the prices are too d**n high.

[Not A Potato]

so i finished my case model, and i uploaded it to shapeways.

my question is, why is it $100?

is there a much cheaper place to get this printed?

[Geoff]

I'll print it for you in practically any colour you want and send it to you for $25.

[Feign]

Shapesays does more than just plug the file into their printer. They orient the print for quickest production, clean up the file if needed and do post processing if needed before shipping it off. Geoff's offer makes a point, there are real savings to be had finding someone local who happens to own their own 3D printer and has spare time on it (or heck, people on the internet that are good at shipping delecate things).

It's kind of like when someone has success with a garden. Suddenly they have more tomatoes and such than they know what to do with, so they'll sell them for what seems like an amazing price. Having free time on a printer just feels like a shame, so you sell that time for pretty good prices.

[3DPBuser]

Also can try MakeXYZ.com for a local printer.

[ChiloquinRuss]

It looks to be a large piece and I had to rescale it to fit for a MakerBot 2 and it shows about an hour and 45 minutes to print plus materials. You didn't say which material you requested but I know at Shapeways that makes a huge difference. Russ

[thinkprint3d]

Shapeways printer (The Fortus 400MC) is $150,000 + materials.

The print will come out much better than the home FDM printers but there is a premium for the quality. Most 3D printing studios charge a little less than shapeways, so you should be able to find a better deal. Check 3D hub for a local printer.

Steve