Manual 3D Print Quote Guide and Template

Manual 3D Print Quote Workflow

A manual 3D print quote starts with slicer output, not a guess. Open the sliced job in your slicer and write down the print weight, material type, and estimated print time. Those values are the starting point for the 3D print quote calculator. The calculator does not upload model files or inspect your slicer project, so the slicer remains the source of truth for geometry-dependent values.

Next, calculate the material cost. For filament, multiply grams used by cost per gram. If you only know the spool price, use the 3D printer filament cost calculator first. If a spool label, cut length, or estimate is in meters instead of grams, convert it with the filament length and weight calculator. For resin, use milliliters from the slicer and add a manual waste percentage for supports, vat residue, and failed exposure tests. This material line is important, but it is not the full quote.

Add machine time separately from material. A small hobby quote may use zero machine cost, while a small shop may use a manual hourly allocation for depreciation, maintenance, nozzles, beds, fans, and opportunity cost. Keep this number conservative and consistent. If you run multiple machines, the print farm calculator can help you think about daily operating cost before you choose an hourly allocation.

Labor and setup should be explicit. A quick print may need only a few minutes for slicing, loading filament, removing the part, and packing it. A customer job may also need support cleanup, surface finishing, communication, revisions, and handoff. Enter labor as a manual cost in the quote generator rather than hiding it inside the material price.

Failed prints are part of real pricing. A failed print allowance spreads occasional waste across quotes without charging a customer for a specific failed attempt. For example, a 10% failure allowance means the subtotal is increased by ten percent before margin. If you want to understand one failed job, use the print failure cost calculator and then decide whether your standard allowance is high enough.

Add margin after the cost floor and failure allowance. Margin is not the same as material cost. It covers business risk, time spent quoting, customer support, tool wear that was not modeled elsewhere, and profit. Keep tax, shipping, packaging, and post-processing as manual fields so the quote only promises what you actually entered.

Finally, produce the customer-facing version. Use the printable summary, copy the plain text, or create a shareable quote URL. The share page is noindex and carries quote details in the URL; it is useful for sending a lightweight quote, but it is not quote history, a customer portal, or saved invoice software. If you need a spreadsheet record, copy the same numbers into the free quote template after using the calculator.