A lithophane cube takes most of a day to print, so this guide front-loads the cheap checks. Each step takes minutes to an hour and tells you a setting to use. By the time you print the full cube, every fit and image setting has already been checked on your printer, filament and slicer.
The fit tests in step 2 absorb most printer differences, but they can’t fix a printer that’s over-extruding one day and under-extruding the next. Spend a few minutes on the basics first:
Leave hole and contour (X-Y) compensation at 0 for now. Step 2 measures what your printer needs, and the maker applies it as clearance.
Two settings depend on your printer: how loosely a panel slides into its groove, and how firmly the lid’s pegs grip the posts. The Clearance sweep prints each fit at five sizes side by side, so one print tells you the right number.
| Pieces | Layer height | Walls | Infill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groove posts, post top, lid corners (frame-like) | Your normal frame setting, e.g. 0.2 mm | 3 | 15–20 % |
| Panel strip and brightness strip (panel-like) | Lithophane settings | See step 3 | 100 %, with a brim |
Print the panel strip the same way you’ll print real panels: standing up, as exported, with the lithophane settings. The grooves need to fit a real panel, not a frame-quality one.
Print: groove-post-* ×5 and panel-strip.
The five posts differ only in groove width. Count the engraved dots on the floor:
| Dots | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groove clearance | 0.15 mm | 0.20 mm | 0.25 mm | 0.30 mm | 0.35 mm |
Test: hold the strip the way it printed, bottom edge down, and slide its side edge down into each post’s groove until the bottom edge seats in the bottom groove. Try both grooves on each post.
Set: Panel → Groove clearance to the tightest post that passes.
Print: lid-corner-peg-* ×5 and post-top. The lid corners print face-down with the peg pointing up, and the dots are on top.
| Dots | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peg clearance | 0.00 mm | 0.05 mm | 0.10 mm | 0.15 mm | 0.20 mm |
Test: press each peg into the post top’s hole.
Insert and remove your favourite three or four times. You’ll open the lid to reach the light, so it has to keep gripping.
Set: Lid → Peg clearance to that one. If even the tightest is loose, raise Peg depth.
Print: the post-top and lid-corner from the Test kit with Lid → Attach with: Magnets selected, and get your magnets (6×3 mm by default).
Test: press a magnet into each hole.
The image comes from light passing through plastic of varying thickness, so the right thickness range depends on your filament and your light source.
Panels print standing up. The maker exports every panel standing on its bottom edge, and that’s how to print them:
The cost is a slower print and a tall, thin part that needs a brim. Use these settings for every panel and for the test strips:
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | Standing, as exported | Smooth shading, no infill grid |
| Filament | Plain white PLA | Colours and silk finishes tint or scatter the light |
| Layer height | 0.1–0.12 mm | Sets the vertical detail; the shading itself comes from sideways moves |
| Infill | 100 % | Gaps inside the plate show up as lines when lit |
| Brim | 5 mm | Keeps a tall, thin plate from tipping or wobbling |
| Speed | Outer walls ≤ 40 mm/s | Wobble near the top shows up as streaks when backlit |
| Supports | None |
Print panels spaced apart rather than packed tightly, so the nozzle doesn’t knock a neighbour while it’s still thin. Peel the brim off before assembly.
Print: litho-steps from the Test kit with the settings above.
Test: in a dim room, hold it in front of the light you’ll use in the cube. It shows 10 steps from black to white.
| What you see | Change |
|---|---|
| All 10 steps look different | Nothing, you’re set |
| The darkest steps merge into one block | Lower Max thickness (dark) |
| The brightest steps merge into one glow | Raise Min thickness (bright) |
| Everything looks too dark or too washed out | Adjust Gamma: lower for deeper shadows, higher for brighter overall |
Max thickness can’t exceed Panel thickness. The maker warns you if it does.
With the clearances and thicknesses set, export with Download all (.zip). Empty image slots become plain panels (*-blank.stl), which glow evenly and print faster. They’re handy for a first test assembly.
| Part | Profile | Notes |
|---|---|---|
frame.stl | Frame: 0.2 mm, 3 walls, 15–20 % | Floor down, as exported |
lid.stl | Frame | Exported face-down, with the pegs or magnet holes pointing up |
side-*.stl, top.stl | Lithophane | Standing on the bottom edge, as exported, with a 5 mm brim |
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Panel won’t reach the bottom groove | Elephant foot on the panel or frame | Turn on elephant foot compensation (step 1) |
| Panels fit the test piece but not the real frame | Different layer height or profile than the test | Print the test pieces with the same profiles as the real parts |
| Lid falls off | Peg clearance too high | Lower Peg clearance or raise Peg depth |
| Lid pegs snapped | Peg clearance too low | Raise Peg clearance |
| Rings or steps in smooth gradients | Panel printed lying flat | Print it standing up, as exported |
| Grid pattern visible in the image | Panel printed flat, or infill below 100 % | Print standing up with 100 % infill |
| Panel wobbled or tipped over while printing | Tall, thin part with too little bed grip | Use a 5 mm (or wider) brim, slow down, and space panels apart |
| Bright spot in the middle of each panel | Small bare light source | Use a diffuse bulb or puck light |
| Image looks flat or muddy | Thickness range too narrow | Re-run the brightness test (step 3) |