Lithophane Maker — Photo to Printable STL

High-contrast black-and-white or naturally contrasty photos — portraits with plain backgrounds, pet silhouettes, mountain landscapes, wedding photos. Dense detail (crowded scenes) tends to blur in the final print.

Plain white PLA is the community standard — it transmits light evenly. PETG works but needs slightly higher min thickness. Avoid dark colours; they block light.

0.1 mm layer height, 100% infill, 3 perimeters, no supports. Flat lithophanes print flat on the bed; curved ones print upright with a brim.

Warm 2700–3000 K LED panels look best for portraits — daylight 5000 K LEDs make skin tones look clinical. A diffused LED frame (the kind sold for slim picture frames) gives the most even result. Avoid spot LEDs; they create hotspots in the thin areas.

At high resolution, a 200 × 200 mm lithophane produces a ~20 MB STL with 300k+ triangles. Most slicers handle this fine but loading and slicing take longer than a typical print.

Flat is forgiving: prints in a couple of hours, no supports, no warping concerns. Curved gives a more dramatic backlit effect (the image wraps around a bulb like a lampshade) but takes 6–12 hours and needs a brim against tipping. Start with flat for your first print.