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What can you 3D print?

If it can be drawn on a computer and fits on the printer, it can almost certainly be printed: a part you can’t buy any more, a present with someone’s name on it, a stand that fits your desk exactly. Here’s what prints well, what doesn’t, and how to get yours made.

Around the home

  • Hooks and holders for keys, headphones, tools or a dog lead, made to fit the space you’ve got.
  • Drawer organisers sized to the drawer, so nothing slides about.
  • Cable tidies and clips for behind the TV, under the desk or along a skirting board.
  • Plant pots and saucers, in PETG if they’ll get wet or live outside.
  • Wall plates, labels and signs, with lettering raised from the surface or pressed into it.

Our designs are a good place to start: each comes in over 180 colours, printed when you order.

See all the designs

Presents

  • Something with their name on it: a keyring, a desk sign, a box for their bits and pieces.
  • A model of something they love: a car, a building, a character, a pet, in their colours.
  • A useful thing made special: a phone stand or a planter in their favourite colour, rather than the one the shop had.

The gift guide has ideas and how to send it straight to them, and a gift card lets them choose for themselves.

Fixing things

This is where 3D printing earns its keep. A snapped clip, a lost knob, a battery cover, a cracked bracket or a missing foot for a washing machine can often be printed for a few pounds, in a material that outlasts the original. Plenty of parts are already modelled online, and simple ones take minutes to draw. Printing a replacement part explains how to get a file, choose a material and get the fit right.

Hobbies and games

  • Tabletop gaming: dice towers, card and token boxes, terrain and scenery.
  • Model railways and dioramas: buildings, bridges, platform fittings.
  • Radio control and drones: mounts, guards and brackets, in PETG or ABS for the knocks.
  • Cosplay and props: helmets, armour pieces and accessories. Anything bigger than 300 × 320 × 320 mm is printed in parts to put together.
  • Gaming and music: controller and headphone stands, pedalboard and cable fittings.

For a business, school or club

  • Prototypes to hold, test and show before paying for tooling: how to get one made.
  • Jigs, fixtures and spare parts for the workshop or the production line.
  • Display stands and signs in your brand colours.
  • Name badges, prizes and giveaways with your logo or everyone’s name on.
  • Runs of the same part, with the price going down the more you order.
  • Coursework and class sets for schools and colleges: printing for schools and students.

strand commercial handles batches, logos and names on every piece, with a receipt for your records.

What doesn’t print well

  • Very fine detail. Lettering and lines need to be at least 1 mm wide, and raised or sunk detail at least 0.6 mm deep, or it may not show. Tiny jewellery-scale detail suits a different kind of printer.
  • Anything that holds food or drink. The tiny gaps between layers can hold bacteria, so we don’t recommend prints for cups, plates or chopping boards.
  • Things that get hot. PLA starts to soften at around 55 °C, so a part for a car in summer or near a heater needs PETG or ABS. Choosing a material compares them.
  • Clear parts. Printed plastic can let light through, but it won’t be glass-clear.
  • Anything safety critical, such as brakes, child seats or climbing gear: that needs a certified part from its maker.
  • Copies of someone else’s product or character, unless the design allows it: we check before printing.

How to get yours printed

  1. Choose one of our designs, in your colours, and add it to your basket.
  2. Got a 3D file? Upload it on the order page for a price straight away. STL, 3MF and OBJ are priced instantly.
  3. No file yet? Search Printables, MakerWorld or Thingiverse for what you want and check its licence allows printing it, or draw it in Tinkercad, which is free. The file guide shows how to save it.
  4. Still stuck? Tell us what you’re after, with a sketch or a photo and its size, and we’ll say whether we can make it and what it would cost.

Every print is checked by a person before it’s made, and most orders are printed and posted within 5 working days. UK delivery is free on orders over £40, counted before any gift card or code comes off.