As 3-D printers become more common and prices drop, a number of Japanese firms are using the technology to fabricate 3-D models based on photographs or drawings provided by customers.
Among them is 3D Remind LLC, a venture business established in the city of Osaka last August. Jiro Hiasa, a former sales representative for a real estate firm, and a few others founded the company to engage in "work that strengthens the bond of families," he said.
A 3-D printer can make a solid, three-dimensional object of virtually any shape from a digital model.