# Getting 3D printing done for me **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2023, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003 "2023-09-12T18:17:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/1 "2023-09-12T18:17:55Z")
I’m fairly sure this belongs here rather than CS. I need several small objects for a project I’m working on. I have no experience nor, I assume, talent in sculpting, carving, etc. The easiest thing would be to 3D-print them. Alas, I have no 3D printer, cannot afford one, don’t know any modeling software, and don’t want to take the time (right now, anyway) to learn. 1. I know there are places I can hire someone to make an STL file for me, if I provide them with specs and drawings. Fiver, I think, is one. Any other suggestions would be welcome. 2. There must be companies that will take my STL file via e-mail, print it, and then send me the object via snail mail. There must be, right? Can anyone suggest one (or more)? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/2 "2023-09-12T19:00:56Z")
1. - you could always ask here, people have lots of skills/like a challenge and might do it for free. What are you looking to make? 2. There are lots - shapeways is probably the biggest one: [https://www.shapeways.com/](https://www.shapeways.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/3 "2023-09-12T19:06:00Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > There must be companies that will take my STL file via e-mail, print it, and then send me the object via snail mail. There must be, right? Can anyone suggest one (or more)? Many decently-sized universities and libraries have “maker spaces” where you can do this yourself, or send them the STL and pick up the finished product later, for free or at minimal cost. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/4 "2023-09-12T21:28:07Z")
Yeah, around here, Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Public Library both have publicly-accessible makerspaces, and most other high schools and colleges also have makerspaces if you have some connection to the school. The design might be the trickier part. Even if someone else is doing the 3D design for you, you need some way to communicate to them precisely what you need from the part. And depending on the part, communicating that might be just as hard as designing it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/5 "2023-09-13T09:55:33Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > - > - you could always ask here, people have lots of skills/like a challenge and might do it for free. What are you looking to make? I hadn’t thought of that! I need a bunch of little things — a globe, a vase, a horse sculpture, a human figure, a sailing ship — all less than an inch high. I’m building a diorama of an existing room, so they’re all tiny repros of things that are in that room. > [@MrDibble](#): > > - > - There are lots - shapeways is probably the biggest one: [https://www.shapeways.com/](https://www.shapeways.com/) Cool. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/6 "2023-09-13T09:59:16Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > Many decently-sized universities and libraries have “maker spaces” where you can do this yourself, or send them the STL and pick up the finished product later, for free or at minimal cost. Unfortunately, there are no decently sized universities near me. There’s a community college 45 minutes away, so I’ll try to see if they have something. I’ll also ask my local library if any nearby libraries have one. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/7 "2023-09-13T10:23:31Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > I need a bunch of little things — a globe, a vase, a horse sculpture, a human figure, a sailing ship — all less than an inch high. > > I’m building a diorama of an existing room, so they’re all tiny repros of things that are in that room. I take it you’ve already looked on [thingiverse](https://www.thingiverse.com/) for things that might match? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/8 "2023-09-13T11:11:05Z")
You can get 3d scanning apps for smartphones… Just scan your object , scale it and send it to a 3d printer. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/9 "2023-09-13T11:45:39Z")
I’ve fiddled with **Blender** (free software, [blender.org](http://blender.org)) for 3D design (and animation, and 2D animation, and, and…) You can design an item in Blender and export as STL file. There’s add-ons to create human shapes. As mentioned, there are plenty of sites trading and offering free 3D downloads of varying quality. (How acccurate does your design need to be?) Blender has a “export to STL” option. If it’s nothing big, try posting on local chat sites for someone who has a printer and wants to make a few bucks… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/10 "2023-09-14T00:12:02Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > I need a bunch of little things — a globe, a vase, a horse sculpture, a human figure, a sailing ship — all less than an inch high. Ah, decorative items. I’m more used to thinking in terms of functional items. Yeah, those will be much easier, especially if just any generic sailing ship is good enough, and it doesn’t have to be a specific sailing ship. But I’ll second the recommendation to look on Thingiverse. You might still need to rescale them, but that’s super-easy to do. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/11 "2023-09-15T16:58:11Z")
Thank you for the suggestions, everyone. I appreciate the help. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/12 "2023-09-15T21:38:40Z")
Oh, and a 3D printer might be more affordable than you think. You can get a resin printer for around $200 nowadays, if you have someplace with adequate ventilation to put it. A resin printer is probably superior to the more common filament printers, for your purpose: They provide much greater resolution, to the point that you can’t even see the layers or any other evidence that the object is printed. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/13 "2025-05-27T13:27:57Z")
Bumped. Maybe you’d like to build your own Swiss tower?: > **[tor alva, the tallest 3D printed tower in the world, opens in the swiss alps](https://www.designboom.com/technology/3d-printed-white-tower-tor-alva-mulegns-concrete-michael-hansmeyer-benjamin-dillenburger-eth-zurich-02-07-2024/?utm_source=designboom%2Bweekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tor%2Balva%2C%2Bthe%2Btallest%2B3D%2Bprinted%2Btower%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bworld%2C%2Bopens%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bswiss%2Balps)** > >     ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/14 "2025-05-27T13:43:05Z")
I’d like to see my postman deliver that. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/15 "2025-05-28T22:31:54Z")
They made me pick it up at the post office myself. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-3d-printing-done-for-me/990003/16 "2025-05-28T22:40:45Z")
In case anyone is searching for what the 3D-printing-online experience is like, I did a video on this subject a couple of months back. I occasionally design small parts for photography hobbyists and I share the models freely. A couple of YouTube viewers commented that they had sent my parts to be printed by a service, and they seemed happy about them, so I decided to do an experiment and see what “mail order 3D printing” is like. I printed four different objects: - a camera bracket in ABS - a cool gadget that lets you transfer film from one 35mm roll to another, in ABS - someone else’s bracket for holding my Home Assistant hub on the wall, in some kind of tough resin - a thumb rest for my bass guitar, in stainless steel! I gave full details on the process, the “out the door” cost, the production times, and the quality of the finished parts. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nGjsesWyljU/maxresdefault.jpg "I Ordered Custom 3D Prints—Here’s What Happened!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGjsesWyljU)