A lithophane is a thin relief panel whose thickness follows the brightness of a photo: thick areas pass little light and look dark, thin areas pass more light and look bright, so the picture appears when the panel is lit from behind. To print one, convert the photo with Cura’s built-in image import or an online generator (darker pixels = thicker), keep the total thickness in the low single-digit millimetres, print in white PLA at 100% infill with fine layers, and backlight it with a cool LED rather than a hot bulb.
The settings below come from UltiMaker’s support article for Cura, a QIDI technical guide and Prusa’s PLA article. The QIDI figures are a printer vendor’s recommendations, not a standard, so use them as starting points and adjust after a small test print.
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Lithophane in 6 steps
- Prepare the photo. UltiMaker suggests desaturating it, adding slight contrast, cropping, and adding a black border for a sturdier print.
- Convert it to a 3D model with Cura or a generator (next section). Set dark pixels to be thicker.
- Set the thickness range. Keep the thickest area around 2–3 mm and the base to 1–2 solid layers (details below).
- Slice in a light filament with fine layers, 100% infill and a brim.
- Print it slowly, upright if you want the most detail, flat if stability matters more (see the orientation section).
- Backlight it with an LED source behind a diffuser and keep heat away from the panel.
Tools that turn a photo into a lithophane model
| Tool | What it does | Output |
|---|---|---|
| UltiMaker Cura | Open an image file and a conversion dialog appears: height, base, width/depth, lighter or darker is higher, colour model, 1 mm transmittance, smoothing (0–100) | Sliced directly in Cura |
| ItsLitho | Online generator; its site lists plane, arc, vase, bell, cylinder, pumpkin, sphere and candle-holder shapes and describes the tool as free | STL |
| Lithophane Maker | Online generator with flat framed panels, globes, night lights, lamps and more; its lamp defaults fit only the author’s lamp, so measure your own socket | STL |
| Bambu Lab MakerLab “Make My Lithophane” | Monochrome and CMYK colour lithophanes with a preview; announced as a beta in July 2024, and a forum reply says it has minimum and maximum thickness limits | See Bambu’s page for current export options |
Features and free tiers of online tools change, so check each tool’s current page before relying on it. In Cura, choose “darker is higher” for lithophanes, and the logarithmic translucency colour model; lowering the 1 mm transmittance raises contrast in dark areas and lowers it in light areas.
Thickness: how thick should a lithophane be?
Thickness is the contrast control, because the thicker the plastic, the less light passes through.
- Maximum thickness. UltiMaker recommends a height of 2–3 mm if you want some transparency left in the thicker areas. QIDI gives 0.8–3.2 mm as the range a typical lithophane works within.
- Base. UltiMaker advises at least 1–2 solid layers at the plate, because too many reduce contrast and transparency. The initial layer height also changes how many layers that is.
- Layers and range. With 0.1 mm layers, 0.8 mm is 8 layers and 3.2 mm is 32, so the number of grey levels is limited by layer height. Finer layers give smoother tones.
- Too dark or too light. If the print looks muddy and dark, lower the maximum thickness or raise the transmittance and print again. If it looks washed out, raise the maximum thickness within the range above.
Use a light filament. UltiMaker names white, pearl-white or light grey PLA, and QIDI calls natural or white PLA the baseline because it diffuses light evenly. QIDI warns that heavily filled filaments such as carbon-fibre or glitter blends block light almost completely.
Slicer settings
| Setting | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Layer height | 0.1 mm, or 0.06 mm for the finest result | UltiMaker (Visual Fine, Extra Fine); QIDI uses 0.1–0.12 mm |
| Initial layer height | 0.1–0.2 mm | UltiMaker |
| Line width | Near the nozzle size; 0.25 mm adds detail but takes longer | UltiMaker |
| Infill | 100%, or top/bottom thickness at least half the print height. QIDI specifies rectilinear | UltiMaker, QIDI |
| Speed | 30–45 mm/s for an upright panel; slower avoids under-extrusion, higher travel speed limits oozing | QIDI, UltiMaker |
| Adhesion | Brim, carefully levelled bed | UltiMaker |
Why 100%: any sparse infill pattern shows through as blotches or a moiré pattern when the panel is lit. Check in the slicer preview that the layers are solid all the way through. For the general effect of layer height see the layer height guide, and for slowing down without wasting time, the print speed guide.
