Called Staples Easy 3D, the new offering will allow customers to upload STL, OBJ, or VRML files to the Staples Office Centre for 3D printing, then either pick up the finished models at their nearest Staples store or have them shipped.

Customers have been able to obtain 3D printing services from niche players such as Shapeways for several years now, but Staples will be the first major retailer to step into the field.

"Given our market leadership in commercial print, why would we ever stop at two dimensions?" Wouter Van Dijk, president of the Staples' European Printing Systems Division, said in a press release. "Customised parts, prototypes, art objects, architectural models, medical models and 3D maps are items customers need today, in a more affordable and more accessible manner."

The retailer offered no word on whether it had an official policy with regard to assault weapon parts.

Staples announced its plans for the service at the Euromold 2012 conference on Thursday alongside partner Mcor Technologies, which will supply its Mcor IRIS 3D printers to handle the orders.

Launched on Tuesday, the IRIS is a new kind of full-color 3D printer that uses paper, rather than plastic, as its build medium. Starting with a stack of ordinary A4 or letter-sized sheets, the machine binds them together using a water-based adhesive to create the finished models.

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