Blog
Long-form guides on 3D printing as a business. No fluff, no listicles — just the math, the strategy, and the lessons we've learned running our own shop.
July 10, 2026
3D Print Dimensional Accuracy: What Your Printer Can Actually Hold (and How to Calibrate It)
Desktop FDM realistically holds ±0.2mm after calibration — vendors only promise ±0.5%. Where the error comes from, the 20-minute calibration that fixes most of it, and when to use slicer XY compensation vs CAD compensation.
July 10, 2026
Empty Spool Weights: The Chart for Every Major Filament Brand (2026)
Bambu reusable spool: 208-216g. Prusament: ~194g. Polymaker cardboard: 140g. Anycubic: 127g. Weigh your spool, subtract the empty weight from this chart, and you know exactly how much filament is left.
July 10, 2026
PETG Stringing: The Fixes Ranked by What Actually Works
Fix #1 is drying (55-65°C, 6-8h) — not retraction. Then temp −5-10°C, retraction 0.5-1mm direct / 2-5mm bowden at 30-35mm/s, travel speed up, wipe on. The ranked list with real numbers and where the guides disagree.
July 10, 2026
Press-Fit Tolerances for 3D Printing: Numbers That Survive Contact With Reality
Press fit: −0.1mm. Snug: +0.05mm. Sliding: +0.15mm. Never-bind: +0.35mm. The FDM fit table with print compensation explained, bearing pocket numbers, and why 'add 0.2mm' works for some people and fails for you.
May 25, 2026
How to Quote 3D Print Jobs: The Pricing Formula for Custom Orders
Customer wants a quote for a custom 3D print. Here's the formula that gets you to a defensible number in 5 minutes — and the four mistakes that turn custom orders into money losers.
May 24, 2026
3D Print Time Estimator: How Long Will It Take? (No Slicing Required)
Estimate print time in seconds without opening a slicer. Formula by weight, by volume, by infill — accurate within ±15%. Plus the slicer settings that change print time most.
May 23, 2026
3D Printing Vertical Holes: Why They Print Smaller (Fix It Two Ways)
Vertical holes (axis parallel to bed) come out smaller AND oval — bridging at the top causes sag. Two fixes: add +0.10mm compensation, or switch to a teardrop shape that self-supports.
May 21, 2026
Heat-Set Insert Hole Size Chart: M2 to M8 Complete Reference
Exact CAD hole diameters for heat-set inserts M2, M2.5, M3, M4, M5, M6, M8 — Ruthex, CNC Kitchen, Voron specs. Plus pocket depths, chamfer specs, and material-adjusted compensation values.
May 13, 2026
Free 3D Print Cost Calculator: What Most Calculators Get Wrong
Most online 3D print cost calculators only count filament × $/kg. The real cost adds electricity, depreciation, labor, failure rate, and platform fees — often 3–4× the filament-only number. Here's a free calculator that counts everything.
May 12, 2026
3D Print Hole Compensation: Typical Values by Material and Nozzle (Quick Reference)
Typical FDM hole compensation: PLA 0.10–0.30mm, PETG 0.15–0.30mm, ABS 0.20–0.35mm depending on nozzle and hole size. Full lookup table with the math, the physics behind it, and how to calibrate for your specific printer.
May 10, 2026
First Layer Problems: A Real Diagnostic Guide (Not Just 'Level Your Bed')
Bed leveling fixes maybe 30% of first-layer issues. The other 70% are Z offset, flow rate, bed temp, surface contamination, or worn PEI. Here's how to diagnose by symptom — and the order to fix things.
May 9, 2026
How to Price Your 3D Prints in 2026: The Complete Guide for Sellers
A complete, formula-driven guide to pricing 3D prints for Etsy, eBay, and Amazon Handmade in 2026. Material costs, electricity, depreciation, AMS purge waste, failure rate, labor, platform fees, shipping, and margin — explained with real numbers.
May 7, 2026
Heat-Set Inserts in 3D Printed Parts: A Practical Guide
How to add metal threads to 3D printed plastic parts that survive 1,000+ assembly cycles. Insert sizes, hole tolerances, install technique, and why most failures come from skipping a 1mm chamfer.
May 3, 2026
Etsy Fees for 3D Print Sellers in 2026: The Honest Breakdown (Including Off-Site Ads)
Etsy takes 22–26% of your sale once off-site ads kick in — not the 11% beginners think. Here's every fee, when each one triggers, and the math for whether Etsy still makes sense for your shop.
May 2, 2026
Resin vs FDM 3D Printing: A Real Cost Comparison for Sellers
Resin sells for 3–4× the retail price of FDM, but costs 2× more to make. Here's the per-part math, the categories where each wins, and how to decide which technology to invest in for your shop.
April 29, 2026
AMS Purge Waste: What Multicolor 3D Prints Actually Cost
Bambu Lab AMS prints look incredible, but the wipe tower and poop chute can waste 30–50% of your filament. Here's the math on what multicolor really costs, and when to skip it.
April 25, 2026
Filament Drying: When It Matters, When It Doesn't (Stop Drying Your PLA)
The internet says 'always dry your filament.' That's wrong for PLA. Here's which materials actually need drying, the signs of wet filament, drying times and temps, and the cheapest way to do it right.
April 22, 2026
The Real Cost of Resin 3D Printing: 7 Hidden Expenses Beginners Underestimate
Resin printing isn't $25/kg. Once you count FEP wear, LCD lifetime, IPA cycles, wash & cure power, and PPE, the true cost per print runs 2–3× higher than calculators show. Here's the math, with real numbers.
April 19, 2026
3D Print Warping: Causes & Fixes That Actually Work
Warping is thermal shrinkage beating bed adhesion. The fix by cause: clean PEI + 60°C bed for PLA (80% of cases), smooth PEI + 80°C for PETG, a heated chamber for ABS — plus the diagnostic patterns, exact temps, and CAD tricks.
April 15, 2026
3D Printed Holes Too Small? The Exact mm to Add (Chart)
How much bigger should you model 3D printed holes? +0.27mm at 3mm, +0.24mm at 5mm, +0.18mm at 10mm in PLA — full chart by material, nozzle, and hole size, plus the formula and a 15-minute calibration.
April 11, 2026
PLA vs PETG: When to Use Which (and the Per-Part Cost Nobody Talks About)
PLA is easy and cheap. PETG handles heat and water. The decision is rarely about strength — it's about temperature, UV exposure, and a cost difference that's bigger than the $/kg suggests.