In every household, there are likely things that you buy again and again as you need more. Think paperclips, chip clips, organizing baskets, and the like. But ever since I get into 3D printing, I realized that instead of spending on these sorts of things, I could just print them out and have a functional plastic item at a fraction of the cost in retail. Here are six of the things that I print out now instead of buying again.
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Bambu Lab P1S and AMS Combo Review: Affordable, Fast, Multicolor 3D Printing Is Now a Reality
This is the next revolution in 3D printing.
Chip (and bread) clips
Easy freshness
I don’t know about you, but we have a ton of bags of chips around our house, and just rolling the edges up doesn’t reallly keep them closed or airtight. Once I realized I could print out different styles of chip clip (or bread clip), I never had to spend money on those little display clips at the grocery store. I have three different styles, one that slides onto the bag and two that have an ingenious little spring mechanism that lets me push the button on the top to open a little slot I can slide the bag into. The latter one is great for bread bags, too, as you can spin the bread bag as per usual, and then clip it closed. You know you lose those little plastic tabs bread comes with, too, right? Here’s your solution.
Can covers
So many sizes
We have several pets, including a beagle, a pug, a tiny chihuahua, and a cat (whew). That means we have several types of cans around too, not to mention the regular human-sized canned foods. It follows, then, that we’re always looking for another can lid to keep the food inside fresh after opening. Instead of buying a bunch of different sized can lids from the store (or those multi-size can lids), I found that I could print them out. Now we never run out of can lids for our tiny dog or lids for our larger pets or human food cans. Some have little tabs to help take them off the can, while others have half-lids to slide the cover on. Either way, it’s a great way to cover a can that needs to sit in the fridge for a while, and we rinse them just fine in the sink (don’t use the dishwasher as it will melt most PLA or PETG prints). If we lose one, no big deal; I can just print another. I get to make them in any color I like, too.
Storage and organizer boxes
Many cables to store
I’m sure that if you’re like me, you have a ton of cables from your various tech items over the years. USB-A, USB-C, mini and micro USB, iPod cables, audio cables, and the list goes on. What if I told you that instead of buying more little cable storage boxes, or investing in Ziploc bags, you could print out an easy-to-use, scalable set of storage boxes that can hold all your cables and organize them, too? Well, that’s what I did, and, honestly, I’ll never go back to buying plastic bins from Target again. The smaller square ones fit inside the larger square ones, which then stack nicely, making for a delightful little storage system.
I also printed a few catch-all baskets that look good on the coffee or side table. Perfect for setting keys or other random ephemera in that look good and are real easy to make more of.
Paperclips
We always need these
Sure, paperclips are super cheap at the office supply store, but why buy them when you can print them out. PLus, the plastic ones in different colors are a little more pricey at the store, so when I found a multi-sized model for paperclips, I was ready to never buy them again. I can print them in any color I like, and — if I were more organized — I could print them in colors that meant something, like green for financial documents, red for bills, and so on. I print a few out at a time just to have them on hand, and I don’t need to store a bunch of boxes of paperclips in the home office. It’s a time, money, and joy-saver for me.
Roleplaying dice
Gimme a nat 20
It’s not hard to realize that I might be a little geeky what with all the tech and 3D printing in my life. I do have a couple of Dungeons and Dragons and Cyberpunk Red games that I play (when we can find times that work for everyone) that require a good set of roleplaying dice. I used to go to the game store and pick out dice sets there, but that got expensive fast. Once I got my 3D printer, though, I could print out my own dice. I really like these two-colored dice, as well, since they’re easy to print with my AMS system (allows for printing up to four colors at once) and roll well. Plus, the contrasting colors help reading the result of every dice roll. Honestly, I don’t see a need to go get fancy dice from the game store ever again.
Phone and tablet stands
They’re cute, too
I went looking for a stand for my Playdate gaming console, and found this great little no-frills stand that works well for tablets and e-readers, too. I can print it in any color I have filament for, and I keep several around the house just for when I need to prop up a tablet for Netflix or streaming music. It’s definitely cheaper than any stand I’ve purchased before for the same function, and if I need another, I just print it out. Sometimes, though, you want something a bit more adorable, so I found and printed this Vault Boy phone stand that has become a serious centerpiece in my house, thanks to the multicolor print and the classic Vault Boy pose (thumbs up!).
Printing functional things is fun
When I first got my Bambu Labs printers (a P1S and an A1 mini), I started with the fun little figurines, flexible dragons, and Easter eggs that most newbies print first (I have a ton of benchy boats, too). Over time, though, I’ve found more functional things like the list above and the Gridfinity system to be much more satisfying prints. Functional, then, is also fun.
10/10
Brand
Bambu Lab
Build Volume
256 x 256 x 256mm
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth for setup)
Heated Build Plate
Yes
A superb beginner-friendly enclosed printer with outstanding software for your smartphone or desktop. Combined with the AMS (Automatic Materials System), the P1S can produce stunning multicolor prints: up to four filaments can be stored in a single AMS, and up to 4 AMS units can be combined for 16 filament printing. However, you should be aware the multicolor prints produce a lot of waste, and to mitigate that, you’ll need to print either in multiples or print additional “waste” objects to soak up the purged filament.
