3D Lithophane: color photos with 3D printer + Best parameters

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3D Lithophane is a way of projecting an image (or photograph) through a semi-translucent medium (preferably white), using different types of thicknesses to allow the passage of light.

It is the change in thickness of the material that causes the opacity to vary as light passes through, making the thicker parts darker and the thinner parts lighter. This method can be used to create a very clear image.

Originally, lithophanes were made of porcelain; a positive image was created using wax and then the final material was used.

The most common use of a lithophane was and is decorative, to create lamps. Nowadays, with 3D printers, they can be taken to another level, creating more sophisticated and customizable lamps.

How a lithophane works

Once the lithophane has been created, it is necessary to use a light to produce the effect that reveals the hidden image; without this, nothing more than a white sheet would be visible.

Placing a light behind the sheet will be enough to reveal the image created with the Lithophane Generator. The light can be natural, from a candle or from an electric lamp.

What is needed to make 3D Lithophanes

To make a Lithophane with a 3D printer you will need:

1. A "Lithophane Generator", and An image (or photography).
2. A laminator software as "Healing" either "PrusaSlicer”
3. A 3D printer with white filament.
4. Print a color sheet with paint

1. Lithophane Generator

a generator 3D lithophane It is a platform or application responsible for transforming a 2D image into an STL file, ready to be downloaded and interpreted by the Slicer before being sent to the 3D printer.

He Online lithophane generator will process the image you want, and then choose the parameters that will determine the size, thickness, and type of frame needed to produce the 3D Lithophane.

There are currently 2 widely used platforms:

• 3dp.rocks: works creating black and white lithophanies.
• itslitho.comhas the ability to produce color lithophanes, (printing a color sheet of paper).

For this post I'm going to use the second option: itslitho.com, since I want to print a 3D Lithophane in color.

The image can be in color or black and white. It all depends on what you want to print.

2. Laminator Software

In this post I will use as an example Healing from Ultimaker, but you can choose the one you want.

In order to 3D print a Lithophane you will need to set some special lamination settings which I will tell you about further down in the post.

3. A 3D printer

Any 3D printer can work, I understand that resin ones can too, although I have never tried it.

In this post I will focus on FDM printers, using a Creality Ender 3 to make the sample lithophanes. Anyway you can use any printer.

Here you can see a list of Top 10 3D Printers for Beginners, chosen and ordered based on their cost/quality ratio.

The important thing to have good quality lithophanes with any 3D printer is use white material and special laminating settings to obtain the best possible quality.

How to make 3D lithophanes

Use a 3D lithophane generator to process your image, then download the stl file and set the best parameters in Cura. Once ready you can print the lithophane on your 3D printer with a white filament, preferably of good quality.

If your lithophane is in color, remember to print the image in color with Paint.

Here is a tutorial following the 4 steps above:

Step 1: Online Lithophane Generator itslitho.com

Click on the link in the title to enter the lithophane generator, then follow the steps below.

1) Upload the Image

To upload the image you must go to the tab on the top left.

In this section the only option you must click on “Upload“. Here the window will open for you to choose the chosen file and it will be uploaded to the website.

2) Edit the Image

In this option you can modify (if you wish) the options of:

2.1) Grayscale method:

1. Averaging (to average)
2. Luminance (luminance)
3. black&white (Black and White)

2.2) Image editor:

1. brightness (Glow)
2. contrast (Contrast)
3. exposure (exposure)
4. blur (Blur)

2.3) Image transformations:

1. rotate (Rotate)
2. crop width (cut width)
3. crop height (cut high)
4. Mirror (mirror effect)
5. Flip (Turn around)

If the image you uploaded is the right size and color, you don't have to change anything; you can leave it as is. If you need to, you can make the changes mentioned above; feel free to experiment.

In my particular case the image I chose does not need to be edited, hence I'm going to leave the values as they are:

If you have made a mistake and want to reset the values, you can click on the arrow at the top right. Then all the values will be reset to the way they were before.

3) Modeling the Lithophane

Once you have completed the previous step you can move on to the next tab “model"where you can configure all parameters of your lithophane before printing it

We will go step by step, to understand what each configuration is for:

3.1) Shape Options

1. plane (Flat)
2. Cylinder (Clindrical)
3. sphere (Spherical)
4. Arc (arched)
5. pumpkin (Pumpkin)
6. stir (Vase Type)
7. Circle (Circular)
8. Christmas specials (Christmas specials)
9. Heart (Heart)
10. Hexagonal (Hexagon)

These are all the forms that exist in the program and Each of them will have its own configuration, with its own parameters to be configured.

In this tutorial on 3D lithophane, I am going to focus on the “Arc", since I want to print a simple form for educational purposes, without complicating things so much in order to be able to explain them well. Also One of the secrets to making very good lithophanes is to print them vertically., for which this form will be of great help.

arc options:

• Height (Height): Here you should choose the height you want your lithophane to have, the width will be set automatically.
• angle (Angle): This modifies the angle of the curve and measures it in degrees. (I'll leave it with the default values)
• Min Thick (Minimum thickness): I will leave the default values 0.8 mm
• Max Thick (Maximum Thickness): Also, the default values 3.2 mm
• crop (cut): It will allow you to modify the width by cropping the image.
• Inside (Inside): It will put the thickness variation on the inside (I'll leave it disabled, I haven't tried it yet)

3.2) Frame Options

• None (None): Will not place any frame
• frames (Frame): Will place a frame around the Lithophane
• Border (Border): Will create a thin border around the Lithophane

I will choose the default options, I will leave the frame with its default options.

