Our holiday cutoff calendars, segmented by region, specify the deadline for placing your 3D printed order based on chosen material, to ensure delivery by December 24th. In addition to the material, the size of your print and shipping speed also play a role in determining critical order dates. 

As you upload your models and browse our marketplace, refer to our cutoff calendars below for a well-organized and hassle-free holiday planning process. Please note that delivery dates are based on estimates from our shipping carriers, and are not guaranteed. Considering the increased holiday shipping demand, we highly recommend placing your order as early as possible.

Click to view Holiday Cutoff Calendar by region:

The post Get a Head Start on Holiday Planning With Our Holiday Material Cutoff Calendar appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

You’ve got from now to the second week of December to get a 3D design together, if you want to order a 3D print before the Shapeways Material Cut-Off Dates for the holidays. In this post we’ll show you how you can create a custom 3D-printable clock face with three different software programs. Don’t have time for that? Skip to the end to see how you can customize a retro clock very quickly with our Sunburst Clock Maker.

Beginner: Tinkercad

Even if you’ve never created a 3D design before, it’s easy to get started with Tinkercad, a free in-browser 3D design tool with a simple drag-and-drop interface. To get started, sign up for a free account and check out the All3DP video Getting Started in Tinkercad: A Tutorial for Complete Beginners. Once you know a few Tinkercad tricks, you can create complex designs from very simple combinations of shapes; throughout this post we’ll link to helpful YouTube videos to show you exactly what you need to know.

To make a simple clock in Tinkercad, we’ll start with a cylinder for the center face, and then create a couple of stretched-out rings with Rotated “Round Roof” shapes and Holes:

By using the “Control-D” duplication tool we can copy and rotate those rings in a pattern around the cylinder. After modifying the heights of each shape with the Ruler, we get a simple retro clock face design:

If you want to pick apart our Tinkercad design and see how it works, just open this Quick Clock link and tinker for yourself! Add some Text for numbers, if you like, or design something new from scratch. When you’re ready to download your design for 3D printing, click the “Export” button and then choose “Export as STL”.

Intermediate: Fusion 360

To make a fancier custom clock, try Autodesk’s Fusion 360 3D software, which is free for students, educators, and hobbyists. There’s a steeper learning curve to get started in Fusion 360 than there is with Tinkercad, but there are plenty of video tutorials online to help you learn. Some of the best are the Fusion 360 tutorials by Maker’s Muse. We’ll link to relevant video tutorials throughout this section so that you can learn just what you need. Fusion 360 is a very powerful program with a lot of features and tools, but you only need to know how to use a few of those tools to make a simple clock!

For example, if you know how to create a Sketch, add Constraints, and use a Circular Pattern, then you have all the tools you need to create a 2D shape for a clock face design in Fusion 360. To create the example below we started a Sketch, added a Circle at the origin, then formed spoke shapes with Lines. We kept the shapes symmetric by using Constraints, and rotated them in a Pattern around the origin. In the screenshot below we are in the process of duplicating and rotating the thinnest spoke to create twelve copies of it around the center circle:

Most models in Fusion 360 start from a two-dimensional Sketch like the one above. Once you’re done with your Sketch you can Extrude to give it some three-dimensional depth, and then Fillet the edges to make them rounded and professional-looking:

To download your model for 3D printing, right-click on the gray name of your model in the Browser menu (if you haven’t saved your Fusion 360 design yet, then the name of the model will be “(Untitled)”, as it is in the screenshot above). Select “Save as STL”, click “OK” in the new window that pops up, and save the STL file to your computer.

Advanced: Make ALL THE CLOCKS

Feeling more ambitious? With some parametric design you can write OpenSCAD code to generate billions of clocks, each from a random seed. For example, consider the many types of retro-styled “Sunburst” or “Starburst” clocks shown in this Google Image search:

Clocks like these were inspired by the modernist-style work of industrial designer George Nelson, who made many variations of such clocks in the 1950s. There are some common design features that are shared by most of these clocks: geometrically-shaped spokes, a star/sunburst pattern, a circular inside for the hands… Here’s what our first notes looked like when we started thinking about the typical parts and designs for Sunburst Clocks, and some of our early test prints:

OpenSCAD is a free code-based design software that works on any platform. With just a little bit of coding knowledge you can write simple code to describe a library of geometric spoke shapes, and then options for rotating those shapes around a central circle. There are literally billions of configurations; here are just a few:

If you want to learn more about OpenSCAD, check out our beginner’s video tutorial PolyBowls – A simple OpenSCAD code walkthrough and intro document Hello OpenSCAD. The “Hello” document has a link to sample code you can inspect and modify; if you want to play around with the code that made the clocks in the rotating image above, you can download it from our Thingiverse page.

