Tabletop · 3D Printing · San Diego
Your Game Night,
Upgraded Piece by Piece
Snapped minis, missing tokens, a flimsy insert that dumps everything into one pile the second you tilt the box. We fix all of it — sharper miniatures, real terrain, custom tokens, and storage that closes flat. Printed in San Diego, shipped anywhere in the world.
Resin + FDM · Worldwide shippingWhat we actually print for tabletop
People hear "3D printing" and picture a single gray blob. In practice, board game work spans a huge range, and we cover most of it:
- High-detail miniatures — heroes, monsters, squads, proxies, and one-off characters for your campaign
- Terrain and scenery — ruins, walls, trees, buildings, modular tile sets
- Custom tokens, markers, and trackers — resource counters, status rings, first-player markers
- Replacement pieces — that one pawn the dog ate, meeples, dice, cubes
- Inserts and organizers — trays that keep cards, tokens, and minis sorted so the box closes flat
- Accessories — dice towers, card holders, scoreboard overlays, faction-specific upgrades
Some of that wants razor-fine detail. Some of it wants to survive being thrown in a backpack. Those are two different jobs — which is why we run two different processes.
Resin vs. FDM: the honest version
We're not going to pretend one technology wins everything. Here's the real trade-off.
Resin (SLA)
Resin cures liquid photopolymer layer by layer under a UV screen, and it captures detail that's frankly a little ridiculous — chainmail links, facial expressions, fabric folds. It's the right call for miniatures and anything where detail is the whole point. The catch: resin parts are more brittle than filament, they need washing and UV curing after printing, and the build area is smaller, so big terrain often prints in sections and assembles.
FDM (filament)
FDM melts plastic filament and lays it down in lines. You can see faint layer lines up close, and it won't match resin for tiny facial detail. But it's tough, cheap per gram, prints big, and shrugs off abuse — ideal for terrain, inserts, organizers, dice towers, and anything functional that gets handled every game.
Resin for the things you paint and admire. FDM for the things you grab, drop, and stuff in a bag.
How big can we actually print?
This is the question that decides whether your project is one piece or a few assembled sections. Here's how our three workhorses compare, drawn to scale by footprint:
Footprint (X × Y) to scale. Heights differ too — see the table below.
Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra — resin, the detail king
Build volume: roughly 218 × 123 × 220 mm (about 8.6 × 4.8 × 8.7 in). This is our miniature machine, running an ultra-high-resolution screen down in the ~14–19 micron range — well past what your eye can pick out on a painted mini. A standard 28–32mm hero prints with detail to spare, and the tall Z height lets us stand pieces up or batch a full squad in one run. The limit isn't usually height — it's footprint. A single large dragon or sprawling terrain piece may need slicing into parts, and we plan the cut lines so seams hide cleanly.
Bambu Lab A1 — FDM, the all-rounder
Build volume: 256 × 256 × 256 mm (about 10 × 10 × 10 in). The A1 is our fast, clean, multi-color FDM machine. The cube-shaped build area is great for medium terrain, box inserts, organizers, dice towers, and tokens. With multi-color support we can do two-tone trays, color-coded markers, or faction-themed pieces without painting.
Creality CR-10S — FDM, the big bed
Build volume: 300 × 300 × 400 mm (about 11.8 × 11.8 × 15.7 in). When something just needs to be big, the CR-10S earns its keep. That 400mm Z height handles tall builds — large scenery, oversized organizers, full-box inserts — in a single piece, which means fewer seams and faster turnaround on chunky projects.
| Printer | