Lithophane

Turn a photo into a lithophane: a thin panel that shows the picture when lit from behind. Framed, with a stand; prints standing up for the finest detail.

Customise it in your browser, then download a print-ready STL, or a multi-colour 3MF. No CAD skills needed.

About the Lithophane

Turn a photo into a lithophane: a thin panel that looks like a plain carving until it’s lit from behind, and then the picture appears. Upload a photo, set the size and how thin and thick it goes, and print it standing up for the finest detail, framed and with a stand.

Lithophane: a customisable 3D print, shown at its starting settings

What you can change

Add your own photo.
Detail: draft, normal and fine.
Print: standing up and lying flat.
Pick its colour.
Adjust width, thinnest, thickest and contrast, and more.
Turn on or off: negative and stand to display it.

Size

About 10 × 0.3 × 6.7 cm (width × depth × height), one piece at the starting settings.

What you download

An STL or 3MF for any slicer.

Printing it

About 29 g of PLA and about 1 hour 50 minutes to print, one piece at the starting settings (100% infill, 2 walls, 0.2 mm layers, on a Bambu Lab A1). Your slicer gives the exact figures for your printer and settings.

Questions

What is a lithophane?

A picture made of thickness: thin where the photo is light and thick where it’s dark, so light shining through shows the photo in shades of grey.

How should I print it?

Standing up for the finest detail, in white filament, solid (100% infill or enough walls to fill it). Light it from behind with a window, a lamp or an LED strip.

What photos work best?

Clear, well-lit photos with the subject large in the frame. Crop it close before you upload it; very dark or busy photos come out muddier.

What size is it?

About 10 × 0.3 × 6.7 cm (width × depth × height), one piece at the starting settings. Every size is a setting, so make it as big or small as you need.

Which printers and slicers does it work with?

Any FDM printer. The STL opens in every slicer; the 3MF keeps the colours as separate parts in Bambu Studio, Orca Slicer, PrusaSlicer and Cura. Pick your printer in the designer to check it fits the plate.

Can I sell what I make?

On Pro and Ultimate you can sell the prints you make, for example on Etsy or at craft fairs. On Free and Maker, print it for yourself or give it as a gift. The STL and 3MF files themselves are never for sharing or selling.