Enfeite de Natal com nome

What you get

A flat Christmas ornament with a name on it, ready to print: a bauble, a star or a gingerbread man, the name raised on its face, an optional raised trim along the edge, and a loop on top for a ribbon. Type a name, pick a shape and colors, and download an STL or a multicolor 3MF.

The name is fitted to the shape, not set at a font size: it grows until it touches the trim and stops there, so a short name comes out big and a long one still sits inside the edge. On the gingerbread man a long name moves from his belly to across his arms, where there is more room.

Two colors from one nozzle

The ornament is built in two bands of height. The body runs from the bed to 2.4 mm; the name, the trim, the bauble’s cap and the gingerbread man’s icing all sit on top of it. So you do not need a multicolor printer: slice it in one color, add one filament change at the height the tool shows, and load the second color when the printer pauses.

With a multicolor printer (an AMS, an MMU, a tool changer), download the 3MF. It carries the ornament, the name and the trim as three parts with their colors already set, so the name and the trim can each get their own filament.

Print settings

SettingUseWhy
Layer height0.2 mmEvery thickness on the page is a whole number of 0.2 mm layers, so the color change lands cleanly
Walls3 perimetersScript letters are mostly perimeter
Infill15 to 20%The ornament is thin; the walls carry it
SupportsNoneFlat on the bed, face up
MaterialPLAStiff, cheap, every Christmas color is easy to buy; silk and glitter PLA look the part

Ideas

Common problems

The name came out tiny

It is fitted inside the shape, so a long name gets small. Make the ornament taller, split the name over two lines, or pick the bauble, which has the widest face.

Thin script letters did not print

Strokes under about 1 mm are too fine for a 0.4 mm nozzle. Pick a bolder font (Fun & Bold or Poster Block), make the ornament bigger, or turn off the trim to give the name more room.

The second color started a layer late

Put the color change at the layer the tool names, not at the first layer that shows the name in the slicer preview: the preview shows the top of each layer, the change has to happen before it starts.

Common questions

Can I print it in two colors without a multicolor printer?

Yes. The name and the trim stand on top of the ornament in their own band of height, so you slice it in one color, add one filament change at the height the tool shows, and load the second color when the printer pauses.

How big should a name ornament be?

70 to 90 mm is the usual tree ornament size and is the default. Go bigger for a long name: the letters are fitted to the shape, so a larger ornament gives a long name bigger letters.

What do I hang it with?

The loop on top takes a thin ribbon, twine or an ornament hook. The hole is 5 mm by default and can be made bigger under Advanced settings for a wider ribbon.

Does it need supports?

No. The ornament lies flat on the bed and everything raised sits directly on the layer below it, so it prints face up with no supports.

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