FAQs

We use fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers. These work by fusing together layers of plastic sequentially until the model is fully built.

Our prints are created using layer heights between 0.07 and 0.2mm, depending on the model's level of detail and structural characteristics. This produces prints with excellent fine details.

We take a lot of pride in the quality of prints we produce with FDM technology. We want your items to be of a quality we would want to display at our own table! (Well, actually, we already do.)

That said, you may see visible layer lines or slightly rough spots on the underside of overhangs. These are normal artifacts of the printing process. 3D printing can't achieve quite the same quality as injection-molded pieces, but it allows us to customize items in ways that mass production won't allow.

If the artifacts are bothersome to you, they can be wet-sanded smooth and often aren’t noticeable after a coat of primer, if you're planning to paint your prints.

Unless otherwise specified for the item, we use nontoxic PLA exclusively for our prints. It performs very well for printing small details.

Our primary PLA suppliers are US companies. But not only that, we preferentially use suppliers whose source plastics are derived from US-grown corn and other starch plants.

We only source PLA from non-US suppliers for specialty materials, and only if there is no US-manufactured equivalent of similar quality.

This practice means our production costs may be higher than our competitors. We've made a choice to support US industry and maintain a US-based supply chain despite the costs. But we still strive to keep our prices reasonable, so you can have nice things!

PLA is a nontoxic bioplastic, made from renewable sources. It’s literally made from cornstarch. It’s also the most biodegradable of the plastics used for 3D printing, if it should (hopefully not) find its way to a landfill.

Lay of the Land’s products are not appropriate for small children. Many of our prints have small parts, or might include pieces with magnets. These can pose a choking hazard to children under 3, or can otherwise cause harm if swallowed. Please keep your purchase out of the reach of young children.

Our products are also not safe to use for food preparation or consumption. Although PLA itself is food-safe and nontoxic, the printing process results in microscopic pores in the print surface, which can trap bacteria.

It's true that resin printing can achieve smoother surfaces for the smallest, most highly detailed miniature models. But there are two big downsides to printing in resin: cost and chemical hazards.

Resin printing is more expensive than FDM, particularly for large terrain pieces. Resin is also more fragile and breakage is more common with falls or repeated use.

More concerning to us is the chemical hazard posed by producing resin prints. Even “non-toxic” resin still presents a significant chemical exposure hazard to those using it and processing the prints. Printing in resin also produces significantly more hazardous waste requiring specialized disposal. We have made the decision as a company not to put ourselves at risk of this exposure, and not to contribute to this kind of hazardous waste.

Ultimately, we're not aiming to compete with manufacturers of finely detailed small miniatures, and it's not worth it to us to do so. We only sell models that print well using FDM technology, and still achieve a high level of detail. We think you'll find our products are of excellent quality.

Dish soap and warm (NOT HOT!) water are best for cleaning your prints. If they need a little elbow grease, a soft toothbrush can help get into the nooks and crannies.

Our prints are made from PLA plastic., which is a nontoxic bioplastic, made from corn and other starch plants. Exposure to harsh chemicals, alcohols, or commercial cleaning products may cause damage to your prints.

PLA also warps at temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, so it should not go in the dishwasher!

Lay of the Land prints are for indoor use only. If left in extremely high temperatures (>120 degrees Fahrenheit), they can warp or melt. Your prints should not be left in a hot car or out in the sun on a summer day, or they may be irreparably damaged!

If left exposed to outdoor weather such as rain or snow, they also may start to biodegrade slowly. Cold temperatures are less of an issue. If kept indoors at usual temperatures for a home or basement, your prints should last for many, many years.

Impacts to prints can damage them, particularly areas with small, thin structures. Please don’t drop, throw, smash, or run over your prints, even if you rolled a 1. Storing your models in a storage case or on a shelf may help protect them from impacts or falls.

And of course, please keep them out of the reach of small children.

The main risk for prepping PLA models is if excessive heat is generated during the sanding process. This can cause melting of the sanded surface and obliterate surface details. If you will be sanding your prints, we recommend wet sanding to reduce the heat generated. Even though PLA is nontoxic, we recommend wearing a mask as you would for any sanding job, to avoid inhaling small particles.

