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

Nozzle Size

0.2 mm

0.4 mm*

0.5 mm

Layer Height

0.08

0.12

0.15

First Layer Height

0.2

0.2

0.2

  • 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

We recommend starting out with the Night Light Lithophane Maker – either in Lithophane Maker Desktop or on the website. This one already has its own wide base and is not a large item to print, making it beginner friendly. First, you will need to pick your image file. Please use either a JPG/JPEG or PNG file. It is best that the picture is not too light or too dark and has good contrast. Here’s an example of our typical settings:
  • 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:   

Classic White

Warm White

Crisp Gray

Cool Gray

Sepia

Minimum Thickness

0.7 - 0.9

0.7 - 0.9

0.6 - 0.7

0.7 - 0.9

0.8 - 1.0

Maximum Thickness

2.8 - 3.1

2.8 - 3.1

2.6 - 2.8

2.8 - 3.1

2.9 - 3.2

This is dependent on your backlighting (i.e., LED Bulb, Window, Warm Light, Cool Light, etc.) you may find you need to adjust these. That's where the calibration STL comes in handy – see above for link and explanation. 
  • Frame Width: at least 5 mm 
  • Slot Width (Default compatible with most nightlights): 17 mm
  • Slot Depth (Default compatible with most nightlights):  17 mm
  • Adapter Thickness (Default compatible with most nightlights):  1.8 mm
  • Radius: 80 mm
  • Light to Lithophane Spacing: 30 mm
  • Night Light Width: 80 mm - We adjust the width and height based on the image. Keep in mind how much light a night light generates, if you have selected No for Crop, it will lock the aspect ratio. 
  • Night Light Height: 105 mm - See note above
You can find settings examples for the other tools in the YouTube videos on our channel.
Once you click ‘Create .stl’ the program or site will spit out a zip file. Within that zip, you'll find your STL file and a TXT file that includes all of your settings. This is great for reference if you find that you need to make an adjustment. 
Our favorite night light bases are these from Meridian Lighting!
Slicing and Printing your Lithophane
Now the fun part! Pull the STL into your slicer. If you're using a bedslinger ensure that the lithophane is lined up along the y axis. The slicer may tell you that the object has non-manifold edges or isn't water tight. You can just ignore that warning. Now, slice!
Once you slice the file using your lithophane profile, it can be helpful to take a look at the print layer by layer.
You want to see a good variety of thick and thin areas as you look through the layers. If they are all thick, then you may need to lower your minimum thickness. If they are all thin, then you probably need to up your maximum thickness. This step may seem daunting at first, but with experience you’ll get a feel for what a good lithophane looks like through the layers.
Now it’s time to print! As with any print, watch to make sure that the first layer goes down smoothly. We like to come back after an hour or two and shine a light behind the lithophane to see if we like the way it's shaping up. If it looks too dark or too washed out, we stop it and try again with different min/max settings. It may be hard to judge at first, but you get the hang of it pretty quickly!  
Resources for Further Help and Troubleshooting 
If you are looking for more in-depth help, we have a variety of how to videos on our YouTube channel. You can also find these videos on each tool’s page on LithophaneMaker.com. A second fabulous resource is the LithophaneMaker.com User’s Group on Facebook! The files section is full of Cura Profiles for common 3d printers and various STL’s people have created to modify some of the tools. If you’re having an issue with your print, you can search the group for prior posts or create your own! Everyone is kind and extremely helpful – we all know how frustrating it can be to get every part calibrated for perfect lithophanes! 
Conclusion
We are so excited you’re here and starting on your first AF lithophanes. From calibrating your 3d printer and slicer profile, to creating, slicing, and printing your litho, we have covered all of the basics. Lithophanes may seem like an advanced print, but with a little calibration and a few iterations anyone can print them! Our users’ group on Facebook is full of invaluable resources and some of the best humans on Earth – you can get all the support you need. Personalized lithophanes are popular gifts for birthdays and holidays, and there are many successful companies that print and sell them online. The possibilities are endless! 
We spent months formulating these filaments to print high-quality lithophanes and optimize transparency for the lithophane printing process. When you choose American Filament’s Lithophane Filaments you will see fainter layer lines, sharper images, fewer failures, and a reduction in retractions! We recommend using a cool white backlight. American Filament is proudly Made in America using Natureworks Ingeo Resin. Our filament tends to print best around the 210-220°C range with a bed temperature of 60°C. 
We love seeing everyone’s prints so be sure to post them on our socials. Happy printing!
 
Written by: Megan Brooks
Updated: November 19, 2024
Megan and her husband, Thomas, started American Filament together in 2021. Thomas created LithophaneMaker.com in 2018, so American Filament knows a thing or two about lithophanes! Our filament is produced in Huntsville, AL, USA, using domestically sourced materials. We believe quality is important, so we always choose materials that are Made in America!
  • American Filament Factory Outlet Store

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