How to Ask for a 3D Printing Quote That Comes Back Accurate
Eight things a quote needs, what leaving each out does to the number — and when a sliceable file means you do not need to ask at all.
A 3D printing quote comes back accurate when the request carries eight things: a file that slices, the quantity, the material, the colour, anything that has to fit, the hardware and assembly, the date, and where it ships. Leave one out and the number is either a guess or a question in your inbox. Answer them below and the brief writes itself. If your file is an STL or 3MF and you need 500 or fewer, you will see why you do not need to ask at all.
Your quote brief
0 of 8 answered
- 01
The file
The price is measured from the model. Without one, every figure is a guess about its weight and hours.
- 02
How many
Quantity changes the unit price: copies that fit two to a plate take up to 30% off machine time. Say the real number, and the next one if you know it.
- 03
The material
Material sets the price per gram and the machine time. “Not sure” is fine if you say what the part has to survive.
- 04
The colour
Sixty-five colours are on the rack. Anything else is bought in against your first order, which adds a few days.
- 05
Anything that has to fit
Printed dimensions hold to ±0.5 mm or ±1%, whichever is greater. If a magnet, bearing or mating part must fit, name it and its size.
- 06
Hardware and assembly
Magnets, inserts, screws and feet are charged at the part price, and fitting and assembly are $1 a part. Say it up front so the quote includes it.
- 07
When you need it
A date turns a quote into a plan. Runs that take more than about two days of printing are scheduled to it.
- 08
Where it goes
All to one address ships in cartons. To each customer means each unit is made as it sells, with your name on the slip.
The brief to send
Part quote request File: — Quantity: — Material: — Colour: — Critical fit: — Hardware / assembly: — Needed by: — Deliver to: —
Why quotes drift
A quote is only as exact as the question.
The usual gapThe first number assumed a material, a quantity and no hardware. The real order had all three, and a date.
The four omissions that change the price most
- No model
- Weight and print time are the price, and only a slicer can measure them. A sketch or photo can become a print-ready model in Studio before you ask.
- “About a hundred”
- Quantity moves the unit price, because copies that fit two to a plate share machine time. Give the real number, and the next order if you know it.
- Material unspecified
- Carbon-fibre PETG and ABS cost more per gram than PLA and print differently. If you are not sure, say what the part has to survive instead.
- The hidden assembly
- A lid with magnets or a bracket with inserts is more than a print. Say so up front. Here that adds the hardware line, and $1 a part if you want it assembled.
What an instant quote already knows
When you upload an STL or 3MF, the file is sliced on the same profile it will print on. The weight, the print time, the size and the price per part come back in seconds, at the quantity you choose, with the quantity discount applied and the hardware you add priced in. Nothing is estimated from a bounding box and nothing is marked up after a call. That covers most orders up to 500 parts.
A written brief is for what a checkout cannot see: a run over 500, a deadline tighter than the print hours, a part that must mate with something you make, or a model you do not have yet. Send it to support@printport3d.com and it comes back quoted, with a schedule. For whole production runs, see our buyer’s guide to low-volume manufacturing.
FAQ
A sliceable file (STL or 3MF), the quantity, the material, the colour, any dimensions that must fit another part, the hardware and assembly, the date you need it, and where it ships. With those eight, a quote is exact rather than an estimate.
STL or 3MF. Both slice reliably. STEP and OBJ are accepted at upload but usually fail at the slicer, so export an STL or 3MF as well.
Our printed dimensions hold to ±0.5 mm or ±1%, whichever is greater. If a magnet, bearing or another part has to fit, say so in the brief and design the pocket to that band.
For a sliceable file and up to 500 parts, in seconds: upload it and the price per part comes back at checkout. Larger or unusual runs are quoted by email with a schedule.
The best quote is the one you do not wait for.
A sliceable file and up to 500 parts: the exact price in seconds, at checkout. Anything bigger or unusual, send the brief and it comes back quoted and scheduled.
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