# Specific 3D Printers, Scanners, & Hardware > Other 3D Printers / Scanners / Hardware > Mark One Forum >  Is it really 3D or just flat surfaces?

## Eddie

I was wondering, can your printer print real live 3D objects, or just 3D objects that are flat?  I recall Carl Bass saying something about how it can only do relatively flat pieces.
Eddie

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## MARKFORGED

The Mark One’s™ CFF™ build process is very similar to that of other FFF 3D printers: parts are built by fusing two-dimensional slices on top of each other. At this time, the Mark One™ does not print composite filaments in the Z-direction. However, the nylon (FFF) side of the printer works the same as other FDM/FFF 3D printers which allows for very complex geometries. Basically, users have the ability to create continuous fiber (carbon, glass, or kevlar) reinforced nylon parts. This process allows you to create parts 2-20x stiffer than ABS, while maintaining great surface finish, impact resistance, and abrasion resistance. Moreover, creating "hybrid" parts allows users to control the cost of making parts based on the mechanical property needs. The wing foot on our materials page is a great example: https://markforged.com/mark-one/the-materials/ We created a part that cost ~$10 more to make, but is considrably stiffer and ready to use in the field. It is also hard to see from the photos, but the bottom of the part is slanted about 5º to match the contour of the car – so it's not entirely flat.

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## QuitNoMore

So does this mean that you can print 3D objects (in z-direction) with carbon fiber at all?  I'm sorry, I'm having a bit of a time understanding.  I understand that the carbon fiber can only print in the x,y directions.  How would you go about creating 3D (x,y,z) objects that are harder, stiffer and stronger than prints you would make on a traditional FFF printer?  Is that possible?

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## ralphzoontjens

Has this changed with the MarkX and/or the MarkTwo machines? i.e. can you print continuous strands also in Z-direction, or develop custom machine instructions to do so, so you could build 3D structures with continuous fibers in multiple places without the print head interfering with the geometry?

Also, can you use regular PLA or flexible PLA/filaflex for the outer contours?

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