  In the last decades, digital manufacturing has constituted the headline of
what is starting to be known as the 'fourth industrial revolution', where the
fabrication processes comprise a hybrid of technologies that blur the lines
between fundamental sciences, engineering, and even medicine as never seen
before. One of the reasons why this mixture is inevitable has to do with the
fact that we live in an era that incorporates technology in every single aspect
of our daily lives. In the industry, this has translated into fabrication
versatility, as follows: design changes on a final product are just one click
away, fabrication chains have evolved towards continuous roll-to roll
processes, and, most importantly, the overall costs and fabrication speeds are
matching and overcoming most of the traditional fabrication methods.
Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) stands out as a versatile set of
fabrication techniques, being the closest approach to an all-in-one additive
manufacturing method compatible with virtually any material. In this technique,
laser radiation is used to propel the material of interest and deposit it at
user-defined locations with high spatial resolution. By selecting the proper
laser parameters and considering the interaction of the laser light with the
material, it is possible to transfer this technique from robust inorganic
materials to fragile biological samples. In this work, we first present a brief
introduction on the current developments of the LIFT technique by surveying
recent scientific review publications. Then, we provide a general research
overview by making an account of the publication and citation numbers of
scientific papers on the LIFT technique considering the last three decades. At
the same time, we highlight the geographical distribution and main research
institutions that contribute to this scientific output.
