Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to the Essential 3D Prints FAQ page. Here you will find answers to common questions about our made-to-order 3D printed products, custom 3D printing, 3D design services, shipping, returns, refunds, customer files, product characteristics, and privacy.
This FAQ should be read together with our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Shipping Policy, Returns and Refunds Policy, and any product-specific information shown on our website.
General Questions
What does Essential 3D Prints sell?
Essential 3D Prints sells finished, made-to-order 3D printed products through our online shop. We also provide custom 3D printing from customer-provided model files and 3D design-to-print services based on customer ideas, sketches, measurements, reference images, or requirements.
Do you sell 3D printers, printer parts, or filament?
No. Essential 3D Prints focuses on finished 3D printed products and related services. We do not sell 3D printers, printer parts, or filament.
Where is Essential 3D Prints based?
Essential 3D Prints is based in Western Australia, Australia.
Do you ship internationally?
No. We currently ship within Australia only and do not offer international shipping at this stage.
Do you offer local pickup?
No. We do not currently offer local pickup. Available delivery options will be shown at checkout where applicable.
How can I contact you?
You can contact us by email at:
admin@essential3dprints.com.au
or through our contact page:
https://essential3dprints.com.au/contact-us/
Made-to-Order Products
Are all products made to order?
Yes. All products sold by Essential 3D Prints are made to order, which means each product is produced after the order is placed and is not generally held as ready-to-ship stock.
Why are your products made to order?
Made-to-order production allows us to offer a wider range of colours, sizes, variations, and custom options than would usually be possible with pre-made stock.
Does made-to-order production take extra time?
Yes. Production time is required before dispatch and is separate from shipping time. Production time may vary depending on product size, complexity, selected colour or material, quantity ordered, order volume, print time, customisation requirements, material availability, and whether the order includes custom 3D printing or design work.
What happens before my order is dispatched?
Before dispatch, an order may go through order review, model or file preparation where required, colour and material preparation, slicing configuration, printer preparation, printing, cooling, post-print processing, quality checking, packing, and preparation for dispatch.
Will my product look exactly like the product photo?
Not always. Product photos are a guide and may not show every possible colour, variation, or minor finish difference. Slight differences may occur between product photos and the final printed item.
Can colours vary slightly?
Yes. Colours may vary slightly due to material availability, supplier batches, lighting, screen display settings, and production differences.
Product Quality and 3D Printing Characteristics
Will my 3D printed product look like injection-moulded plastic?
No, not exactly. 3D printed products are made layer by layer and should not be expected to look exactly like injection-moulded plastic products.
Are layer lines normal?
Yes. Fine layer lines are a normal characteristic of 3D printed products and do not automatically mean a product is faulty.
What other characteristics are normal for 3D printed products?
Normal 3D printing characteristics may include minor surface texture, small cosmetic variations, slight colour variation, minor post-print processing marks, small differences between individual prints, slight marks where post-print processing was required, and minor variation caused by material batch, lighting, screen display, or print orientation.
Are minor post-print marks considered faults?
Not usually. Minor marks, surface differences, or finish variations caused by printing or post-print processing are generally normal for 3D printed products and do not automatically mean the product is faulty.
Do you check products before dispatch?
Yes. Orders are produced, checked, packed, and prepared before dispatch.
Product Use and Safety
What are your products intended for?
Unless expressly stated otherwise, products from Essential 3D Prints are intended for general decorative, hobby, organisational, display, and light practical use only.
Are your products food-safe?
Not unless specifically discussed and agreed in writing. Products are not suitable for food contact unless expressly stated or agreed.
Are your products suitable for outdoor use?
Not unless specifically discussed and agreed in writing. Products are not suitable for outdoor exposure unless expressly stated or agreed.
Are your products waterproof?
Not unless specifically discussed and agreed in writing. Products are not suitable for water pressure or waterproof applications unless suitability has been expressly stated or agreed.