The Easy Way Out: Customize a Sunburst Clock

But… you may be thinking… there is NO TIME FOR THIS!! The holidays are coming fast, and you don’t have time to learn how to write parametric OpenSCAD code right now? No problem, just use our Customzier to design your own retro clock! We’ve made our design free on Thingiverse so you can create unique and interesting Sunburst Clocks in just a few seconds. Just go to the design on Thingiverse and click the “Open in Customizer” button to get started (you’ll have to sign up for a free Thingiverse/MakerBot account to open the design in Customizer):

The Customizer version of the Sunburst Clock design lets you create new clocks just by clicking in the Random Seed slider and selecting design options from drop-down menus. You can also set the overall shape and size of your clock, and control the center hole and backing to match your clock kit:

Once you have the clock you want, click the “Create Thing” button and download the STL file from your list of Things within Thingiverse. Here is a design we made with the Customizer and had printed at Shapeways in White Versatile Plastic for less than $30 (it’s the “Cordelia” design), together with the clock mechanism we’ll use to assemble the final clock:

After assembly, the clock looks like this:

And here’s an “action” shot on the wall:

Light Speed: Order an Existing Design

If you’re really down to the wire and don’t have time to create or customize your own design, then quickly head over to the Shapeways Marketplace for a huge selection of unique 3D printed gifts that you can order right away. If it’s before the December 13 cutoff date for medium-sized White Versatile Plastic at Shapeways, then you still have time to order, with next-day shipping and priority manufacturing, one of our best twelve pre-made retro clock designs from the geekhaus shop, like the Velma:

Happy making, and happy holidays!

The post Just in Time: Last-Minute Holiday Gifts appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Dive Deep Into Your Google Analytics Account

One of the best ways to fully understand your customers is by using Google Analytics. Reviewing your traffic data will give you a good indication of what your customers are most interested in and which products they view the most. If you haven’t set up your Google Analytics account, it is easy to do — and free! — just follow our tutorial here.

Once you’re all set up, make it a habit to check it regularly. Know how many visitors your shop receives on a weekly and monthly basis, the demographics of your visitors, how they’re finding your shop, and what your most popular products are.

Utilize Social Media

If you see through Google Analytics that your shop is receiving decent referrals from social media, it’s worth allocating some time to further develop your social channels. Whatever your preferred  channel is, these tips could help:

1. Comments are worth more than likes: Not only from an engagement scoring perspective, but meaningful conversations can help you understand your customers’ needs and wants much more than likes.
2. Know what time zones your audience is in and when they are most active. Use this insight to plan your posts at times when there is more engagement.
3. Aim to only share high quality photos, meaning that none of them should be blurry or hard to see. Additionally, candid photos work well on social because they feel more personal, and behind-the-scenes photos shot on cell phones can be just as effective.
4. Build relationships online and offline: Ultimately, you want people to message, contact, and purchase from you. Don’t lose sight of your end goal, which is to generate revenue, not to reach x number of followers or likes.

Don’t Underestimate Word of Mouth

As useful as digital marketing is, word of mouth is still extremely important. If customers are happy with the products you make for them, chances are they’re going to tell their friends and family. Don’t be shy about letting your social circles know about your 3D products. You are your own best advocate, so give out your products as gifts, bring them to holiday parties, wear them, display them, use them at home, at work and when you travel, so that when people think of your product category, they think of you.

Ask For Customer Testimonials

Getting customer testimonials is also useful. Remember that customers are humans, and behind each purchase is somebody looking to make their lives happier or more productive with your product. Ask your customers for feedback and use the feedback to improve your shop, and to let the world know why people have chosen to purchase from you.

So you’ve reviewed our material cutoff dates, refreshed your products, added in the best images possible, and now you’re marketing your products to your target audience. We hope these tips have been helpful and wish you a great holiday season of selling.

The post Holiday Planning Tips: #5 Promote Your Products In Tactful Ways appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Consider the Theory of Long Tail

Traditionally in the commercial world, a company’s sales work like this: About 20% of their products make up 80% of the sales, which is known as the 80/20 rule. The other 80% of the products, while still manufactured, draw in much less revenue. At Shapeways, however, our marketplace sales embrace the theory of Long Tail.

