Shapeways alternative for miniatures (US)
Somewhere on your drive is a sculpt you paid a designer for. A fantasy hero, a beast, a bust meant for a shelf, and it has never been anything but a file.
The designer sells the sculpt as a file, so start with them. Download your copy, then send it here and we take it from there.
- PRICE
- Worked out from the size you choose, and shown in full with its breakdown before anything reaches your basket.
- FINISH
- High detail grey resin, washed and cured. Ready to prime and paint.
- YOUR FILE
- Stored securely and used only to make your print. Never sold, shared, or added to anything we sell.
One sculpt, printed properly
How to get Shapeways alternative for miniatures files to print
The sculpt came from a designer, and that is where the file lives, so download your copy from them. Upload it here as it is and we print it, one model or a folder of them.
What we need from the file
One miniature per STL, exactly as it came out of the download. Send the plain model rather than a pre-prepared or sliced version, because those confuse the sizing, and we do that part here.
No bases. We print the miniature, not the base it stands on, so leave those out of what you send. If a model comes in parts, upload each part separately and we will print them together.
Questions
Can you print my STL file?
Yes. Upload it above, size it foot to eye, and the tool prices the job on the spot. You need to own the model or have the right to have it printed, and one of our team checks every file before it goes on a printer.
How much does it cost?
The price appears the moment your file uploads, worked out from the size you choose, and it is the whole price with nothing to add afterwards. There is no minimum order, so one model is a perfectly normal order.
What size can I have it printed at?
28mm, 32mm, 35mm, 55mm or 75mm measured foot to eye, or type an exact height instead. 75mm is the largest we print.
Do you print bases?
No. We print the miniature itself, so leave bases out of what you send. If a model comes in parts, upload each part separately and we will print them together.
When will I receive my order?
We dispatch five days a week and print on demand. Our average dispatch time is four days, and a very large order has taken as long as twenty. You can contact us at any time to check on your order, and we can usually part-dispatch a UK order that is taking longer than usual.
What are the miniatures made from, and do I need to wash them?
Light-reactive resin, and no. Every miniature is dispatched washed and cured, so it arrives clean and ready to prime and paint.
What does postage cost?
UK standard postage is £3.95, or free over £50. Large or fragile parcels are £5.50, or free over £50. International parcels are $26 to the USA, free over $115, and $18 to Canada, free over $150.
What if a thin sword or barrel arrives bent?
Our resin flexes rather than snaps, which protects it in the post, so a slim part can arrive slightly bent. Dip it in lukewarm water for a second, hold it straight as it cools, and the new position locks in. Repeat if it needs it, and ask us if you would rather we advised first.
What if my file will not print?
Every custom print is made to order from your file, and we cannot know whether a model will print until we try. If yours cannot, we refund the miniature fee in full. The setup fee covers preparation already done and is not refundable, and a made to order print is exempt from change of mind returns.
We also print
Shapeways ran a marketplace where designer sculpts got printed one at a time. Fantasy heroes, beasts, display busts, hobby models drawn by people rather than factories. A Shapeways order was usually a single figure, not a box of them, and the files those customers bought are still sitting on their drives.
If yours is one of them, this is the Shapeways alternative: send the file and we print it in resin. The moment the file uploads you see the price, so there is nothing to fill in and nobody to wait for. One model on its own is fine.
Every miniature is printed in grey resin at our own UK studio, and somebody here looks at each print before it is packed and posted to you wherever you are.
Got a file already? Upload it and the price is on screen in seconds.