Got Questions?

PLA, PLA+, PETG, and TPU. PLA is great for most decorative pieces. PLA+ is tougher for items that get handled. PETG is for outdoor or higher-temperature pieces. TPU is flexible and we use it for grips, gaskets, and certain fidget pieces. We do not print in ABS or other materials.

Most household and personal items fit on a single print run. Larger pieces get printed in clean sections and assembled with bolts or glue, so overall size is rarely the limit. If you have something big in mind, a dragon over a foot long or a large display piece, put the dimensions on the quote form and we will tell you whether it comes out as one piece or several.

As many as the design genuinely needs. Our printers swap filament mid-print, so a single piece can carry several colors without painting or gluing. Every change purges a little filament and adds machine time, so a four-color piece sits on the printer longer than the same shape in one color. Most designs stop looking better past four, which is why we tend to suggest stopping there, but we will run more when it calls for it. Color-changing filament counts as one color.

Yes. Articulated dragons, fidget grenades, hinges, jewelry boxes with lids, dice towers - all things we make regularly. If you can describe the motion, we can usually engineer it.

Yes. Send us a photo, sketch, or even a written description. We model it in CAD, send you a preview, and refine until you're happy. Design time is billed hourly with a one hour minimum, and we quote it before we start.

We do not print in ABS, resin, nylon, carbon fiber or other filled composites, or wood and metal filled filament. We do not do metal printing, casting, or engraving, and we do not take on exotic or specialty materials outside our PLA, PLA+, PETG, and TPU lineup. If your project needs one of those, we will tell you up front rather than take the job and hope for the best.

Design To Print is the lower hourly rate. We model your item, we print it, and you get the finished physical piece. No file is delivered. Design To Keep is the higher hourly rate and you receive the finished model as a print-ready STL or 3MF file, yours to keep and have printed anywhere. We do not release our working CAD source files on either service. That may change down the road, but it is not something we offer today. Both are billed hourly with a one hour minimum, and design hours are always a separate line item from print costs. If you only need something designed and printed and have no use for the file, Design To Print is the one you want.

Yes. You pay the difference on every hour already worked, at the Design To Keep rate, less whatever you were actually charged for those hours. A reduced rate given on the print side does not carry over to the file price. If you decide not to print at all after design work is done, the whole project moves to Design To Keep rates and the outstanding balance at that rate has to be settled before the file is delivered.

You can ask, but it is not a service we offer at this time. Design To Keep delivers a print-ready STL or 3MF, which is what any printer or print shop can use. Our working CAD source files are not released. If your project depends on having an editable parametric file, tell us before we start so nobody is surprised, and we will let you know if that changes down the road.

Not always. CAD design space is limited and fills up quickly, since modeling is hands-on and only one project moves at a time. Send yours through the quote form and we will tell you honestly whether we have room for it rather than take it on and let it sit.

On the Design To Keep service you receive a print-ready STL or 3MF file of the finished model. That is the whole difference between our two CAD options. Design To Print is the cheaper hourly rate: we model it, we print it, and no file is delivered. If you start on Design To Print and later want the file, you pay the difference on every hour already worked at the Design To Keep rate. We do not release our working CAD source files on either service, though that may change in the future. We keep a backup of everything so we can reprint or adjust later.

Often, yes. Photos and measurements are enough for a lot of parts. When something has threads, a taper, or a face that has to seat against another part, we will ask to borrow the original so we can measure it properly and check test prints against the real thing. Your original always comes back to you, including when we cannot replicate it. What we will not do is copy a copyrighted design, a licensed character, or somebody else's logo.

Print time, material weight and type, color count, and any CAD design time if we are modeling from scratch. Send those details on the quote form and we work out a number and send it back to you. An early figure is an estimate. A quote holds once we agree on it, and if something would change it we raise it with you before doing the work rather than after.

We send a payment link by email for custom work, and online shop orders are paid at checkout. Stripe, PayPal, and cash apps like Venmo all work, plus cash on a local handoff and sometimes a check for established business clients. We do not take purchase orders.

It depends on the design complexity, the current queue, and how many rounds the design takes. We give a realistic estimate when we send the quote. We don't promise specific turnarounds because rushing is when prints fail. If we are designing the model first, we usually cannot price or time the print until the model exists, since both come from the finished shape.

No. We're a private workshop in Modesto. For local handoff, we meet at most public places in Stanislaus County (cafes, parks, parking lots - whatever works for you). For shipping, we use USPS at going rates.

Yes. We ship anywhere USPS goes. Most orders ship Priority Mail with tracking. Larger items go ground.

Tell us what happened and we will sort something out. Most problems have an easy fix, and if something went wrong on our end we will make it right. We look at each one on its own rather than running a blanket policy, so just ask. The things we cannot really help with are normal wear over time, accidental damage, and changes made to a piece after it left us.

Yes. We print daily living aids at no cost for people with disabilities: bottle and lid openers, blister pack helpers, writing grips, utensil cuffs, reading bars, and more. No charge for the device, the material, or local delivery. No diagnosis, referral, or paperwork needed. Up to three items per person per calendar year. Free delivery across Stanislaus County plus Escalon and Ripon, and further out the device is still free with help toward shipping. See the assistive devices page for the full list.

Describe the problem on the request form and we will tell you honestly whether we can help. The list grows over time as we get hold of more files. If it needs designing from scratch, that becomes a normal CAD project rather than part of the free program, and we will say so up front rather than leave you guessing.

Yes, we run a consignment program. No upfront cost to you. We deliver inventory, you display and sell, and the terms are set in a simple written agreement that protects both sides, including a fair notice window if either of us wants to end it. Every arrangement is worked out case by case around your shop's traffic, price points, and what mix suits your customers. More details on partnering.

No. We don't take NDA work. If your project requires confidentiality beyond normal business discretion, we're not the right shop. We're a small family operation and treat client work with respect, but we don't sign formal non-disclosures.