Experimental Printed Books : manual project

The Manual project is an experimental publication created by Studio Darius Ou in collaboration with Benson Chong that explores the relationship between digital fabrication and printed media. Produced as a fully 3D-printed object, the book incorporates raised G-code across its pages, allowing the instructions used during fabrication to become part of the finished work itself. The project transforms machine commands into tactile content that can be both seen and touched. The result is a book that documents its own production process while functioning as a physical object for reading and interaction.

It was fabricated using an XY-for-Z printing method, which allows the structure to emerge from the printer as a completed bound book without additional assembly. Pages, binding, and embossed content are produced simultaneously through a continuous manufacturing process. By integrating fabrication instructions directly into the design, Manual examines ideas of self-reference, digital authorship, and material transparency.

Image Credit: Studio Darius Ou, Benson Chong