The main difference is that instead of ink, the skin printer will have two heads that propel a combination of skin cells, collagen, and blood coagulants onto the wound. The two compounds form skin once they are mixed together at the print head, in much the same way epoxy glues harden when the two parts are mixed together.

The resulting wound still needs time to heal, but the researchers see this technique as being especially helpful for treating soldiers with battlefield injuries.