Buying your first 3D printer is exciting. You see amazing models online, colourful dragons, custom keyrings, cosplay helmets, fidget toys, signs, gifts, and all sorts of clever designs. It is very easy to think, “I’ll buy a printer and start making all of that straight away.” But before you spend your money, there are a […]
Read article: What to Know Before Buying Your First 3D Printer
Everything Parents Need to Know Christmas is just around the corner, and if your child loves technology, building things or getting creative, you might be wondering whether a 3D printer would make the perfect present. A few years ago, 3D printers were mainly found in factories, universities and specialist workshops. Today, they’re becoming increasingly popular […]
Read article: Is a 3D Printer a Good Christmas Present for Kids?
If you’re new to 3D printing, you’ve probably seen a setting called infill inside your slicer. You might see numbers like 10%, 15%, 20% or even 100% — but what does that actually mean? Infill is simply the structure printed inside your model. Most 3D prints are not completely solid. Instead, the printer creates an […]
Read article: What Does Infill Actually Do in 3D Printing?
You start a print, everything looks fine, walk away for a while… and when you come back, your model is either sliding around the build plate or has turned into a lovely pile of plastic spaghetti. If you’re new to 3D printing, prints coming loose from the build plate is one of the most common […]
Read article: Why Does My 3D Print Keep Coming Off the Bed?
If you’re looking to buy your first 3D printer, there’s a good chance you’ll come across the FlashForge AD5X. It promises fast printing, automatic bed levelling and, most importantly, four-colour printing without spending a fortune. But is it actually a good printer for a beginner? Let’s have a look. What is the FlashForge AD5X? The […]
Read article: FlashForge AD5X Review – Is It a Good First 3D Printer?
If you’re new to 3D printing and looking at buying your first machine, there’s another interesting printer about to enter the market — the Creality SPARKX i8. The big selling point is four-colour printing. Instead of constantly pulling filament backwards and forwards during colour changes, the SPARKX i8 uses Creality’s new QuarTeks system, which keeps […]
Read article: Looking for Your First 3D Printer? Meet the Creality SPARKX i8
If you’ve ever stood and watched a 3D printer working, it can almost look like the nozzle is simply drawing an object into existence. But there’s actually quite a lot happening between the filament sitting on the spool and that finished model appearing on the build plate. So, what is the nozzle actually doing? It […]
Read article: What Is a 3D Printer Nozzle Actually Doing While Your Printer Is Printing?
When I bought my first 3D printer in January 2025, I genuinely believed the process would be simple: download a model, open the file and press print. I soon discovered there was much more to learn. There were different types of filament, slicer settings, supports, build-plate preparation, print failures and maintenance to understand. Like most […]
Read article: My New Book: 3D Printing – A Complete Beginner’s Guide
If you’ve ever looked at a 3D printer and thought, “That looks brilliant… but I wouldn’t have a clue where to start,” you’re definitely not alone. One of the reasons we started offering 3D printing lessons at Gift & Receive was because there’s a big difference between watching a printer on TikTok and actually sitting […]
Read article: What Actually Happens in a 3D Printing Lesson?
We’d like to say a massive thank you to AJ Bell for an incredibly generous donation of 10 laptops to support what we’re doing with 3D printing and digital skills. For us, these aren’t simply 10 laptops. They give us the opportunity to expand what we can offer and, most importantly, allow more children and […]
Read article: A Huge Thank You to AJ Bell – Helping Us Bring 3D Printing to More Young People
Mini Mondays have officially begun at Gift & Receive, and we’ve set ourselves a challenge: we’re not stopping until we have 100 different minis on the shelf! Every Monday, a brand-new animal will join our growing Mini family. Each one will be given its own space on the shelf, ready to be collected, gifted, or […]
Read article: Mini Mondays: The Road to 100 Minis