Print on Fabric — Lace Cards

Print a lace pattern onto tulle or organza: start the print, pause, lay the fabric, carry on.

Everything is generated in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

1 The card

Size Standard stationery sizes, or set your own below. Width mm Height mm Print a border frameA solid edge right around the card. It stiffens the piece and gives every floating leaf something to sit against — but leave it off if you want the design to float on the fabric with no outline. Border width mm

2 The fabric sandwich

The print stops partway up, you lay the fabric over it, and the rest prints on top — trapping the fabric between the two halves. Plastic squeezes through the weave and welds to the plastic below, so the grip is mechanical.

Below the fabric Printed first, straight onto the bed. Two layers minimum, or there is not enough to weld to. mm Above the fabric Printed after the pause. This is what actually traps the fabric, so do not go thinner than the half below it. mm Minimum stroke width Two extrusion widths — 0.8 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle. Anything thinner is dropped by the slicer. mm

3 The design

Start from an example, then change whatever you like. The card can carry a generated lace pattern, your own artwork from a file and lettering — tick any combination and they are merged into one design.

Lace patternGenerated, so it always prints cleanly. LetteringNames, a date, a monogram. Your own artwork from a fileUpload a PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG — a bought laser-cut design, a monogram or a crest.

Pattern Where Density 50% Line width How thick the stems and scrolls are drawn. mm Variation Same number, same pattern. Shuffle until you like one.

4 Preview

Blue is what gets printed. Red marks anything too thin — the slicer will drop those parts.

5 Print files

Layer height The pause can only land on a layer boundary, so this decides exactly where the fabric goes. mm Nozzle mm Pause command M0 suits most Marlin printers. Prusa and Klipper park and return by themselves. Nozzle temperature °C Bed temperature °C Park position Where the head waits while you lay the fabric. Marlin only — the others park themselves. mm

Download STL Download G-code with the pause

How to run the print

Use the G-code from this page, or slice the STL yourself and add a pause at the height shown above. The pause has to land exactly on a layer boundary, which is why the layer height is set here.
Cut the fabric larger than the print — at least 40 mm spare all round to hold and to tape or magnet down.
When the printer pauses, lay the fabric over the print. Pull it drum-taut and flat. Magnets on a steel sheet work well; so does tape well outside the print area. Any wrinkle is a wrinkle the nozzle will catch.
Do not touch the part underneath when smoothing the fabric — if it comes off the bed, the print is finished.
Resume. The first pass over the fabric sounds rough; that is the nozzle pressing plastic through the weave, and it is what makes the bond.
Cut the excess fabric away with sharp scissors once the print is cold and off the bed. A soldering iron or a hot knife seals the edge of synthetic tulle as it cuts.

Choosing fabric, and what to expect

Open weaves only. Tulle, organza, netting and chiffon work because the plastic can squeeze through the holes and weld to the layer below. The grip is mechanical, not glue — which is why a dense fabric like cotton or felt will not hold at all.
Synthetics take heat better than naturals. Polyester tulle and organza are the usual choice. Nylon works. Anything with a low melting point will pucker under the nozzle.
PLA is fine and PETG grips harder. Print a little hotter than usual — the extra heat helps the plastic flow into the weave.
Floating pieces are allowed here, unlike every other tool on this site. A leaf that touches nothing still works, because the fabric is holding it. That is the whole reason this technique gives the laser-cut look without connecting bridges.
Expect to lose a few. A snagged wrinkle or a part pulled off the bed at the pause is normal while you find the right fabric tension. Print a small test card first.
Not sure a design will print? Run the STL through the Print Doctor — though note it will flag the floating pieces as separate bodies, which here is expected.

Print lace onto fabric

Make wedding invitations and cards with lace printed onto tulle, organza or chiffon. The print pauses part-way, you lay the fabric over it, and the rest prints on top, trapping the fabric: the plastic squeezes through the weave and welds to the layers below.

Choose a card size and border, a generated lace pattern, lettering such as names and a date, or your own artwork, in any combination. It makes the STL and the G-code with the pause already inserted, at the layer you need. Everything is generated in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

How do you 3D print on fabric?

Print a few layers, pause, lay tulle or organza flat over the print, and let it carry on. The layers above the pause push through the fabric and weld to the layers below, holding it in place.

Which fabric works best?

Open, sheer fabrics such as tulle, organza and chiffon, so the plastic can pass through the weave.

How do I make my printer pause?

Download the G-code with the pause already in it. M0 suits most Marlin printers; Prusa and Klipper printers park and return by themselves.

Why did parts of the pattern not print?

Lines thinner than about two extrusion widths (0.8 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle) are dropped by the slicer. The preview marks them in red.