Are your products suitable for high heat?
Not unless specifically discussed and agreed in writing. Products are not suitable for high-temperature environments unless expressly stated or agreed.
Can your products be used as load-bearing, safety-critical, medical, electrical, or automotive parts?
No, unless specifically discussed and agreed in writing. Products are not suitable for medical use, electrical use, automotive use, load-bearing use, structural use, safety-critical use, children’s safety products, or any use where failure could cause injury, loss, damage, or safety risk unless expressly agreed.
Who is responsible for checking whether a product is suitable for a specific use?
The customer is responsible for determining whether a product is suitable for the intended purpose. Essential 3D Prints does not guarantee suitability for a specific functional purpose unless that suitability has been expressly agreed in writing.
Ordering and Payment
How do I place an order?
Standard product orders are placed through our online shop checkout. Custom 3D printing and 3D design jobs may be arranged through the online shop, quote requests, email, contact form, manual invoice, or another agreed method.
When is payment required?
Payment is required before pre-production work begins. Pre-production may include order review, model review, file preparation, design work, model repair or modification, slicing configuration, material preparation, printer preparation, customisation work, and production scheduling.
What currency are prices listed in?
All prices are listed in Australian dollars unless stated otherwise.
Who processes payments?
Payments may be processed through BigCommerce, Stripe, BigCommerce Payments, bank transfer, credit/debit card processing through BigCommerce, or other payment providers used by Essential 3D Prints. Essential 3D Prints does not intentionally store full credit card details on its own systems.
Custom 3D Printing
Do you offer custom 3D printing?
Yes. Essential 3D Prints may provide custom 3D printing from customer-provided files.
What file types can I send?
Accepted or reviewable file types may include:
- STL
- 3MF
- OBJ
- STEP
- SVG
- Other suitable 3D model or design/reference files
Is every 3D model suitable for printing?
No. Not every file is suitable for 3D printing. Customer-provided files may require review, scaling, repair, strengthening, splitting, redesign, or other preparation before printing.
What issues can make a model unsuitable for printing?
A model may be unsuitable if the file has incorrect scale, weak design, thin or fragile sections, file errors, missing geometry, unsuitable design choices, unsupported details, weak points, or other features that make the item impractical or unsuitable for the intended use.
What happens if my file is not ready to print?
If a file is not suitable for printing exactly as supplied, Essential 3D Prints may contact the customer to discuss options. Additional file repair, redesign, preparation, or print adjustment may incur extra costs.
Who is responsible for customer-provided files?
The customer is responsible for ensuring customer-provided files are accurate, complete, correctly scaled, suitable for the intended purpose, and legally permitted to be printed.
3D Design Services
Can you design a 3D model for me?
Yes. Essential 3D Prints may provide 3D design services based on customer ideas, sketches, measurements, reference images, drawings, or existing files.
What types of design work can you help with?
Design services may include simple custom designs, product modifications, personalised designs, basic prototypes, replacement-style parts, decorative designs, hobby accessories, and functional parts subject to review.
What information should I provide for a design request?
You should provide accurate and complete information, including measurements, intended use, fit requirements, colour preferences, reference images, sketches, and any other relevant details.
Does design work cost extra?
Yes, design work may require additional time, cost, testing, revisions, or clarification. Complex designs may require a separate quote.
Are design fees refundable?
Design fees may be non-refundable once design work has started, unless required by Australian Consumer Law. If a design-to-print project is cancelled after design work has started, any refund will be assessed based on the stage of work completed and reasonable costs incurred.
Will I receive the digital design file?
Not automatically. Unless agreed in writing, purchasing a design-to-print service means you are purchasing the finished printed item, not the digital design files.
Digital Files and Ownership
Who owns digital design files created by Essential 3D Prints?
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, digital design files, working files, modified files, prepared files, slicing files, production settings, and design concepts created by Essential 3D Prints remain the property of Essential 3D Prints.
