Post-Processing Costs: Sanding, Painting, Finishing

Post-processing turns a printer's output into a finished product. It's also where the bulk of premium pricing comes from — and where most shops underquote the most.

The four tiers of finish

Tier 0 — As-printed. Removed from build plate, supports clipped, that's it. 90% of functional jobs are here. No post-processing line.

Tier 1 — Cleaned. Supports fully removed, edges trimmed, surface inspected, any stringing trimmed. 5–15 min, $2–6 added.

Tier 2 — Smoothed. Sanded to ~400 grit, layer lines knocked down, brought to paint-ready. 30–90 min depending on part. $12–40 added.

Tier 3 — Finished. Primed, painted, sealed, hand-detailed. 2–10 hours. $50–250 added.

Per-step cost breakdowns

Sanding

• Sandpaper assortment: $0.10–0.30 per part
• Time: 10 min (small) to 60 min (large prop)
• Labor at $25/hr: $4–25 per part
• Optional: orbital sander accelerates large flat areas

Filler & gap-fill

• Bondo / Tamiya putty / Apoxie Sculpt: $0.20–1.00 per use
• Time: 15–45 min plus cure
• Labor: $6–18

Primer

• Filler primer (Rustoleum, Tamiya): $0.40–1.50 per part
• 2 coats, ~10 min active per part
• Labor: $4–6

Paint

• Airbrush paint: $0.30–2.00 per part
• Rattle can paint: $0.50–3.00 per part
• Time: 20–90 min per color
• Detail/wash: +30–120 min for tabletop miniatures
• Labor: $8–60

Sealing / clear coat

• Matte/satin/gloss: $0.20–1.00 per part
• 5 min active per coat, 2 coats
• Labor: $4

Acetone vapor smoothing (ABS)

• Acetone: $0.50–1.50 per session
• Chamber/setup amortized: $0.20
• Time: 5 min active + 30–120 min passive
• Labor: $2 (mostly passive)

Gluing & assembly

• Cyanoacrylate / epoxy: $0.10–1.00 per joint
• Time: 5–30 min per assembly
• Labor: $2–12

Hardware install

• Heat-set inserts: $0.10–0.50 each
• Magnets: $0.20–2.00 each
• Time: 1–3 min per insert
• Labor: $0.50–1.50 each

A worked finished mini

A 75 mm display miniature, fully finished:

Step	Time	Consumables	Labor
Support removal	15 min	$0.20	$6.25
Sand to 400	30 min	$0.30	$12.50
Filler primer	10 min active	$1.00	$4.17
Base coat (airbrush)	20 min	$1.20	$8.33
Detail painting	90 min	$1.50	$37.50
Wash + drybrush	30 min	$0.80	$12.50
Matte seal	5 min	$0.60	$2.08
Base + flock	10 min	$1.00	$4.17
Total	3.5 hr	$6.60	$87.50

Plus the printed part itself ($5). Total cost: **$99**. Sells for $200–350 painted. That's a 50–65% margin on a job that an unprinted hobbyist would charge $40 for.

How to package post-processing as upsells

Don't make the customer decode tiers. Use plain language:

• Standard finish (free): cleaned, support marks visible
• Smooth finish (+$X): sanded, paint-ready
• Display finish (+$Y): primed and painted in your chosen color
• Premium hand-painted (custom quote): full tabletop quality

Then deliver each tier consistently. Customers who try the next-up tier once usually come back for it.

The labor rate for finishing

Finishing should bill at your labor rate plus a skill premium. If general print labor is $25/hr, painting at competent tabletop quality is $40–60/hr. Highly skilled mini painters can charge $80–150/hr and have wait lists.

Set the rate, track the hours, and always quote post-processing as a separate line so customers can opt in or out without re-quoting the whole job.