Not everyone wants to buy a printer. Maybe you have one print you need done, you want to try a material your printer can't handle, or you just want someone else to deal with the whole setup-and-calibration process. Online 3D printing services exist for exactly that - but the price difference between them is enormous, and picking the wrong one is an easy way to spend £50 on something that should have cost £8.
I've used a few of these services over the years, mostly when I needed something in a material I didn't have a printer for, or when a friend needed a one-off print and didn't want to buy a machine. Here's what I've found.
If you want cheap, start with Craftcloud (price comparison across dozens of services) or JLCPCB (absurdly cheap for resin prints shipped from China). If you want fast and local, Treatstock connects you with nearby print shops and hobbyists. If you need professional materials or tight tolerances, the price goes up significantly regardless of where you go.
craftcloud3d.com
Craftcloud is a price aggregator - you upload your STL, pick your material and finish, and it shows you quotes from dozens of print services side by side. This alone makes it the best starting point for anyone trying to find a cheap print.
The range of quotes is often staggering. The same part in PLA might be £6 from one service and £35 from another. Without a comparison tool, you'd have no way of knowing you were overpaying. Craftcloud solves that instantly.
Best for: Anyone who doesn't know where to start, price-sensitive one-off prints, comparing material options side by side.
Watch out for: Shipping costs aren't always shown upfront. A cheap print from a service in the US or Eastern Europe can become expensive once you add international shipping to the UK. Filter by location if you need something quickly or want to avoid customs.
jlcpcb.com
JLCPCB is primarily a PCB manufacturer, but they've expanded into 3D printing and their resin (SLA) prices are genuinely shocking compared to Western alternatives. A small detailed resin print that would cost £20-30 on Shapeways or Sculpteo might be £3-5 on JLCPCB, including reasonable surface finish.
The catch: shipping from China takes 1-3 weeks and adds a few pounds. But if you're not in a rush and you want detailed resin prints on a budget - miniatures, detailed functional parts, prototype parts - JLCPCB is hard to beat on price.
Best for: Resin prints, detailed small parts, hobbyists who can wait 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Watch out for: Shipping time. Not suitable if you need something this week. Also worth checking whether customs fees apply for your order value.
pcbway.com
Very similar to JLCPCB - primarily a PCB house that also does 3D printing at competitive prices. Worth getting a quote from both and comparing, as prices vary by model. PCBWay has a slightly broader range of materials and finishes, including some SLS (nylon powder) options at reasonable prices.
Best for: When JLCPCB doesn't have the material or finish you need, or when PCBWay comes in cheaper for your specific model.
treatstock.com
Treatstock is a marketplace that connects you with local print shops and individual hobbyists who take commissions. The appeal is speed and communication - a local printer can often have something done in 24-48 hours, you can discuss the print with them directly, and there's no international shipping involved.
Prices vary a lot depending on the provider. Some are cheap (a hobbyist printing from their home printer), some are professional shop rates. But you can see reviews, turnaround times, and available materials for each provider before you commit.
Best for: Urgent prints, anything where you want to talk to a real person, UK-based prints with no shipping wait.
Watch out for: Quality varies significantly between providers. Check the reviews and look at their example photos before ordering.
shapeways.com
Shapeways has been around since the early days of consumer 3D printing and offers a huge range of materials - including metals, ceramics, and high-end nylons that most services don't offer. The quality and consistency is generally excellent.
But you're paying for it. Shapeways is significantly more expensive than the options above for basic FDM or SLA prints. Where it makes sense is for materials you simply can't get elsewhere at a hobbyist scale - if you need a stainless steel part or a high-detail nylon print with a professional surface finish, Shapeways is worth the premium.
Best for: Metal prints, professional-grade materials, when quality matters more than price.
Not great for: Budget hobbyist prints. Use Craftcloud or JLCPCB for those.
sculpteo.com
Sculpteo is a French-based professional print service with reasonable quality and a decent range of materials including SLS nylon. Prices are mid-range - not as cheap as the Asian services, not as expensive as Shapeways for most materials. Shipping to the UK is fairly quick from France.
The online quote tool is clean and easy to use, and they have good material guides to help you choose. I've used them for functional parts that needed SLS nylon (stronger and more flexible than FDM) and found the quality reliable.
Best for: SLS nylon prints, functional parts, European delivery times.
The first time I used an online print service, I went straight to Shapeways without checking alternatives. Paid about £28 for a small bracket that I later discovered Craftcloud could have sourced for £7. Lesson learned.
Now I always start with Craftcloud to get a baseline, then check JLCPCB separately for resin because Craftcloud doesn't always include them. For anything urgent I check Treatstock for UK-based options. That three-step check takes about ten minutes and usually saves real money.
The one time I consistently use the more expensive professional services is for materials - if I need a part in glass-filled nylon or metal, I'll go to Shapeways or Sculpteo because there's no cheap alternative for those.
Material choice matters more than service choice. FDM PLA prints are cheap everywhere. SLS nylon and resin are mid-range. Metal is expensive everywhere. Pick the right material for your use case first, then find the cheapest source for that material.
Check wall thickness and minimum feature size. Most services have design rules - features that are too thin will fail. Download the design guidelines for your chosen service and material before you submit.
Factor in shipping. A £5 print with £12 international shipping isn't actually cheap. Craftcloud lets you filter by region; use it.
Check lead times. Professional services typically quote 3-7 business days. Asian services with cheap prices often take 2-4 weeks. Plan accordingly.
If you're already printing at home and you're wondering what things actually cost per gram, the Filament Cost Calculator at tools.print3dbuddy.com works it out instantly from your spool price and weight. Most hobbyists are surprised how cheaply they can print at home once they run the numbers - which is part of why buying a printer pays for itself faster than people expect.
Online print services are genuinely useful even if you own a printer - for materials you don't have, for prints that need professional finish, or for jobs you just don't want to babysit for 12 hours. Start with Craftcloud, check JLCPCB for resin, and use Treatstock when you need it done this week.