The ultimate self portrait: Asda to launch 3D 'mini me' printing service

Asda are set to offer customers the chance to create “mini me” versions of themselves using a 3D printer.

From 15 October, shoppers will be able to add miniature 3D printouts to their weekly shopping list. Asda’s York supermarket will be the first to trial the new scheme, with each of the printouts costing upwards of £40.

To create the printout, customers will have to step into a scanner which creates a detailed digital image. It is then sent off to be printed, a process which involves spraying thin layers of ceramic fluid until a solid object is formed. Once completed, the mini-model can be coloured, either in its lifelike colours, or in bronze or white.

And it is not just humans that can be printed – Asda say that “pets and even cars” can be transformed into tiny 3D versions of themselves.

Scroll down to see the scanner in action – this time scanning a female model – in a video released by Asda.