Scientists Can Now Print Human Skin With Inkjet Printers

Imagine telling someone a decade ago that we'd be printing human skin the same way we print documents. Yet here we are in 2025, with scientists successfully using inkjet-based bioprinting to create functional human skin—complete with multiple layers, immune cells, and even the potential for blood vessels.

How Does Bioprinting Actually Work?

The process is surprisingly similar to your office printer, just with a very different kind of ink. Scientists combine living cells with hydrogels to create a viscous substance called "bio-ink." This bio-ink is then deposited in tiny, precise droplets using modified inkjet printer technology. Instead of paper, the printer builds up layers of living tissue.

The most common approach uses human epidermal keratinocytes (skin cells) deposited with high spatial resolution onto a collagen gel. Some cutting-edge systems use hybrid printers that combine droplet-based inkjet printing with extrusion techniques, allowing researchers to create the deeper dermis layer with fibroblasts and collagen, then add the outer epidermis layer with the inkjet module.

It's Remarkably Fast

Speed has improved dramatically. Recent studies show that bioprinters can produce 100 cm² of bilayered human skin in less than 35 minutes. That's roughly the size of a smartphone screen—printed from living cells in half an hour.

Beyond Simple Skin

Early experiments focused on printing just the dermis (the deep layer), but the technology has rapidly evolved. Today's bioprinters can create:

• Multi-layered structures including epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis
• Skin models with integrated immune cells for studying diseases like psoriasis
• Vascularized models with blood vessel networks
• Perfusable "skin-on-chip" models for drug testing

In December 2025, researchers at TU Vienna and MedUni Vienna published groundbreaking work showing bioprinted skin with immunocompetent features—meaning it can actually mimic immune responses for studying chronic inflammatory skin conditions.

What's It Used For?

Right now, bioprinted skin serves two main purposes: research and wound healing. The technology offers a humane alternative to animal testing for dermatological research and drug screening. Scientists can test cosmetics, medications, and treatments on lab-grown human skin that behaves like the real thing.

For wound healing, "in situ bioprinting" shows particular promise. Instead of growing skin in a lab and grafting it onto a patient, doctors could potentially print skin cells directly onto burn victims or surgical wounds, depositing the bio-ink exactly where it's needed.

Still Missing a Few Parts

Current bioprinted skin isn't quite perfect yet. It lacks some components of natural skin like nerves, sweat glands, and hair follicles—though researchers are actively working on incorporating these features. Regulatory approval for clinical use also remains a hurdle, as authorities grapple with how to classify and approve living, bioprinted tissue constructs.

But the trajectory is clear: what started as science fiction is now science fact, with modified inkjet printers creating living human tissue one tiny droplet at a time.