devices, so Apple users are out of luck. But it’s not as if Casio is anti Mac, as its watches work with iOS devices, so it’s possible the company could make the stamp maker compatible with Mac OS X and iOS when it launches.
Sure, the stamp maker might not be as jazzy as LG’s insane curved TVs, but Casio’s device targets a viable, lucrative, and existing consumer market – not early adopter territory. Having custom stamps made can be pricey, so we can see a big appeal for folks who enjoy scrapbooking (as mentioned, there’s business application to it too).
No pricing has been announced yet, but expect to see it later this year.
