A large 3D-printed sculpture is priced per project, not per gram. Five things set the number: how big it is, how it has to look when it's finished, how fast you need it, how much engineering it needs to stand up or hang safely, and whether we install it. Send us those five things and we can come back with a firm quote, usually after one short call.
Small desktop prints are mostly arithmetic: grams of plastic and hours of machine time. Room-scale pieces are different. The printing is only part of the job; the rest is planning the sections, joining them, finishing the surface so the seams disappear, and getting the piece into the room. That's why we quote, and why the quote is worth getting early.
The five things that set the price
| Driver | What moves it | How to keep it down |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Volume of material and print hours grow fast with height: double the height is roughly eight times the volume | Hollow shells, not solid pieces; agree the smallest size that still reads in the room |
| Finish | Raw layer lines are cheapest; filled, sanded, primed and painted surfaces take skilled hours | Keep layer lines as a feature where the brand allows it |
| Timeline | Rush jobs mean tighter print scheduling and overtime in finishing | Bring us in at concept stage, not two weeks before load-in |
| Engineering | Internal frames, steel inserts, rigging points and weighted bases for public spaces | Tell us early where it sits, hangs or gets touched |
| Install | Load-in windows, crew, lifts, venue rules and out-of-hours work | Share the venue pack and access route with the brief |
Size is the biggest lever
Material and machine time scale with volume, and volume scales with the cube of height. A 3 m gummy bear is not twice the job of a 1.5 m gummy bear; it's closer to eight times the plastic. We print large pieces as hollow shells with internal structure, which keeps weight and cost down, but the first conversation is always about the smallest size that still has the impact you want.
Finish is where the hours go
Every large piece is printed in sections. Making those sections read as one object means joining, filling seams, sanding, priming and painting or coating. A gloss automotive finish takes far longer than a matte paint, and both take longer than leaving the layer lines visible, which on the right piece looks great and photographs well.
Time is money in both directions
With enough lead time we can schedule print runs efficiently and finish without overtime. Compressed schedules are possible, but they cost more. If your show date is fixed, tell us on day one.
How to get a fast, firm quote
Send the brief through the Start a print form with: a sketch, render or 3D file; the rough size; where it goes (indoor, outdoor, hanging, touched by the public); the finish you have in mind; and the date it has to be in the room. We'll reply with questions or a quote.