Ways to Print Your Mini Without Owning a 3D Printer
USA Stores that Can Help You in Your Quest
3D printing’s popularity is quickly reaching the masses, and more people have access to buy their own 3D printers. Despite that, although it has a great cost-benefit in comparison to buying your own minis, acquiring a 3D printer is sometimes too complex. So, how can someone start a collection or print their favorite minis without owning a 3D printer? There’s a plethora of options and online services for that. That’s why we, from Loot Studios, came up with 4 options to help you out before making this HUGE decision on buying your first printer.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR OWN 3D PRINTER, CHECK HERE!
First Option: Local Maker Spaces
I know… You might be asking yourself: “What the heck is that?”. FEAR NOT, my young padawan!
Local maker spaces are community workshops. They have been designed to “democratize the act of making something from scratch”. Within their purpose, they offer access to 3D printers and other tools (but they are not our focus here), along with collaborative environments for projects.
Some maker spaces charge by the hour, others by the project. You just have to bring your STL files, get some (and essential if I might say so) guidance, and start printing!
Wanna check whether there’s one closer to you? Check The Makerspace Directory. With it, you can open the world map and check which spaces are closer to you!
Second Option: On-Demand Printing Websites
I know you might have looked at the first option and thought: “That’s too much effort, I don’t want it”. WELL, for your salvation (and your party’s), we show you something brilliant called ON-DEMAND PRINTING. Here, your only concern is sending the files and paying. These websites are like the holy Grail! You can choose the material, the technology, AND JUST WAIT. Everything arrives beautifully at your door.
Something interesting is that – depending on the website – you can print your miniatures in resin, as usual, or something way different than that. Wanna a stainless steel miniature? They got you! Wanna a titanium miniature? They got you! Wanna a silver-made miniature? Well, that’d be amazing… I’m having some ideas of my own…
Before showing you the list, I must tell you that is extremely important to know to whole 3D printing process (especially the finishing) and how to choose the best filaments and resins for you. That way you’ll be able to make the best decisions when ordering your miniature!
Here’s a list of some Print On-Demand places for you (remember to check the shipping conditions and whether they deliver in your country or not):
Third Option: Online Printing Communities
I don’t know about you, but the moment I started learning about the 3D printing universe, one of the first things I did was open my Reddit account and get into some communities. The posts and support were amazing, and helped my entry in this amazing universe!
When you dive into these communities, you can find a fellow hobbyist who lives nearby and can give you a hand with that. Now, besides getting your minis printed, you might find new members for your party. And that, my friends, is what we call win-win.
It’s worth remembering that we have our own communities (Discord and Facebook) with thousands of members constantly posting about printing, painting and playing!
GET ACESS NOW!
Fourth Option: Rent a Printer
When you want to start this hobby, you normally put everything on paper, do the math, and sometimes, think: “That is some money… Should I really do it?” Well, I’m gonna say YES, DO IT – but I’m biased…
If you want to get a trial before investing your money, time and energy, and everything else, a good solution is renting a 3D printer. There are more POD (print-on-demand) websites out there, but after some research, you can find some good rentals!
Here’s a small list to help you out:
- Polyprinter – Midlothian /Texas
- Airwolf 3D – Miami / Florida
- Fat Llama – Toronto / Ontario & Bow Common/ London
- Solid Print – Stareton / Warwickshire
Final Thoughts
The whole technology related to 3D printing has been evolving very fast, and that is GREAT! We have many options available when it comes to printing miniatures. The best (with the lowest effort) is printing-on-demand. But if you like the fun behind printing, try renting a printer to test out our free miniatures. Or, when looking for new partners in this hobby, enter a community and find a hobbyist or go to a local maker space! Either way, you’ll get what you want: access to our INCREDIBLY amazing miniatures!
Loot Studios can help you tell your story through highly detailed miniatures. Choose your favorite bundle from our previous releases or sign up for Fantasy or Sci-Fi to receive at least one new bundle every month. You can also check out some tips on our YouTube Channel.
