What is a lithophane?
A lithophane is a thin 3D printed panel whose thickness varies with the brightness of an image: dark areas are printed thick (blocking light) and bright areas are printed thin (letting light through). Held against a window or lit with an LED from behind, the panel reveals the original photo in glowing greyscale — an effect that dates back to 19th-century porcelain art, now reborn with 3D printing.
A photo to lithophane converter like Text3D Maker analyses the luminance of every pixel in your photo and maps it to a thickness value, then generates a watertight 3D mesh you can print on any FDM printer. The whole conversion happens in your browser in seconds — no Blender, no image editing, no plugins.
Best print settings for lithophanes
Lithophanes are unusual prints: detail lives in the XY plane, so you want them printed vertically (standing up) to take advantage of your printer's fine XY resolution. Recommended settings for PLA:
Orientation: vertical, image facing sideways. Layer height: 0.12–0.16 mm. Infill: 100% — any gaps inside the panel create visible light artifacts. Walls: 3+ perimeters. Speed: slow down to 40–60 mm/s for clean surfaces. Filament: white or natural PLA transmits light most evenly; avoid silk and dark colours.
For curved lithophanes, print with the concave side facing your part cooling fan and consider a brim — the small footprint of a curved panel benefits from extra bed adhesion. These settings work identically in Bambu Studio, Cura, PrusaSlicer and OrcaSlicer.
Flat vs curved lithophanes — which should you print?
Flat lithophanes are the classic format: ideal for window hangers, framed photo panels and fridge-magnet gifts. They print fast, need no support and look great backlit by daylight.
Curved lithophanes wrap the image around a vertical arc — from a gentle 60° curve to a near-cylinder. They are the go-to choice for lithophane lamps and night lights: place a LED tea light or a small bulb inside the arc and the whole image glows evenly. Text3D Maker lets you adjust the arc angle with a slider and preview the exact curvature in 3D before downloading, so the STL fits the lamp base you have in mind.
Both modes export a single watertight mesh with a solid frame border, so the panel is rigid and the edges print cleanly without warping.
How to choose the right photo
The quality of a lithophane depends more on the photo than on the printer. The best candidates have:
High contrast — a clear difference between light and dark areas translates into visible relief. A single clear subject — one face or two work better than a group of ten. Good lighting on faces — avoid backlit photos where the subject is in shadow. Sharp focus — blur becomes mush at 0.4 mm nozzle resolution.
If your photo is low-contrast, use the invert option to experiment with a negative, or crop tighter on the subject before uploading. The realistic backlit preview tells you instantly whether the photo will work — long before you commit to a multi-hour print.