Frequently asked questions
The questions people actually ask, answered precisely. If yours is not here, write to us.
The materials
- What are the pieces made of?
- Melted plastic laid down layer by layer. The commonest is PLA, made from corn starch: stiff, precise, very good for anything that stays indoors. For whatever has to take heat or knocks, we use PETG.
- Does it stand up to sun and heat?
- PLA softens around 55-60 °C. Behind a windscreen in high summer it warps — that is experience, not a theoretical caution. For a car, a windowsill or outdoors, take PETG. We will tell you anyway if your use calls for it.
- Is it strong?
- It depends on the infill you choose. A decorative piece (10 %) takes ordinary handling but breaks if you sit on it. A load-bearing piece (40 %) holds real weight. A printed piece is always weaker along the layers: it splits more easily along the strata than across them. We orient your pieces with that in mind.
- Can you eat off it?
- No, and we do not sell pieces presented as food-safe. The micro-grooves between layers hold bacteria and cannot be cleaned properly. A coaster, yes; a plate, no.
Timing
- How long does it take?
- Mostly on how long your piece actually takes to print. A small piece often leaves in 2 to 3 working days; a detailed figure in 4 to 6; a batch or a custom model, one to two weeks. The quote always shows a real date, not a vague phrase — and that date is the one on your tracking page.
- And if it is urgent?
- The Express option (+35 %) puts your piece ahead of the others and gives you a nearer date, shown before you order. We only accept it when it can be kept: if the schedule does not allow it, we say so rather than take the surcharge.
- What if the print fails?
- It happens — a piece lifting off, a jam, a missed layer. That is our problem, not yours: we run it again at no extra cost. If the failure pushes the promised date by more than a day, we tell you the same day.
Files and modelling
- Which files do you accept?
- STL, 3MF, OBJ and STEP, up to 100 MB. The first three display straight in your browser with their measurements. A STEP needs our software: we measure it by hand and confirm the price within 4 hours.
- I do not have a 3D file.
- That is not a problem. Send 3 to 10 photos (23 € for a figure from photos), or simply describe what you want (14 € an hour of design). Either way, we show you the model before anything is printed.
- How many revisions are included?
- Two rounds of changes are included in the modelling fee, as long as they stay within the spirit of the original brief. Beyond that, or if the project changes in kind, we charge for the time and tell you before carrying on — never after.
- My piece is bigger than the plate.
- We produce up to 256 × 256 × 256 mm in one piece. Beyond that, two options: shrink the piece, or cut it into parts that we glue and sand (3 € per extra part). The seam stays visible close up, as a thin line; we put it on an edge when the shape allows, and we send you a photo before it ships.
- What do you do with my files?
- They are used for your order and nothing else. We do not resell them, publish them, or reuse them for another customer. We keep them six months so we can reprint if you order again, then delete them — or straight away if you ask.
Paying and delivery
- Can I pay on delivery?
- No. We ship to France, Europe and the United Kingdom, and no carrier there collects cash at the door. Your order is a quote first: we send you the price of the piece, the real carriage to your address and a way to pay. Nothing is taken before you agree, and a 30 % deposit is asked to start a piece made to order.
- Why a deposit on made-to-order pieces?
- Because a piece made for you is no use to anybody else. If the order is abandoned, the material and the hours are lost and the object cannot be sold. The 30 % deposit covers that risk; the rest is paid on delivery.
- Where do you deliver?
- Throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, from our workshop. Carriage depends on the weight of the parcel and on the country: we weigh your order and send you the exact figure, with a link to pay, before anything goes on the printer. There is no collection in person.
If something goes wrong
- The piece arrived broken.
- Send us a photo within 48 hours: we reprint and resend at our cost, no argument. That is our packing or our printing at fault, not you.
- It does not look like what I expected.
- If the difference is ours — wrong colour, wrong size, a printing fault — we make the piece again. If it matches what you approved but you do not like it, a made-to-order piece cannot be taken back: it was made for you and cannot be resold. That is exactly why we show you the model before printing.
- The layer lines show.
- That is the process itself: the object is built by stacking, and the strata stay visible close up. Matte PLA softens them a great deal, fine or very fine detail does too, and sanding takes them almost entirely away. It is not a fault, but we would rather you knew before ordering.
Your question is not here?
We answer within 4 hours, usually well before.
See also how we work out a price and our returns policy.