Remember these?
The second time I was in Japan (and there were only two times, for the same trade show in successive years) I saw someone demonstrating a gizmo called Print-Gocco in front of a big stationery store on the Ginza. It was (and is) an instant photo silk screen printer. You put a postcard-sized laser-printed image on the printing bed, put a special stencil above it, put two flashbulbs in the holder, and press down a handle. The heat from the flashbulbs vaporizes the part of the stencil in contact with the image; you squeeze some ink onto the stencil, and start printing. I had to have one to bring home!
The security women at the airport giggled a lot when my answer to “what’s in your suitcase” was “my clothes and a print gocco machine”. I had the distinct feeling that it was that year’s Japanese equivalent of a veg-a-matic or pocket fisherman — something that you saw advertised on late night TV but that no sane person would really buy. But we’ve printed lots of invitations and greeting cards on that one that I brought home. Tonight was time for printing this year’s Rosh HaShanah cards.