3D printing is moving the consumer world more towards personalized and customized products, and the products our shop owners sell on the Shapeways marketplace is an example of a diverse long tail of products. Our shoppers purchase from this long tail of products instead of from a small pool of selections (meaning the 80% rather than the 20%).

Categories, Subcategories and Popular Product Placements

At Shapeways, we split our marketplace into 8 main categories: Tech, Accessories, Jewelry, Art, For Your Home, Games, Miniatures and Other. Within those 8 categories, we have 43 sub-categories. During the holiday season, while we don’t have popular products in the same way that major chain stores do, some categories are slightly more popular for shoppers. These include: Tech, Jewelry (pendants) and Games (tabletop & wargaming).

Where you choose to place your product in the marketplace is completely up to you, but it’s definitely a decision you should take some time to think about. You can reconsider your categories to help more shoppers discover your shop, or you can count on a less crowded space to help your products stand out. Whatever you choose, know that each route can lead to much success with the right strategy.

The post Holiday Planning Tips: #4 Position Your Products Well to Optimize Sales appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Look at your product images: Do they reflect your 3D printing capabilities well? Are the pictures appealing to potential clients? Do they show customers an accurate representation of what they’re ordering? Stellar photography can make or break a sale. It’s simple: People love photos and Shapeways’ audience is no exception. Follow these tips to ensure your images are effectively helping you promote your designs.

Which Images Should You Use?

1. Use photos of printed products. “Default renders” of unrealized products don’t give shoppers the confidence to make the purchase because they can’t visualize what the actual products will look like.
2. Use images that show the material options so customers know exactly what to expect when they order the 3D model in a specific material and finish. For example, do you offer your products in both gold and bronze? Have photos that show the difference in the two options.
3. Use images that are focused and can capture details on your 3D products. If you need help with this, we’ve created a simple tutorial just for you.

Photo Quality and Quantity

1. In your images, show the actual size of your products. In the past, we’ve heard from confused shoppers who thought that the miniature chair they purchased is one they can actually sit on! Including dimensions in your images will help avoid similar problems.
2. It’s best to show three types of images: close up, scale, and in-use (for a wearable object, show it on the body; for a toy, show it next to related items). In addition, you may also want to use photos to show how your products can be the perfect gift idea. For instance, if you’re selling jewelry for women, consider having photos of women modeling the products.
3. Summer is long gone, so go ahead and update the background of your photos to fit the holiday theme. Change that photo you took in the park in the spring to one with snowflakes in the back.
4. Be consistent with having great photos. If you have great photographs next to bad ones it erodes the overall integrity of the look of your shop.

In addition, adding a video alongside your images can help tremendously. Most of the top selling 3D products here at Shapeways include videos, so it’s clear that going the extra mile certainly pays off in the long run.

The post Holiday Planning Tips: #3 Attach the Best Images to Your Products appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Review Your Products

1. Overall, are you as happy with the current products in your shop as you were when you first designed them? Do they still represent who you are as a designer and your skill set?
2. Check your product categories and tags. Are they still accurate or have they changed over time? If you’re not sure how to categorize your products, have a look at the Shapeways marketplace and check out how similar products are labeled.

Look at Your Offered Materials

1. Have you tried printing your products in all materials offered? It’s good practice to test the printed quality to make sure the product prints as expected.
2. Some customers may not be very familiar with 3D printing, so it’s vital that you communicate the difference in materials and finishes you offer to them. Let the customers know what to expect.

Polish Up Your Descriptions

1. When altering your descriptions, start by adding in recipient-based keywords as tags (friend, mom, men, hostess, stocking stuffer) to help people find your products.
2. Wherever applicable, consider tweaking your descriptions and tags to make them more timely with the holiday season.
3. Describe the story of your items. The authenticity of a unique product carries much more value than a mass-produced one. Help gift givers understand how special your product is.
4. It’s best to use photos of printed products instead of 3D renderings. This will help your customer visualize the product much easier. Want to take it one step further? Post a video of your product!

Having great products isn’t enough, however. To guarantee success, you need to have great photos showcasing your 3D printed projects. In our next Holiday Planning Tips series, we’ll share some key tips to doing just so.

Want to be notified of future articles from our Holiday Planning Tips series? Subscribe to our newsletter and opt in to the Holiday Planning Tips list.

The post Holiday Planning Tips: #2 Review and Refresh Your Products This Season appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

From a survey we conducted this summer with our shop owners, we found that 87% of shop owners don’t communicate cutoff dates to customers. While initially, this may not seem like a huge problem, it certainly is when a customer places an order that cannot be fulfilled on time. By not communicating this with your customers, a layer of frustration is added to the process, especially for those who wait to order at the last minute.

Always communicate with your customer

1. Familiarize yourself with our material cutoff dates: Be proactive and take the time to figure out when each of our material cutoff dates are. Doing so will increase the overall efficiency of your design process and will make sure you can accurately communicate with your customer. For instance, our aluminum cutoff date for the U.S., Canada, and Europe is November 29 but for the rest of the world, it is November 27. Take some time to review all of our cutoff dates here.

2. Know where your customers are: Some parts of the world experience extreme weather during this time and it can impact shipping time. For example, if you’re sending your 3D products off to places like Buffalo, New York or Vermont in the U.S., where snow storms are usually expected in the winter time, it would be smart to build in an extra time cushion. Better safe than sorry. If you’re shipping internationally, remember that shipping speeds to different countries will vary.

3. Orders will not ship until all items are ready: If your order contains more than one item, your package will ship once all items are ready. If you are ordering a new, untested design, it’s possible that we may run into issues while 3D printing, so once again, that extra time cushion is important.

4. Delivery dates are not always guaranteed: Remember that delivery dates are not always guaranteed; they are estimated by our shipping carriers. Because of how many orders are shipped during the holidays, placing your shipping request as early as possible is the smartest thing to do.

Take some advice from our shop owners

If you’re swamped with order requests this holiday season, here’s some advice from some of our shop owners:

1. It’s better to refuse a last minute order than to apologize to an angry customer for late delivery;

2. Print popular products in advance so they’re available on hand.

We know this holiday season is going to be a great one for our shop owners. But to ensure efficiency, make sure to follow these tips and keep an eye on our material cutoff dates. Communicating this with your customers will make for a much smoother and pleasant design process.

Want to be notified of future articles from our Holiday Planning Tips series? Subscribe to our newsletter and opt in to the Holiday Planning Tips list.

The post Holiday Planning Tips: #1 Communicate Material Cutoff Dates with Customers appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

55% of Shapeways shop owners receive the most orders from October through December

To help your shop and 3D products shine and sell this season, we are kicking off a series of Holiday Planning Tips on everything from assessing product offerings to updating descriptions to photography and marketing for your 3D printing shop. Our goal is to help you take full advantage of the next few weeks in selling your products to your ideal customers.

Our survey also tells us that nearly 90% of shop owners do not communicate with their customers about material cutoff dates, which can be crucial in printing, packing and shipping out gift orders on time. So, in our next post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about our material cutoff dates and how you can use those to prepare your business this season.

Want to be notified of future articles from our Holiday Planning Tips series? Subscribe to our newsletter and opt in to the Holiday Planning Tips list.

The post Coming Soon: How To Ready Your Shop for the Holiday Season appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

#1 Add New Product Photos – Here are some helpful hints on how to take beautiful photos of your products for your shop.

#2 Enable the right Materials – Make sure you have the right materials for sale on your products. Don’t miss out on valuable sales – our Premium Strong & Flexible plastic and precious metal materials will surely be a hit this holiday.

#3 Shop Banner + Designer Avatar – If you don’t have them, you need them. ASAP! If you do have them, take a look and see if the look and feel are still in line with your brand. It may be time to brighten up for the holidays.

#4 Product / Shop Descriptions – Go through your products, and read the descriptions OUT LOUD. Does it flow? Is it still relevant, or is the info out of date?

#5 Link your Social Media Accounts – At the top of your shop page, you can link to your twitter account. This can be hugely helpful if a customer comes across your page and is interested in getting status updates long term.

#6 Product Display Order – Did you know that in your shop inventory page, you can change the way your products are assorted on the page? To reduce your bounce rate, boost your best selling items to the top of the page.

#7 Visual Coherency – If you’ve gotten someone to your shop page, you’ve already completed 80% of the battle. However, this is the part that makes or breaks the sale. It’s important to keep in mind the branding and language that you used to navigate people to that shop in the first place — and keep it consistent throughout.

Got any other tips or questions on spiffing up your shop this holiday? Check out all our past tips in the Shop Owner Bootcamp series. And come join in the conversation over in our Forums to give and get feedback from your peers!

The post Quick Tips to Spiff Up Your Shop for the Holidays appeared first on Shapeways Blog.