Standard acrylic primers and hobby paints work well with PLA models. You may want to consider applying an acrylic varnish after painting, to seal your model.

We recommend a medium- to high-viscosity cyanoacrylate glue (such as Gorilla Glue gel or medium CA+ Zap-A-Gap) for assembling PLA models.

Plastic modeling cement does not work well for PLA.

Using a hot glue gun is likely to result in damage to the print and is not recommended.

Production time varies based on the size and complexity of the order. We print to order - it's good, because you can get exactly what you want. But it also means that we don't keep a large inventory of premade stock.

Generally we can complete most orders within two weeks. If we anticipate your order will take more than 2 weeks to produce, we'll contact you by email and give you a time estimate.

Please contact us here if you need to cancel or make changes to your order before we have shipped it to you.

If you contact us to cancel and your order has already shipped, you can request a return and we will give you instructions for return shipping after it is delivered to you.

No, but we invite you to come check our products out in person at conventions or gaming-related events. We sell at a number of gaming conventions in the Midwest each year.

We're happy to answer any questions you have about our products or our store. We will usually respond to you within 1 business day.

Color and scale are the features we can customize for a store item. In most cases, we cannot alter the design of the original model due to our licensing agreements with our design partners.

Anything in the store can be printed in any single color in our catalog (pending material availability).

Beyond that, many game accessories (dice towers, etc), storage options, and game props can be printed in multiple colors (currently 4 or fewer in a single model). We will ask you to fill out a Surveyor Service Request describing what you have in mind. We will get back to you to discuss the feasibility and provide an estimate for price and production time.

This is one of our favorite things! You tell us your genre and the size of your play area. If it applies to your project, send us any grid square-based maps you want us to try to create in a 3D layout.

We'll take a look at the scope of your project and quote you a Planning Charge to cover our design time so we can get started. That can range between $25 and $100 typically for most projects. We work out the details with you by email or phone, and then send you a 3D-rendered blueprint of your layout to review. We also send a price and production time estimate.

If you choose to move forward with printing your layout, you can apply 50% of your Planning Charge toward the cost of the order (up to a maximum of $50).

We do offer painted terrain as an option as part of a custom order. Send us a Surveyor Service Request and let us know what you have in mind. We can put together an estimate.

Please note that painted terrain orders have a longer production time than unpainted orders.

We do not offer painting services for items purchased elsewhere.

Custom orders are not included in our 30-day return policy. But if there is a problem with your order, please contact us as soon as possible so we can try to make it right.

Anywhere in the United States, its territories, or APO/FPO addresses. We do not ship to Canada at this time.

We offer free shipping for orders over $75 to the Continental U.S, Puerto Rico, Alaska and Hawaii.

We also ship to other U.S. Territories and APO/FPO addresses. We offer free shipping to those locations for orders over $150.

We offer a 30-day return policy with free return shipping for most items purchased through the store. There are some exceptions.

Custom items are excluded from our 30-day return policy. Items purchased through the online store with customized options may or may not be accepted for return at our discretion. Please contact us if you would like us to consider accepting a return of your custom item. We will discuss your circumstances with you and see what we can do.

We will issue a refund to you once we receive your item, and confirm it is in the condition you received it and unused.

If you would like to exchange an item, let us know. In most cases, we would encourage you to initiate a return and then make a new purchase for the replacement item. That way, we can get it into production and you can receive it faster.

Please inspect your order upon reception. Contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.

If the outer packaging is damaged, please take photographs prior to opening. We also may request that you send pictures of any defective or broken items prior to approving and issuing a refund or replacement.

Lay of the Land is not responsible for any delays or damages, charges or fees incurred during transit or delivery once we have delivered your goods to the carrier. However, we will do our best to make your situation right if there's a problem.

Just click the Contact Us button, or send us an email at support@layoftheland3d.com.

We do offer wholesale pricing to local brick-and-mortar retailers who would like to sell our products. We love our FLGS's!

We do not sell wholesale to other online retailers at this time. Please contact us by email for more information.

We sell at several game conventions and local events in the Midwest each year. We plan to continue attending Origins Game Fair in Columbus each June for the foreseeable future.

Check our site or join our email list for announcements about upcoming events!