Are digital files included with a printed item?
No. Digital files are not automatically included with a printed item. If you require ownership, transfer, licensing, or a copy of a digital file, this must be discussed and agreed in writing before the project begins. Additional fees may apply.
Do refunds or cancellations include transfer of digital design files?
No. Refunds, replacements, cancellations, or returns do not automatically include transfer of digital files.
Do you sell customer-provided files?
No. Essential 3D Prints does not sell customer-provided model files.
Intellectual Property and Restricted Items
Can I send any file or design for printing?
You must only submit files, images, sketches, drawings, references, or design requests that you own, created yourself, have permission to use, or are legally allowed to reproduce.
Am I responsible for permission to print a design?
Yes. By submitting a file, image, sketch, reference, or design request, the customer confirms they have the legal right and permission to have the design printed, modified, or reproduced.
Can you refuse a request that appears to infringe intellectual property?
Yes. Essential 3D Prints may refuse or cancel requests that appear to involve unauthorised copying, protected designs, branded items, copyrighted characters, trademarked products, patented items, or other third-party intellectual property.
What items do you not design or print?
Essential 3D Prints does not design or print weapons, firearm parts, illegal items, medical devices, electrical safety parts, automotive safety parts, or load-bearing safety parts.
Can you refuse unsafe, unlawful, or unsuitable requests?
Yes. Essential 3D Prints may refuse requests that are reasonably believed to be unsafe, unlawful, unsuitable, high-risk, infringing, or outside business capability.
Measurements, Fit, and Functional Requirements
Who is responsible for providing measurements?
For custom printing, replacement-style parts, design services, or items that must fit another object, the customer is responsible for providing accurate measurements and requirements.
What happens if I provide incorrect measurements?
Essential 3D Prints is not responsible for poor fit, incorrect scale, incompatibility, unsuitable function, or related issues where the issue results from inaccurate, incomplete, unclear, or missing customer information.
Can you guarantee functional performance?
Not unless suitability is expressly agreed in writing. If precise fit, engineering performance, load capacity, heat resistance, water resistance, or functional performance is required, this must be discussed before ordering.
Cancellations and Changes
Can I cancel or change an order after placing it?
You may request cancellation or change after placing an order, but approval depends on whether work has already started. Cancellations and changes are not guaranteed.
What counts as pre-production work?
Pre-production may include order review, custom request review, model review, file checking, model preparation, file repair or modification, design work, customisation, slicing configuration, material preparation, printer preparation, production scheduling, communication, and project setup.
What counts as production work?
Production may include printing, cooling, removing the item from the print surface, and initial print assessment.
What counts as post-production and fulfilment?
Post-production and fulfilment may include post-print processing, cleanup, finishing where required, quality checking, packing, creating shipping labels, preparing the order for dispatch, and dispatching the parcel.
Are cancellations guaranteed before work starts?
Cancellation may be possible before preparation, design, customisation, or production has started, but cancellation approval is not automatic.
Can a refund be reduced if cancellation is approved after work starts?
Yes. If cancellation is approved after work has started, any refund may be reduced or assessed based on work already completed, costs incurred, materials allocated, payment processing fees, and time spent.
Why do you not use fixed cancellation refund percentages?
Essential 3D Prints does not use fixed cancellation refund rates because each order is different. The cost of a cancelled order may depend on preparation, design work, model review, file repair, slicing, material allocation, print time used, whether the item can be resold, and whether the order is custom, personalised, or colour-specific.
Returns, Refunds, and Exchanges
Do you accept change-of-mind returns?
No. Because all products are made to order, Essential 3D Prints does not accept returns, refunds, or exchanges for change of mind.
What counts as change of mind?
Change of mind may include changing your mind, no longer needing the item, ordering the wrong product, selecting the wrong colour, selecting the wrong size or variation, providing incorrect measurements or custom instructions, or not liking normal 3D printing characteristics where the product matches the description.
