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Fashion: Fingernail
Photo-Perfect Nails   (+9)  [vote for, against]
A special printer just for modern nail designs that prints directly on your nails.

In this modern digital age where we can order t-shirts, mugs, cakes ,and cookies with digitally transferred photo images on them, why not move into manicures using this same technology.

Nails have become a fashion statement and quite an outlet of individuality for some. Instead of having nail technicians slave away at hand-painting their elaborate designs, and instead of using somewhat less elegant water transfer or decal printed designs, I suggest a modified printer that would be able to take any digital image and print a scaled color copy directly onto fingernails for a precise and original work of art.

This device could certainly handle a plain color coat and simple designs (such as a french manicure), as well as more complicated images such as patterns (imagine plaid or polka dots), designs, and photos (imagine a sunset or a favorite pet).

Many other additional benefits would arise from this technology:
• The perfect shade could be achieved to match clothing or accessories using the eye-dropper computer tool. A live camera feed or digital image could capture desired color for color capture on a computer screen.

• Images could be made to be symmetrical and perfect using various computer tools. Make perfect hearts, stars, or other shapes.

• Images could be resized and centered perfectly before application. No more running out of room on one side as you paint designs. And forget those crooked water transfer designs!

• Cropping and zooming in/out of images could be used to create coordinating nails with themes. For example, imagine a photo of a sunset you'd like to use. On nail might just have the sun on it, another a palm tree, yet another, the entire sunset image.
-- XSarenkaX, Jul 29 2002

Edible printables http://www.party-photo-favors.com/
[XSarenkaX, Jul 29 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

spray-on nailpolish http://www.halfbake...ray-on_20nailpolish
The 'lo-res' version. [phoenix, Jul 29 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Skin dye ink-jet http://www.halfbake...kin_20dye_20ink-jet
The all-over version. [phoenix, Jul 29 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Alternatively http://www.beldecal.com/commercial.cfm
...print your design on this stuff. (My guess is that you use clear varnish on top of the decal.) [DrCurry, Jul 29 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Airbrushed French Manicure... http://www.nailpart....au/frenchmani.html
...is how it starts. Follow the 'Next' links at the bottom of the pages. [phoenix, Jul 29 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

ImagiNail http://www.imaginail.com/index.html
The ones who eventually Baked this idea. I've let them know we did it first. [phoenix, Oct 04 2004]

ImagiNail http://www.imaginail.com/
I guess [phoenix]'s link has become outdated. Here's a link to their home page. [XSarenkaX, Oct 04 2004]

digital nail art, well almost http://www.diginailart.com
It seems like the whole world has evolved or revolved to be digital. Its the new order. [DigiNailArt, Aug 31 2005]

Baked!? https://m.facebook....&id=137306806459616
Seems there is no purchasing info in the video, but isn't it cool? [XSarenkaX, Aug 12 2019]

Watch out for students printing exam cheat sheets.
-- FarmerJohn, Jul 29 2002


is there really a demand for this?
-- sappho, Jul 29 2002


Demand? Who cares? It's the inevitable progression towards technological advance being used for fashion and entertainment.
-- XSarenkaX, Jul 29 2002


bliss: see link.

XS: somewhere out there, there is a printer that can print on round and/or delicate objects (it can print on egg yolks, for example). Seems to me this is what you want. However, I've lost the link.
-- DrCurry, Jul 29 2002


[DrCurry] I'm well aware of this method of applying nail design (water decals) but doing things this way does not ensure precision of application, such as dead-on centering. Also, there is no accounting for nail size doing things this way.

I like your idea about incorporating the technology used to print on eggs (egg YOLKS? is that a type-o?), but this device is much more complex, as it will require more than dot-matrix character printing in single colors. Perhaps a marriage of the cake-photo-decorating printer and the egg-printer is in order?
-- XSarenkaX, Jul 29 2002


Hey Cool! I could print a Dobbs-Head on my middle finger!
-- Aurora, Jul 30 2002


or the HalfBakery half-croissant on your thumb.
-- XSarenkaX, Jul 30 2002


Maybe not - at that size, it would look like what the Americans quaintly call a booger.
-- DrCurry, Jul 30 2002


no link, dear doctor?

have they struck you off yet or was it just an ugly rumour?
-- po, Jul 30 2002


Hey Doc, what do you guys call a booger?
-- gootyam, Jul 30 2002


I keep telling you blissy, less is more. less is more.
-- po, Jul 30 2002


No Bliss, It's just that I like cross continental slang, like 'fringe' instead of 'bangs'.
-- gootyam, Jul 30 2002


I think the english call it a bogie.
-- Aurora, Jul 30 2002


no, a fringe is a hair style that covers the forehead.
-- po, Jul 30 2002


Po- I am sorry to tell you that we call that very thing "bangs"
-- gootyam, Jul 30 2002


<wishing I was English>Why DO we call them "bangs" anyway? I mean, there's no explosions. I think "fringe" is a much more accurate description.</wishing I was English>
-- XSarenkaX, Jul 31 2002


According to Merriam Webster, short for bangtail, or a short tail. I hope that helps you.
-- DrCurry, Jul 31 2002


oh right, 'cause everyone knows that bang=short
-- gootyam, Jul 31 2002


bangs are a particular kind of fringe - a large curl as made famous by Bill Haley ?
-- po, Jul 31 2002


Nope, bangs is the American word for fringe, pure and simple.
-- DrCurry, Jul 31 2002


Bill Haley's large curl is a kiss-curl.
-- angel, Aug 01 2002


'bangtail' was a euphemism for prostitute in a film I watched the other day (Johnny Depp in "From Hell", a yarn about Jack the Ripper. Didn't see the end because I was so frightened by the blacked out eyes they gave the chap who played Bilbo Baggins in recent LoTR)
-- sappho, Aug 01 2002


This is (shrug) OK for a printer. You know cheap and cheerful. Get you hand-painted nails over in my idea.
-- The Kat, May 14 2003


Wow, my idea's been baked? I feel so proud.
-- XSarenkaX, May 15 2003


I saw a segment on the "NailJet" this morning on CNN. It's exactly what I had in mind. I hope the inventors try to contact me... Yeah, right. Who am I kidding? I'll just have to settle for modest pride.
-- XSarenkaX, Oct 14 2003


I hear that electronic paper is being developed. I wonder if the idea could be enhanced by ultra-thin fingernail-size electronic paper being layered onto the fingernails to create dynamic images rather than static blocks of colour.

Who knows what the future holds.

I'm a man, should i really be thinking about these things?
-- MrKangaroo, Oct 14 2003


Does anyone actually know how to buy this thing?
-- ckauth, Oct 15 2003



random, halfbakery