UPS Store to add 3-D printing
at select locations across U.S.

The UPS Store reported today that it will become the first nationwide retailer to test in-store 3-D printing services.

Select UPS Store locations will offer 3-D printing services beginning in the San Diego area with plans to expand more broadly within the U.S. in the near future.

The company said it made the move based on a recent poll it conducted of small business owners. The poll was conducted with 86 small business owners between June 3 and June 17 using a sample drawn from Small Biz Buzz, The UPS Store private online community of small business owners.

“Start-ups, entrepreneurs and small business owners may not have the capital to purchase a 3-D printer on their own, but they may have a need to show prototypes to their current and potential customers,” Michelle Van Slyke, vice president of marketing and small business solutions at The UPS Store, said in a statement. “By offering 3-D printing capabilities in-center, we’re able to help further our small business customers’ opportunities for success.”

The UPS Store will begin testing the concept using the Stratasys uPrint SE Plus printer.

[ photo courtesy of The UPS Store ]