Beginner's Guide to Printing Lithophanes

So, maybe you've seen some fancy schmancy lithophane photos on social media? Maybe you saw them for sale online or in a local gift shop? Or maybe you, happily, stumbled across our lithophane line of 1.75 mm PLA filaments online while checking out our other colors.... Either way, we are here to help you get started printing the BEST lithophanes ever!!!

Calibration

Thanks to our Lithophane Maker Desktop App and the free tool LithophaneMaker.com, printing lithophanes is easier than ever! First things first, you’re going to want to ensure your printer is well calibrated. Issues that often need to be addressed are:

• Bed is Not Level: Lithophanes need a solid base to print on. The layers are so thin that warping at the bed can cause issues further in. Many people are able to fix this by using a brim on their prints. This can help smooth over a lot of small bed level issues. Others use Bed Weld or glue stick on the bed, and this is a completely acceptable choice too!
• Printer Wobbles in X- or Y-direction: You will need to make sure that all of your bolts and belts are tightened the appropriate amount, and the printer is placed on a level surface. Wobbling can cause shifts between layers, and this is very noticeable in lithophanes.
• Z-axis Rods do not Move Smoothly: It’s always a good idea to periodically inspect and clean off your Z-axis rods. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning! Sometimes, it may even be necessary to apply a lubricant to the rods. Again, follow the manufacturer’s guidance on this one! The layers are so thin that a small deviation in the Z-direction greatly affects the quality of the layer.
• E-steps Need to be Calibrated: If your e-steps are off by too much they can cause under or over extrusion. This means the layers will either be too thin or too fat and cause horizontal lines (“layer lines”) in your lithophane.

There are innumerable videos on YouTube that can walk you through a comprehensive inspection of your 3d printer and help with the calibration of your individual printer. Typically, all you have to do is search for “{My Printer} Calibration Tutorial”.

If you’re using a BambuLabs printer you likely are already extremely well calibrated!

Lithophane Slicer Profile

Lithophanes require a unique profile for slicing. If the layers are too tall, or the program tries to put infill in, the lithophane won’t print well. The main differences you will see are:

• Layer Height: *0.4 mm nozzle is the most commonly used

• Wall Generator: Cura automatically uses Arachne for walls, but if you are using Bambu/Prusa/Orca Slicer you can choose.
• For flat: Classic
• For curved (i.e. nightlights or globes) - Arachne
• Infill and Walls: There is a constant, on-going debate about how to make sure that the image area of the lithophane is solid. We’ve tested 99% infill, 100% infill, and thick walls and saw no difference in the lithophane’s quality, so we recommend using a minimum of 7 walls and 10-15% infill which will only be in the frame. This approach will minimize filament usage and print time.
• Build Plate Adhesion: If you are having issues, a brim can be used to help hold the lithophane in place. Between 10-20mm should be sufficient, and it will be easier to remove than a raft! Using a Darkmoon 3D ICE Plate or applying Bed Weld or glue stick to the build plate can help build plate adhesion as well.
• Speed: The speed at which a lithophane can be printed is different from printer to printer. A good place to start for most printers using Marlin firmware is:
• Print Speed: 45 mm/s
• Infill Speed: 45 mm/s
• Outer Wall Speed: 30 mm/s
• Inner Wall Speed: 30 mm/s
• Top/Bottom Speed: 25 mm/s
• Travel Speed: 80 mm/sec
• Initial layer Speed: 15 mm/s
• Initial Travel Speed: 45 mm/s

If you are using a newer printer than runs on Klipper you should be able to run at faster speeds:

• Outer Wall: 180 mm/s
• Inner Wall: 200 mm/s
• Small Perimeters: 50%
• Sparse Infill: 270 mm/s
• Internal Solid Infill: 200 mm/s
• Top Surface: 200 mm/s
• Gap Infill: 200 mm/s
• Slow Down for Overhang Speeds:
• 60% for overhangs that are 10-25% of the line width
• 30% for overhangs that are 25-50% of the line width
• 10% for overhangs that are 50-100% of the line width
• Retraction: Retraction is another setting that varies quite a bit from printer to printer. Stringing can be a big problem with lithophanes. The best way to determine your printer’s optimal settings is to look up and print a retraction test (we love the one preloaded in Orca Slicer!).
• Line Width: It often helps to increase the line width by a small amount. We use a line width of 0.45 mm for our 0.4 mm nozzle. This seems to help smooth out the thinner areas of the lithophane. For a 0.2 mm nozzle we use a line width of 0.25 mm. 

Along with these settings, there are a whole host of other settings that may or may not work best for you. It can be a process of trial and error. For instance, American Filament tends to print best when the extruder temperature is in the 210-220°C, but other filaments may require something different (but you don’t need to worry about any OTHER filaments because our lithophane filaments are the best you will find!).

If you are using a Bambu Labs printer you can download our Lithophane Configuration Files by clicking here! The print settings profile comes preset to the Arachne Wall Generator - this is best for curved lithophanes (i.e. nightlights, spheres, lamp shades, etc.). When printing flat lithos (i.e. boxes, flats, hearts, etc.) you want to change this setting to the Classic Wall Generator. 

Once you have created your profile, we recommend downloading and printing our Lithophane Calibration Tower. This helps you decide which minimum and maximum thicknesses are appropriate. We like to place the tower in front of the light source we are using (i.e. nightlight, light bulb, or window) in order to see how much light will come through.

Lithophane Maker Parameters

• Picture: AF Founders Pic.png - Use a PNG or JPEG without any uncommon symbols and less than 30 characters in length.
• Crop?: Yes or No
• Lithophane Resolution: 0.1 – 0.25 Start small, but you may have to increase in order to bring down the size of the STL file 
• Minimum/Maximum Thickness: