Looking for 3D Printing Services

[HMSwolfe]

I’ve been at the mercy of public library and university 3D printers for a few years now. That does fine for the occasional lightsaber, but they all have strict “no-firearms” policies, which of course extend to non-functional prop replicas. I’ve looked into both Shapeways and 3D Hubs, but the services they offer seem to be considerably more expensive than what I’ve paid at libraries, well into the hundreds of dollars. I’m here to ask a few things.

Is this normal, i.e., have I just been underpaying until now, and it really does cost hundreds of dollars for small prints, or are there much more budget-friendly options out there?

If there are no other budget options, are there members here who offer 3D printing services? If so, PM me and I’ll get you my model to see about getting a quote for pricing.

This is what I’m looking to print. I’m used to printing in PLA as it has been the cheapest option, but depending on the quote, resin-printed might be nice.

 

[Riceball]

You could invest in your printer if you think that you'd be printing enough stuff. You can buy some, but probably a bit on the small size, for around $200 at Monoprice. I don't know much about them myself but I've heard that they're not bad.

 

[Bandit959]

I don't have a recommendation for a service. If you opt to follow Riceball's suggestion of purchasing a printer, you might want to check out the 3D Printing subreddit. They have a purchasing advice megathread here

https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/ex1mc2