Do you accept returns for made-to-order or custom products?
Returns, refunds, or exchanges are generally not accepted for made-to-order products, colour-selected products, size-selected products, product variations, personalised products, custom 3D prints, customer-provided model prints, design-to-print projects, special requests, or products made according to customer instructions.
Do you offer exchanges?
No. Essential 3D Prints does not usually offer exchanges because every item is made to order.
What if my item is faulty?
If you believe an item is faulty, contact Essential 3D Prints as soon as possible with your order number, a clear description of the issue, photos or videos showing the issue, and any relevant information about how the item was used. Essential 3D Prints may need to assess the item before offering a remedy.
What remedies may be available for faulty items?
Depending on the issue and your rights under Australian Consumer Law, remedies may include repair, replacement, refund, partial refund, or another suitable solution.
Are normal 3D printing characteristics considered faults?
Not usually. Fine layer lines, minor surface texture, small cosmetic variations, slight colour variation, minor post-print processing marks, and small differences between prints are generally normal and are not automatically considered faults.
Do I need to contact you before returning an item?
Yes. Do not return any item without contacting Essential 3D Prints first. Unauthorised returns may not be accepted or processed.
Who pays return shipping?
If a return is required because of a confirmed fault, damaged item, incorrect item, missing item, or issue covered by Australian Consumer Law, Essential 3D Prints will advise the return process and may cover reasonable return shipping where required. If a return is accepted for a reason not related to a confirmed fault or business error, the customer is responsible for return shipping costs.
How are approved refunds processed?
Approved refunds will usually be processed to the original payment method where possible. Refunds are usually processed within 5–10 business days after approval, but the time for funds to appear may depend on the bank, card issuer, payment provider, or payment method.
Damaged, Incorrect, Missing, or Lost Orders
What should I do if my order arrives damaged?
Contact Essential 3D Prints within 48 hours of delivery and provide your order number, clear photos of the damaged item, clear photos of the packaging, clear photos of the shipping label, and a description of the issue. Keep the item and packaging until Essential 3D Prints advises the next step.
What should I do if I receive the wrong item or something is missing?
Contact Essential 3D Prints within 48 hours of delivery and provide your order number, photos of the item received, photos of the packaging, photos of the shipping label, and a description of the issue.
What if my parcel appears delayed?
Check your tracking information first. If tracking shows the parcel has not arrived within a reasonable time, contact Essential 3D Prints. An investigation with the shipping provider may be required before the next step can be decided.
What happens if a parcel is confirmed lost?
If a parcel is confirmed as lost, Essential 3D Prints will review the issue and advise the next step. The outcome may depend on the shipping provider’s investigation, the available delivery information, the circumstances of the loss, and any rights you may have under Australian Consumer Law.
Shipping and Delivery
Where do you ship?
Essential 3D Prints currently ships within Australia only and does not offer international shipping at this stage.
What shipping methods do you offer?
Essential 3D Prints currently offers standard shipping options and may add express shipping or other delivery options in the future. Available shipping methods, costs, and any free shipping offers will be shown at checkout where applicable.
Do you offer express shipping?
Express shipping may be added in the future if available. Any express shipping options will be shown at checkout where applicable.
Do you offer free shipping?
Free shipping promotions or thresholds may be offered and will be shown at checkout where applicable.
Which delivery providers do you use?
Orders may be delivered using Australia Post, courier or parcel delivery providers, or other suitable delivery providers. Essential 3D Prints may choose the most suitable provider based on parcel size, destination, service availability, and order requirements.
When does delivery time begin?
Delivery time begins after the order has been produced, checked, packed, and dispatched. Estimated delivery time does not include production time.
Are delivery timeframes guaranteed?
No. Delivery timeframes are estimates only and are not guaranteed. Delivery may be affected by destination, shipping provider, parcel size, selected service, public holidays, weather events, carrier delays, peak shipping periods, remote or regional areas, and events outside Essential 3D Prints’ control.
