How to make a lithophane (photo to 3D print, step by step)
Quick answer: a lithophane is a thin print that shows a photo when light shines through it. Thick areas look dark and thin areas glow. To make one, turn a photo into an STL in a lithophane maker. Print it standing up in white PLA, with 0.10–0.12 mm layers and 100 % infill. Then light it from behind with a warm-white LED.
- Thickness: about 0.8 mm for the brightest areas and 3 mm for the darkest.
- Cura can convert an image itself. Bambu Studio only slices a lithophane; the photo has to be converted first.
- The free splicestl lithophane maker runs in your browser and cuts the base to fit the light you own.
What a lithophane is
A lithophane is a picture made of thickness. Light passes easily through thin plastic and hardly at all through thick plastic. So a panel of varying thickness shows a grey-scale photo when it is lit from behind. Lit from the front, it looks like a blank, bumpy plate.
The idea comes from 19th-century porcelain. A 3D printer makes it easy at home, because the thickness can be set to a tenth of a millimetre.
How to make a lithophane in five steps
1. Choose the photo
Pick a photo with a full range of tones: a clear face, a pet, a bright sky behind dark trees. A photo that is mostly mid-grey prints flat. Crop tight on the subject, because small faces lose their detail.
Resolution is rarely the limit. At 0.15 mm per sample, a 100 mm panel needs about 670 pixels across. Any phone photo is enough. Raise the contrast a little, and lower the gamma below 1 if the shadows look blocked up.
2. Pick a shape
- Flat panel: the simplest print. It stands in a frame or on a stand.
- Curved panel or night light: stands in a round base, with a tea light at the centre of the arc.
- Cylinder lamp: up to four photos around a full circle, straight or shaped like a vase, bell or sphere.
- Box: four panels on a base, with corner posts and a lid.
- Light catcher: one shaped panel with a loop, for a window, a tree or a keyring.
A panel prints standing up, so its height is its print height. Up to 250 mm is routine on most printers.
3. Set the thickness
The maker maps brightness to thickness. The brightest pixel gets the thinnest value, and the darkest pixel gets the thickest.
| Setting | Typical value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Thinnest (brightest) | 0.8 mm; never under 0.6 mm | A 0.4 mm nozzle needs room for one solid wall, or the bright areas open up. |
| Thickest (darkest) | 3 mm in white PLA | Light through PLA falls off fast; 3 mm is close to black. |
| Thickest, bright light or PETG | 3.5–4 mm | More light, or a more translucent plastic, needs more depth for the same dark. |
4. Print it standing up
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Standing up, long edge on the bed |
| Layer height | 0.10–0.12 mm (0.16 mm is acceptable on a fast printer) |
| Infill | 100 %, or enough walls that every thin area is solid |
| Filament | White or natural PLA |
| Outer wall speed | 25–40 mm/s |
| Supports | None; add a brim for tall panels |
| Cooling | 100 % fan after the first layers |
Why standing up? The changes in thickness then happen in the nozzle's sideways moves, which are much finer than layer steps. Printed flat, every tone becomes a visible step. The bed side also comes out glossy and smears the picture.
5. Light it
A lithophane is only as good as its light, which should be even, warm and close. Warm white (2700–3000 K) flatters skin. Cool white makes a portrait look like an X-ray.
- Small night lights: an LED tea light, the 38 mm flameless kind.
- Lamps and boxes: a USB LED puck or a short LED strip, which gives the most even light.
- Table lamps: a lamp-cord kit with an E12 or E26 socket and an LED bulb.
Use LEDs only. An incandescent bulb can heat PLA past about 60 °C, where it softens and the panel sags.
Making a lithophane in Cura, Bambu Studio or the browser
Cura
Cura is the one common slicer that converts an image itself. Open the photo with File ‣ Open File(s), and a Convert Image dialog appears. Choose Darker is higher, so dark areas print thick. Set Height to about 3 mm and Base to about 0.8 mm. Set the width, keep smoothing low (0–2), and click OK.
Cura makes a flat panel only. Curved panels, lamps and boxes need a lithophane maker.
Bambu Studio and other slicers
Bambu Studio slices a lithophane but cannot turn a photo into one. Make the model first, then import it. Bambu Lab's own route is Make My Lithophane in MakerLab on MakerWorld, which exports a 3MF project. An STL from any lithophane maker works too. Then set 100 % infill and fine layers, as in the table above.
In the browser, with splicestl
- Open the lithophane maker and drop a photo. Nothing is uploaded; it all runs in the tab.
- Crop by dragging on the picture. Adjust brightness, contrast and gamma.
- Pick a shape and size: panel, curved, cylinder, box or light catcher.
- Pick the light you own. The base gets a pocket, channel or socket hole cut to fit it.
- Check the LIT preview, then download one STL or 3MF per part, with a README of print settings.
It also makes colour lithophanes. A tinted one needs only filament swaps on any printer. A full-colour one needs a multi-colour printer.
Why a lithophane looks bad, and the fix
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Flat, muddy picture | A mostly mid-grey photo, or a dim light far behind | Raise contrast, set gamma below 1, and put the LED close |
| Holes in the brightest areas | Thinnest value below one solid wall | Set the thinnest value to 0.6–0.8 mm |
| Cold, X-ray look | Cool-white light | Use warm white, 2700–3000 K |
| Stair-stepped tones | Printed lying flat | Print standing up |
| Speckles | Noise in the photo | Add a little smoothing |
| Panel bent or sagged | Heat from the bulb | Switch to an LED |
Make a lithophane from your photo
Night lights, lamps, boxes and light catchers, with the base cut for your light. Nothing is uploaded.
Open the lithophane makerFrequently asked questions
How thick should a lithophane be?
About 0.8 mm at the brightest and 3 mm at the darkest, for white PLA. Keep the thinnest part at 0.6 mm or more, so a 0.4 mm nozzle lays one solid wall. Go to 3.5–4 mm at the thickest for a very bright light or for PETG.
What layer height is best for a lithophane?
0.10–0.12 mm. Standing up, the layer height sets the vertical detail of the picture. 0.16 mm is acceptable on a fast printer.
Should a lithophane be printed flat or standing up?
Standing up, with the long edge on the bed. Printed flat, every tone becomes a layer step, and the glossy bed side smears the image. Add a brim for tall panels.
What is the best filament for a lithophane?
White PLA. Natural PLA works but is more translucent. Grey or coloured PLA dims the picture. PETG is fine if you raise the thickest value to about 3.5 mm.
Can Bambu Studio make a lithophane?
No, it only slices one. Convert the photo first, in Bambu Lab's Make My Lithophane on MakerWorld or in another lithophane maker such as splicestl. Then import the file and print with 100 % infill.
What light should go behind a lithophane?
A warm-white LED, 2700–3000 K, close and even. An LED tea light suits small night lights; a USB puck or an LED strip suits lamps and boxes. Avoid incandescent bulbs, because their heat softens PLA.
Sources
- All3DP, Lithophanes with Cura: Easy Tutorial (incl. Best Settings), 25 April 2024 — Cura's Convert Image dialog and print settings. Read 9 Nov 2026.
- All3DP, colour lithophane tutorial for Bambu Lab printers, updated 15 August 2026 — Bambu Studio slices the file; Make My Lithophane in MakerLab exports a 3MF. Read 9 Nov 2026.
- The settings, light presets and thickness rules above match the lithophane maker's documentation.
What changed — November 9, 2026: first published.