One of the favorite things I get to do when attending software conferences is meeting partners in the exhibitors’ hall and letting them show their stuff. At this year’s SolidWorks World I saw a number of things that caught my eye that I’ll feature in the coming weeks.

One of the more unique things I saw demoed this year was a printer that uses paper to print not in 2D, but in 3D. I know, 3D printing with paper brings back funky memories of 3D paper printers of the past, so I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical when I came by the booth.

I spoke with Dr. Conor MacCormack, Mcor’s co-founder & CEO about his company’s technology and strategy. Although the company was established in 2004, the Mcor IRIS 3D color printer was introduced to an American audience for the first time at SolidWorks World.

These 3D printers are unique in that they use ordinary 8.5″ x 11″ letter paper as the build material that renders surprisingly durable, stable, and tactile models — in color.

The relatively low-cost, eco-friendly Mcor IRIS first came on the market in December 2012. According to the company it can print more than one million colors simultaneously as it creates durable, photo-realistic physical objects from 3D data.

Mcor takes its unique “TRUE Color” capability a big step forward by rendering color as rich and vibrant just as it displays on a computer screen. That’s because the build material is paper, the original and natural medium for colored ink. In addition to offering this color capability, the IRIS delivers a relatively low operating cost for a 3D printer that I’d consider commercial class — owing to its use of paper as its build material.

Raw parts that I saw and handled right out of the machine had a good quality finish that could be further finished with a liquid sealant available from the company.

To make its technology available to a wider potential customer base, Mcor recently struck a deal with Staples Printing Systems Division to launch a new 3D printing service called “Staples Easy 3D,” online via the Staples Office Center. Staples’ Easy 3D will provide consumers, product designers, architects, healthcare professionals, educators, students and others with low-cost, colored, photo-realistic 3D printed products from Staples stores. Customers will upload digital files to the Staples Office Center and pick up the models in nearby Staples stores, or have them shipped. Staples will produce the models with the Mcor IRIS, the machine that was exhibited at SolidWorks World.

As to where the IRIS fits in with other higher resolution 3D printers, Dr. MacCormack said it would provide a complementary role. That’s fair, but I think it could also fit in many design environments in a standalone capacity, depending on the quality and functional requirements.

Forgive the bad pun, but seeing is believing with the Mcor IRIS 3D printer. It’s a fresh look on 3D printing with paper.

See the interview with Mcor’s Dr. MacCormack that we conducted at SolidWorks World.