3D printed photo puzzle: the gap, the settings and the swaps

The photo puzzle maker prints every piece at once, flat on the bed, side by side in their places, with the photo in colour on top. Whether the pieces come apart and fit again depends mostly on one number: the gap between them.

The gap between the pieces

The maker leaves 0.25 mm between the pieces. You can set it from 0.1 to 0.8 mm.

• The pieces stick together: the gap is too small for your printer, or the first layer is squashed wider than the rest (elephant's foot). Turn on elephant foot compensation first; if they still stick, try 0.3 to 0.35 mm.
• The puzzle feels loose and pieces fall apart when you lift it: make the gap smaller, 0.2 mm.
• A gap smaller than a third of your nozzle (0.13 mm for a 0.4 mm nozzle) rarely works; the maker warns you.

Not sure? Print a small puzzle first: 12 pieces at 80 mm wide takes little time and shows how your printer handles the gap.

Elephant foot compensation

The first layer is pressed onto the bed and gets a little wider. With pieces 0.25 mm apart, that is enough to join them at the bottom. Set about 0.15 mm compensation:

• PrusaSlicer: Print Settings › Advanced › Elephant foot compensation.
• Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer: Quality › Elephant foot compensation.
• Cura: Initial Layer Horizontal Expansion, set to −0.15 mm.

Print settings

• Print the file as it is: all pieces at once, flat, picture up. No supports.
• 100% infill, so no pattern shows through the coloured layers.
• The layer heights from the plan (by default 0.2 mm for the first layer, then 0.08 mm). The swaps are counted from them.
• A clean, flat bed: every piece needs to stick on its own.

How to add the three swaps in your slicer: How to change filament at a layer without an AMS.

Choosing pieces and photo

• Number of pieces: 12, 20, 30, 48 or 70, or your own number across and down. More pieces on the same size means smaller tabs; the maker warns you when the narrowest neck of a tab gets fragile.
• Big tabs are chunky and easier for small hands. Classic tabs are each a little different.
• Photos with big, clear shapes and colours make the most fun puzzles. A face fills the middle pieces and leaves the edges plain; a colourful scene spreads the picture over every piece.
• One colour: choose 3D relief, and every piece gets the shape of the photo. You can feel the picture as you put it together.

The tray

The tray is a separate print with a raised rim around the puzzle. It leaves 0.5 mm of room on every side by default; with a puzzle that comes out slightly larger than planned, set 0.7 to 0.8 mm.