I’m looking for someone or some place that prints miniatures. I’d be supplying the file. I’ve never sent anything to 3d print and I must be awful at searching because I can’t find a single site that has like a rough quote for minis. Of course I understand they would give me a different quote once I supply a file, but so far I have absolutely no clue on what to expect. $20? $150? Do you get a better deal if you print multiple items? Does it matter if they’re different or all the same?
That, for starters. Next - what material should I be getting these prints on?
What resolution/parameters do I need to keep in mind for my files?
Does anyone have any recommendations for Australia?
Thanks
There are lots of places that will print for you (eg https://www.shapeways.com/), but it’s cheaper and easier than ever to print your own right now! You can get a cheapo chinese printer for a hundred bucks, or an excellent Bambu for $250 (https://us.store.bambulab.com/products/a1-mini) Then you feed your model into something called a Slicer which will let you adjust all those parameters to your heart’s content (Flashprint is beginner friendly, Cura or Orcaslicer are more advanced options, all free) You’ll also need a roll of filament ($13-$20 for one roll, enough to print hundreds of minis) and then you just hit start and see how it goes! If your print fails, nbd, it’s like a fraction of a cent of plastic, just tweak and try again!
The material you want to use is called PLA, it’s cheap and easy to work with. Note that all the above prices are in USD, it’s likely more expensive to get shipped to Australia, but a lot of it comes straight from China so you never know. Feel free to message me with any questions or troubleshooting help