Print flat or upright?
Cura places the model flat by default. UltiMaker says printing upright adds detail but is much less stable. QIDI recommends printing vertically with the long edge along the Y axis to limit the whip of tall, thin prints at speed.
- Flat is the safest first try: the panel sits on the plate and cannot fall over.
- Upright needs a brim and slow speed, and a base or frame that gives it a wide footprint. See brim vs raft for sizing the brim.
- Orientation changes how layer lines run through the image, which is why advice differs. The general rule is in the print orientation guide. Print a small test panel both ways and compare.
Flat panel or shaped lithophane
Generators also output curved and 3D shapes such as vases, spheres, cylinders, night lights and lamp shades. These look striking but add constraints:
- Fit the light first. Lithophane Maker warns that its lamp defaults match only the author’s lamp, and its Christmas-tree options list specific tea-light clamp diameters. Measure your light source or socket and enter the size before printing.
- Check the orientation the tool recommends. Lithophane Maker says its circular tag should be printed horizontally; other shapes may have different advice on their pages.
- Start flat. A flat panel in a frame or light box is the quickest way to learn how your printer and filament handle thickness before moving to curved shapes that take longer to print.
Lighting the finished panel
QIDI recommends cool LED panels over incandescent bulbs because PLA begins to soften around 55–60 °C, and Prusa’s PLA article gives over 60 °C as the point where it softens and deforms. Use an LED panel, strip or tea-light behind a diffuser, and keep a gap between the light and the plastic. Moving the light closer brightens the image but increases the heat on the panel.
Fixing common lithophane problems
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Too dark, shadows blocked | Panel too thick, dark or filled filament | Lower maximum thickness, use white PLA |
| Washed out | Too thin, or too many base layers | Raise maximum height towards 2–3 mm, keep 1–2 base layers |
| Blotchy or moiré pattern | Infill below 100%, or vibration on a tall panel | 100% rectilinear infill, slow to 30–45 mm/s |
| Stair-stepped edges | Coarse layers, no smoothing | 0.1 mm or finer; try a little smoothing (higher values lose contrast) |
| Falls over or wobbles | Upright without brim | Add a brim, slow down, or print flat |
| Warps near the lamp | Heat softening PLA | Switch to an LED, add distance |
Common mistakes and next steps
- Printing at default 20% infill and wondering why the photo looks blotchy.
- Using a thick base, which flattens contrast.
- Judging the print on a desk instead of backlit; check it with the light you will use.
- Starting with a large panel. Print a small version first to tune thickness before committing hours to the full size.
Frequently asked questions
What thickness should a lithophane be?
UltiMaker suggests a height of 2–3 mm if you want some light to pass through the thickest areas, with a 1–2 layer base. QIDI describes 0.8–3.2 mm as the typical working range. Print a small test and adjust the maximum thickness until shadows keep detail.
Can I use coloured filament for a lithophane?
Light colours can work, but white or natural PLA diffuses light most evenly, and UltiMaker recommends white, pearl-white or light grey. Dark, carbon-filled and glitter filaments block too much light.
Should a lithophane be printed flat or upright?
Flat is more stable. Upright adds detail according to UltiMaker, but needs a brim and slow speeds to stay on the plate. Test both on a small panel.
Why does my lithophane show blotches when lit?
Usually because infill is below 100%, so voids show through the panel. Print with 100% rectilinear infill and check the preview for solid layers. Vibration on tall, thin panels can also cause banding; slow the print to 30–45 mm/s.
