Paul Ferragut’s Time Print Machine interprets color saturation as the time the a pen is allowed to soak into blotting paper.

DIY printing system using felt pen on blotting paper. This machine functions in a similar way to a CNC machine, with an incorporated program to print any image using a time-based algorithm. According to the grey value of a pixel on an image, the felt pen remains in contact with the blotting paper for relative periods of time. Consequently the ink will bleed through the paper creating a variety of different sized stains, gradually building the image.

It can takes around 34 hours to print one colour image. The slow printing process and the imperfections we obtain every time is what makes every print unique.

[Via the Arduino Blog]