I took Print Cycle to the mini maker faire at OSCON for a first public appearance on July 17 and 18.
 We printed three different designs (on postcards and mini-posters) during the two days. Many visitors tried making a print, and they turned out pretty well.
Here are some pictures of Print Cycle at the faire (partially obscured by a display table). It was a fun couple of days, and I can't wait to bring it to the next event.

I added an organizing box and a very simple screen printing platform shortly before the event.

More floorboards!
I went to the rebuilding center at just the right time (on day three!) to find a whole box of perfectly good solid wood floorboards - enough to build a box for Print Cycle!
Here's how it turned out:

Here's my solution to building a platform on an uneven surface:

(day three)

I used reclaimed floorboards (my favorite material these days), cut and trimmed to fit the existing structure.


There are three different kinds of boards, but they fit together without too much trouble.
I trimmed the floorboards to fit around and under the bars in the front and back, and slid the remaining boards in from the side.
I used a router to thin out the boards where the clearance was too small for them to fit, then rounded the edges to match the curve of the metal using a hand saw. Not too elegant, but effective. I smoothed it out with a dremel tool (after the photo was taken).


...and

(day two)

This week, the stars aligned, and everything fell into place. After seven days of hacking, building, and testing, Print Cycle is here!
I got a good deal on a child carrier bicycle at my local bike shop, and that was the start of it all.
Here's what it looked like in a past life, with and without the child carrier cover:

The bike separates from the carrier to become a bicycle and a stroller.


The structure was there, but I had to find a way to build a flat platform on something that has all kinds of rounded parts, and not much to grab on to.
First, I removed the stroller handles and the padded support bar across the center:



... more to come!

I first started thinking about print cycle in the Fall of 2011. Since then, the idea has undergone a few changes. One of the most significant changes is in structure - what will the structure look like, and how will it function?
My first idea was to get an ice cream tricycle and simply convert it:


That was an easy idea, but prohibitively expensive.
Then, I picked up an old jogging stroller with the intention of converting it into a trailer.
Much less expensive, but a bit awkward to convert into a proper trailer. I'm still planning on doing something with this, though - so many possibilities!



And here's the latest - a front-loaded platform like I originally planned, but smaller and lighter.
Build photos to follow!

Printcycle is an ongoing project to create a bicycle-based screen printing unit. The platform is modular, so that different printing techniques can be featured, or so that the bike can act as a mini art gallery.
The bicycle would travel to public events to distribute prints and to give people a chance to try out different printing techniques.
By bringing interactive art into public space, I hope to encourage dialogue and to promote arts education.
Printcycle was a finalist for Portland, Oregon's first round of Awesome grants in May of 2012.