How to Price 3D Prints (Without Losing Money)
Pricing is the single biggest thing that separates a hobby from a sustainable print business. Quote too low and you lose money on every job; too high and you lose the customer. Here's a framework that holds up.
The four cost buckets
Every print has four real costs. Add them up, then add margin.
- Material — grams of filament/resin × your cost per gram. Don't forget waste, supports, and failed prints (a 5–10% spoilage factor is realistic).
- Machine time — printer hours × an hourly machine rate that covers electricity, depreciation, and maintenance.
- Labor — slicing, setup, post-processing, and packaging. This is the cost people forget, and it's often the biggest one.
- Overhead — software, rent, and the time you spend quoting.
A simple formula
price = (material_cost + machine_cost + labor) × (1 + margin) + setup_fee
Then apply a minimum order price so tiny jobs still cover your fixed effort. A $0.40 keychain shouldn't ship for $0.40 — your time to slice, print, and pack it is worth far more.
Material cost, done right
Estimate grams from the model's volume and your infill, not by guessing:
effective fill = wall_factor + (infill% × (1 − wall_factor))
grams = volume_cm³ × density × effective_fill
That's exactly how KTIZO's quote engine estimates material, so your quotes are consistent every time instead of depending on how you feel that day.
Don't undercharge for speed
Rush jobs cost you the ability to batch efficiently. A rush multiplier of 1.3–1.5× is normal and fair — customers who need it tomorrow will pay for it.
Let software do the math
The fastest way to lose money is to quote by hand and round down to win the job. Automate the formula, set your rates once, and every quote is profitable by construction. That's the whole point of an instant-quote tool.