Will Adopting 3-D Printing Remedy the United States Postal Service's Financial Troubles?

Does the USPS stand to gain from 3-D printing? That's the question the agency sought to answer in a report it commissioned, published earlier this month, that explored the effects of 3-D printing on the distribution of physical packages. The highly speculative report is peppered with coulds: 3-D printing "could have major implications for everyone along existing supply chains;" it "could lead to more single-item parcels being shipped to consumers over shorter distances."

Even if the USPS could act nimbly enough to take advantage of this technology, it’s probably the case that the additional revenue wouldn’t be a cure-all.