3.3) Quality options

• mm per pixel: 0.15 mm This option will determine the quality, as the mm per pixel increases, so will the Megabytes of the image (be careful or the file will be very heavy)
• Preview Model: Allows us to choose the preview quality.

3.4) Attributes

• enable lamp: Allows you to add a support for lamps or spotlights
• close bottom: Adds a flat base
• night light: Adds a base with a hole

These options are interesting, but I'm going to leave them default.

3.5) Model Options

• Not light (without light): Shows the lithophane without lighting (white sheet)
• back lighted (With back light): Shows the effect of 3D lithophane, you can see the image.
• Normal gradient (normal gradients): Shows the lithophane lit from the front, with color gradients.

I will also leave the default options.

3.6) Image options

• Positive image (positive image): It is important that this option is always activated, otherwise the image will be negative.
• Flip image (Rotate Image): Flips the image vertically
• Mirror image (Mirror Image): Reflects the Image horizontally
• Horizontal Placement (Horizontal Adjustment): Moves the image horizontally to the sides
• Vertical Placement (Vertical Adjustment): Moves the image vertically up or down.
• zoom factor (Zoom factor): Zooms in or out of the image.

Here you won't change anything unless it's necessary, the default options will be correct.

Once you are done with these settings, you will be able to download the color images and the STL file that will be needed to slice in Cura.

4) Download the 3D Lithophane files

Click the “ buttonDownload” which is at the bottom right.

Then choose the options “LITHOPHANE” and “COLOR LITHOPHANE”

The download of the STL and image files will begin.

Step 2: Open Stl in Cura and adjust parameters

Before printing the lithophane, we will set the best settings in Cura (or the slicer you use), since printing lithophanes requires some delicate adjustments.

In order not to make so much trouble with the settings, I am going to leave a download link with the best parameters, so that they directly lower my profile, and then everyone can modify it as they wish.

Some Cura parameters for printing lithophanes are:

Quality

• Layer height: must be between 0.1mm and 0.2mm, since a larger measurement will make the lines of the print more visible.
• Initial layer height: should not exceed 0.2mm
• The line width: will be same as Nozzle (0.4mm)

Walls

• Wall Line Count: 10 (It would be best if they were all walls.)
• Z sewing position: Choose “Rear Left” so that the seam is hidden and not scattered throughout the lithophane.
• Corner seam preference: “hide seam“

Stuffed

• Filling density: 100%

Material

• Printing temperature: 205 °C (for PLA)
• Build Plate Temperature: 50.0 °C (not required for PLA)
• Flow: 100%

Speed

• Print speed: 35.0 mm/s or 40.0 mm/s (it will take many hours, but it is the most advisable to obtain good quality)
• Outer Wall Speed: 25.0mm/s
• Initial Layer Speed: Always at 20.0mm/s
• Skirt/edge speed: 20mm/s

Displacement

• Enable Retraction: Yeah
• Retraction distance: 5.0 mm (or the one you always use)
• Retraction speed: 45.0 mm/s (or whatever you always use)
• Combed mode: “not in the lining“

Refrigeration

• Enable print cooling: Yeah
• fan speed: 100%

Medium

• There's no need, turn it off

Build plate adhesion

• Type of adhesion of the printing plate: “Edge“
• Border Line Count: 10 laps will suffice.

Once all your parameters are ready, you can do the segmentation and save the G-code file to your micro-SD card

Step 3: Print 3D Lithophane

Remember before printing:

• You must have the 3D printer clean and in good condition; here you can see a post about “How to maintain your 3D printer“.
• Make sure correctly level the bed of your 3D printer before printing.
• Use a good quality white filament, and if it is an old filament be careful with the humidity problems.

If everything goes well, you will have a lithophane like the one in the photo. It will be white with the shapes of the image, but it will not be visible unless you illuminate it from behind.

This is how the Lithograph would look illuminated from behind, the image will be seen in black and white.

To add colors you will need to print the image you previously downloaded from the Windows Paint application.

Why from Paint?

Because Paint will allow you to set the necessary settings so that the image is printed in the actual size. Now we will see it below

Step 4: Print color sheet from Paint

Once you have opened the image in Paint you will need to configure the Print Page.

Go to “File” > “Print” > “Page Setup”

In this window you must Select: Adjust to 100% of normal size and accept

Once this is done you can print sheet on your color printer

Once you have the sheet, you can place it on the back and see how the lithophane is in color!

Channel video: dorcuCom – Maker for Makers

Here I leave you a lithophane lamp that I made with my son's photo, I hope you like it.

Practical task: Now try making your own coloured lithophane! Then tell me how it went in the comments…