Do you have $8000 to blow? Have you been dying to open a laser tattoo parlor? Well guess what? It's your lucky day. The folks at Epilog would like you to meet the Zing, a $7,995 laser etcher / printer that can not only scar you for life, but can also leave a personalized stamp of your choosing on anything that you can fit into it. If you've seen engraved iPods, Zunes, or MacBooks, you get the idea of what this device can do. The Zing is made to tackle almost any material, be it wood, plastic, leather, glass, or various metals (of course), though we're fairly certain the company doesn't condone or recommend taking this baby to your precious, supple skin. Check out a video of it doing what it does best on an iPhone after the break.

[Via Gearlog]

We don't normally get too excited about printers, but when a company claims to have introduced the "smallest ever" of anything, our ears prick up. Apparently, the Korean electronics-maker has distilled color laser printers into their purest, tiniest form with the CLP-315K and CLX-3175FNK, clocking in at 20- and 40-percent smaller than previous iterations, respectively. The printers still sport fancy-pants features, like printing at up to 2,400 x 600 dpi, 32MB of onboard memory, and -- at least on the CLX-3175FNK -- the ability to print from a USB key. No word on price or availability, or if these will see the light of day in the States.

Korea's Chosun Ilbo English language site is reporting that Apple will be the exclusive retailer of Samsung's "world's slimmest monochrome laser printer" ML-1630 and multi-function SCX-4500. Otherwise known as the "Swan" and "Logan" respectively, they are expected to hit shelves starting will remain Apple exclusives until January 2008 at Apple's 160 or so retail stores -- a first for a Samsung product. According to an unnamed Samsung official, "Apple suggested the exclusive sales of Samsung's new printers at its retail stores. Apple is charmed by their sleek design and convenient user interface." How sweet. But until we see a press release from either Apple or Samsung, we'll chalk this one up to rumor mongering for the time being.

Update: The pair is already available "exclusively" from Apple's on-line store for $200 and $300 and should be on Apple shelves already.

[Thanks, AC]

After Australian researchers delivered a damning report claiming that HP's printers were at the top of the heap for expelling dangerous, potentially cancer-causing, ultra-fine particles, the company responded with a lengthy press release which essentially "debunked" the study's findings -- and now the researchers have fired back to the Australian press. The printer-maker claimed that the study of ultra-fine particles was a "new" science, to which Lidia Morawska, head of the project, says simply isn't true. According to her, the European Commission has added a particle number limit to its emissions standards for light vehicles, which Morawska claims is a normally "lengthy" process. Additionally, she says that there is "considerable toxicological evidence of potential detrimental effects of ultra-fine particles on human health," based on the current World Health Organization's Air Quality Guidelines. The scientist further refutes HP's claims that the particles "cannot be accurately characterised by analytical technology," by stating that the study found plenty of printer models which carried no dangerous emissions at all, suggesting clear differences in the variety of particle output. Obviously this debate is just getting started, though we'll be avoiding superfluous laser printing while the jury is out... just to be safe.

Oh noes, that study claiming that laser printer particles are dangerous is shaping up to be just as contentious as those studies proving that cellphones are/aren't dangerous. As you'll recall, the Queensland University study tested 62 "relatively new" laser printers from Canon, HP, and Toshiba and found 17 to be "high emitters" of potentially dangerous, ultra-fine toner particles. Of these, all but one (a Toshiba model) were manufactured by HP. As you'd expect, HP has issued a formal response courtesy of Tuan Tran, HP's vice president of marketing for supplies. Perhaps predictably after such a damning report, HP's response can be summarized as an attempt to both discredit and mock the research while standing behind the safety of their products. Tuan first ridicules the study by stating "the nature and chemical composition of such particles – whether from a laser printer or from a toaster – cannot be accurately characterized by analytical technology." He goes on to say that, "Testing of ultrafine particles is a very new scientific discipline. There are no indications that ultrafine particle (UFP) emissions from laser printing systems are associated with special health risks." HP does agree with the study's assessment that "more testing in this area is needed" and claims to be actively engaged in the process. Since HP's statement came our way via a PR agency and not HP's official news site, we offer you their complete response after the break. While it's tempting to label HP the Big Tobacco of the printer business, don't; it's far too early to jump to such conclusions. Still, with a press release like this, they're not making it easy on anyone.

Continuing to maintain their reputation for launching a truckload of new products at CES, Samsung has announced the US launch of two previously Asia-only laser printers. First up is the CLX-3160FN, a Multifunction Color Laser Printer and Fax that is apparently the smallest and lightest "in the world": at 45.19-pounds, that says a lot about the state of miniaturisation in the multifunction fax / printer business. Other features include print speeds at up to 17 ppm in black and white, and 4 ppm in color, standard USB connectivity, PictBridge support for instant photo printing, and compatibility with Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. One of the less welcome "features" includes yet another newly designed toner cartridge design, which means all your older carts won't work. The second printer that Samsung is unveiling today is the monochrome SCX-4725FN Four-in-one laser printer which combines print, copy, scan, and fax capabilities into one. The SCX-4725FN can print at up to 24 ppm, and outputs at up to 1200 dpi resolution. It also features optical character recognition for scanned text, a mysterious "ID Card Copy" function, and a toner-saving function that apparently reduced consumption by up to 30 percent. Currently Samsung hasn't revealed when either of these printers will ship, and has only given us the price for the CLX-3160FN at $599.