Personalised gifts: name signs, figurines and desk pieces printed to order

A 3D printer is a strange gift machine. It cannot make something cheaper than a shop can, and it does not try. What it can do is make the one thing the shop does not have: the sign with her name in her handwriting, the cake topper with the exact date, the little figure of his dog, the night light that shows your photo when it is switched on. Here is what people order from us as gifts, what to send so we can make it, what it costs and how early to ask.

Name signs and lettering

The most ordered gift by a distance. A name or a short phrase, printed as free-standing letters joined by a base, or as raised lettering on a plaque. For a child's door, a desk, a wedding table, a shop counter. Letters print best from about 3 cm tall; a single name 20 to 30 cm wide is a typical desk sign. Two colours, a base in one and letters in another, are printed as separate pieces and joined. Any font works that has letters connected or thick enough to stand: cursive script with the letters touching is ideal, very thin fonts are not.

To order one, send the exact text (check the spelling twice; we print what you send), the font or a photo of lettering you like, the rough width, the colour or colours, and where it will stand. We send a preview before printing anything, so you see the shape and the proportions first.

Cake toppers and party pieces

Names, ages, "Happy birthday" in any language, a date, a small silhouette, printed on a stem that pushes into the cake, or as a flat piece that stands in it. Toppers sit on top of the cake and are removed before cutting; a 3D print is not food safe, so we design them so that only the thin stem touches the cake, and you can wrap that stem in cling film or a paper straw. Order them a week ahead and they are no trouble. Order ten of the same for a party and they count as a short run, which prints together and costs less per piece.

Lithophanes: your photo in light

A lithophane is a thin white panel whose thickness varies with a photo: hold it against a window or put it in front of a lamp and the picture appears in soft greyscale, like an old glass plate. Switch the light off and it is a textured white tile. It is the most 3D-print-specific gift there is, and it works from an ordinary phone photo. Sharp, well-lit photos with clear faces work best; dark or busy backgrounds less so. We make flat panels, curved ones and ones that fit a small LED base.

Figurines, miniatures and keepsakes

If you have a 3D model, from a game, a designer on a marketplace or an artist you commissioned, we print it in fine 0.12 mm layers so the detail holds up. Many artists sell printable files of characters, animals, busts and chess sets; search the character and "STL" and send us the link to the file you bought. Print size is yours to choose: the same model can be a 5 cm desk piece or a 25 cm shelf piece, at very different prices because of the plastic involved. Our post on what a print looks like shows how fine layers affect the result.

Useful things with a name on

Not every gift has to be an ornament. A pen holder, headphone stand, phone dock, cable tidy, plant pot, bookmark or keychain with a name or a date becomes a present someone uses every day. Many of these start from our own designs in the shop, printed in the colour you pick, and we add the personal touch on request: a name on the base, initials on the side, a date on the back.

What a gift costs

Gifts are priced like everything else: by the plastic and the print time, never below €3.50 for PLA. A small name sign, a cake topper or a keychain lands near that minimum; a 20 cm lithophane or a detailed figure costs more because it is heavier and prints for hours. The quote is free, exact and arrives on the same working day, so you know the price before you decide. Delivery by courier anywhere in North Macedonia is €2.50, free over 1 kg; pickup is free.

When to order

• A small piece in a colour we have: usually ready in a few days.
• A colour we have to restock: add 1 extra day.
• Courier delivery: add 1 to 3 working days after we hand it over.
• December, and the week before Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and the end of the school year: order two weeks ahead. Everyone has the same idea at the same time.

The colours on the shelf today are listed under each material. For gifts, PLA is almost always the right plastic: it prints the crispest letters and comes in the most colours. The materials guide covers the exceptions.