15
Noob Q's: How do I find a place to print miniatures? What to expect? And more (mander.xyz)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Originally asked in the TTRPG community and was suggested to ask at a printing community, so here I am. Hello.

I'm looking for someone or some place (Australia based if possible) 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? (I hear that's resin?)

What resolution/parameters do I need to keep in mind for my files?

Is there any way to make sure the printer won't be reselling my work? (ie., printing my custom made models and selling them elsewhere)

Does anyone have any recommendations for Australia?

Thanks

top 9 comments
sorted by: hot top new old
[-] [email protected] 4 points 22 hours ago

Just yesterday I created [email protected] for this very purpose, so I'll plug it again. Well, not miniatures specifically, but rather a place for people who haven't got printers to ask for help from people who do.

I'm not in Oz so I figure shipping to you would be quite prohibitive. But you might be able to connect with someone in your country, who can ship printed stuff to you more cheaply and -- importantly -- without having to fuck around with customs.

The go-to wisdom is that detailed miniatures are best printed with a resin printer. You can do it with a traditional FDM (filament) printer but it's harder to get the small details reproduced, and FDM printers can't print in midair so you either have to be very careful to take that into account with your design or do a lot of work with removing and doing the finish work around printed supports. So you probably want to find somebody with a resin machine.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago

I would say to go and check out independent local game stores. It's not uncommon for people to run 3D printing as a side hustle, and game stores tend to have boards where people put up flyers or cards.

You want resin for 28mm characters. FDM, the alternative leaves noticeable printlines and not what you want if you're paying for a mini.

In U.S. pricing, I've found these individual print people charging $1-3 USD for a human 28mm figure. Part of the idea is paying less than it costs to buy figures out of the box.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 hours ago

I'll snoop around my local game stores. Thanks!

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Check your local libraries, or search for maker spaces

For example

https://librarysearch.melbourne.vic.gov.au/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/MSGTRNGEN/WPAC/MAKERFAQ?HOMEPRMS=MAKERFAQ

[-] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

Makerspace huh. I've heard of it, but didn't know it would be useful for this! I'll look into it, thanks

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

You want a resin print with a layer height of around 0.02mm. The material should have some flex and not be the cheapest brittle resin so your mini survives a fall from the table. Prices depend heavily on the size and volume of the model, the Material used and if it is presupported. Hand supporting costs alot of time and will make everything much more expensive. Once you give your file away its gone, its the internet, you can stop noone from Anything anymore.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

If your willing to wait, and can accept some shipping time, there is: https://jlc3dp.com/

They'll quote you on the site, and will advise for materials and costs.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Do you know how to design for a printing process?

[-] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

I got someone who's going to help with that although truth be said he doesn't have experience with the resin types. Do you have any resources you'd recommend, since we're at it?

this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2025
15 points (94.1% liked)

3DPrinting

18514 readers
111 users here now

3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.

The r/functionalprint community is now located at: or [email protected]

There are CAD communities available at: [email protected] or [email protected]

Rules

If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe/ may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)

Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]