Can I request urgent production or delivery?
If you need an item by a specific date, contact Essential 3D Prints before ordering. Essential 3D Prints may be able to review the request, but urgent production or delivery is not guaranteed unless agreed in writing before the order is placed.
Will tracking be provided?
Tracking will be provided where available. Most Australia Post parcel services include tracking, and tracking details may be sent by email, order notification, or through the relevant delivery provider.
Can I change my shipping address after ordering?
If your order has not yet been dispatched, Essential 3D Prints may be able to update the address. Once an order has been dispatched, the delivery address may not be able to be changed.
What happens if I enter the wrong shipping address?
Customers are responsible for providing accurate and complete shipping details at checkout. Essential 3D Prints is not responsible for delays, failed deliveries, returned parcels, or lost orders caused by incorrect or incomplete shipping information provided by the customer.
What happens if my parcel is returned to sender?
If a parcel is returned because of an incorrect address, failed delivery, non-collection, refusal of delivery, or another customer-related issue, Essential 3D Prints may contact the customer to arrange redelivery. Additional shipping charges may apply, and redelivery may require payment of additional shipping costs before the parcel is sent again.
Do you split shipments?
In some cases, items from the same order may be sent in separate parcels if items are different sizes, require different production times or packaging, part of the order is ready earlier, or separate parcels are safer. Tracking may be provided separately where available.
Privacy and Customer Information
What personal information do you collect?
Essential 3D Prints may collect personal information including name, email address, phone number, billing address, shipping address, order details, payment-related information, customer account details, contact form messages, custom quote enquiries, uploaded model files, sketches, drawings, photos, reference images, design notes, measurements, project requirements, product preferences, IP address, browser/device information, and website activity information.
Why do you collect personal information?
Essential 3D Prints collects personal information to process and fulfil orders, produce made-to-order products, provide custom 3D printing and 3D design services, review model files, prepare quotes and invoices, process payments, arrange delivery, communicate with customers, manage accounts, handle order issues, provide support, send permitted marketing communications, improve the website and services, manage fraud prevention and security, meet legal and business obligations, and resolve disputes.
Do you store full credit card details?
No. Essential 3D Prints does not intentionally store full credit card details on its own systems. Payment information is generally processed securely by the relevant payment provider.
Do you use cookies or analytics tools?
Yes. The website may use cookies, pixels, analytics tools, tracking technologies, and similar technologies to operate the website, remember preferences, improve website performance, understand website use, measure advertising performance, provide relevant advertising, analyse traffic, and protect against fraud or misuse.
Can my information be stored or processed outside Australia?
Yes. Some third-party service providers may store, process, or access personal information outside Australia where necessary for business operations.
Can I request access, correction, or deletion of my personal information?
Yes. You may contact Essential 3D Prints to request access to personal information, correction of inaccurate information, or deletion of personal information or customer-provided files where practical. Some information may need to be retained for legal, accounting, tax, order, dispute-resolution, fraud-prevention, backup, or legitimate business purposes.
Website Use
Can I copy content, images, or product descriptions from your website?
No. Website content, including text, images, product photos, graphics, logos, designs, layouts, product descriptions, and other materials, is owned by or licensed to Essential 3D Prints unless stated otherwise. You may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, publish, or use website content for commercial purposes without written permission.
What website use is not allowed?
You must not attempt unauthorised access, interfere with website operation, upload malicious files or code, use the website for unlawful purposes, copy website content without permission, submit false or infringing material, or use the website or services in a way that may damage Essential 3D Prints, its staff, customers, systems, or reputation.
Need More Help?
If your question is not answered here, please contact Essential 3D Prints:
Email: admin@essential3dprints.com.au
Contact Page: https://essential3dprints.com.au/contact-us/
Website: https://essential3dprints.com.au/