How to Quote Custom 3D Prints for Clients

Custom client work is where most 3D printing money is made — and lost. The right quoting process closes more deals, protects you from scope creep, and trains customers to respect your time.

The intake script

Before you slice anything, get these answers:

1. What is the part for? (Determines material.)
2. Indoor or outdoor? (Determines PLA vs ASA/PETG.)
3. Will it bear load? Heat? UV? (Determines material strictly.)
4. Quantity now and in 6 months? (Determines batch pricing vs one-off.)
5. Deadline? (Determines rush surcharge.)
6. Do you have a file, or do I model it? (Determines if design time is in scope.)
7. What finish? (As-printed, sanded, primed, painted, assembled.)
8. Any tolerance requirements? (Determines orientation and post-machining.)
9. What's your budget range? (Don't be afraid to ask — it filters tire-kickers.)

These nine questions take 3 minutes and save 30 minutes of back-and-forth.

The file analysis pass

When you receive an STL/STEP/3MF:

1. Check overall size against your largest printer.
2. Check wall thickness — anything under 1.2 mm needs a conversation.
3. Look for overhangs over 45° that will need supports.
4. Check for non-manifold geometry (Bambu Studio and PrusaSlicer both flag this).
5. Slice once at draft settings to get a real time and material estimate.

Do not quote from a screenshot. Slice the file.

The quote itself

A good quote has:

• A clear line-item breakdown (material, print time, post-processing, design)
• A total that includes overhead and margin (don't show those lines)
• A delivery date with a range, not a promise
• Exactly what's included and what's not
• Payment terms (50% upfront for jobs over $200 is reasonable)
• A 14-day validity (so material prices can move)

Send the quote as a link, not a PDF — customers click links. Makerate's shareable quotes do this with one click and let the customer accept in their browser.

Scope protection

The three customers from hell:

1. "Can you make it just a little bigger?" — that's a new quote.
2. "Send me the source file." — that's a separate license fee or refusal.
3. "I'll send you a deposit later, just start printing." — no. Deposit first, file in queue.

Write these into your terms. Send terms with every quote. Customers who push back on your terms will push back on payment.

Rush jobs

Rush surcharges are not punishment — they're triage. Standard schedule:

• 7+ days: standard pricing
• 3–7 days: +25%
• 1–3 days: +50%
• Same day / overnight: +100%

The point isn't to gouge — it's to make sure rush jobs are profitable enough to deprioritize standard work without losing margin overall.

Quoting design time

If you're modeling from scratch:

• Simple parts (a bracket from a sketch): 1–2 hours billed
• Mid-complexity (functional assembly): 4–10 hours
• Complex (organic, generative, mechanical assemblies): 15+ hours

Bill design at a higher rate than print labor — $40–80/hr is normal for competent CAD work. Always require deposit on design hours.

Closing the quote

End every quote with one clear call to action:

"Reply APPROVED to lock the schedule. Quote valid 14 days."

Vague endings ("let me know what you think!") get vague responses. A specific ask gets a specific answer — yes or no — both of which are useful.

Tracking conversion

Track how many quotes you send vs how many close. A healthy custom-print shop runs 30–50% close rate. Lower means you're either priced wrong (test +10%) or hunting the wrong customers (raise minimums). Higher means you're underpriced (raise everything 15%).