3D Printing Lithophanes

One popular project with 3D printing is lithophanes printing where you can create a 3D print of an image, hold it up to a light source and the image comes out as a monochrome image with lights and shadows. 

People can create home decorations, such as lithophane prints to place in the window, create light box displays with lithophane, lamps with lithophane shades and night lights. 

There are designers who have already created some incredible designs and have shared them online. From simple plates you would place in a window, to intricate lamps that would make for a great project. 

My Mini Factory

Prusa Printers

Thingiverse

If you want to use some personal photos that you would like to do, 3D Maker Noob has done a great instructional video on how to get started, and what you need.

Afterwards, if you want to try and personalize a more complex design, you can head over to https://www.lithophanemaker.com and choose a project style, follow their instructions, customize it with an image and it will provide you the STL. 

There are a few things to keep in mind when creating these prints. Printing vertical with 100% infill and a low lair height and use a light non transparent color (like white)  will produce better results. The more details you can produce in the print, the more detailed the image will be when it is held up to a light source. 

If you decide to create a lithophane print, we would love to see it. Please post it online and tag us in the post, and above all else, have fun trying to print one out!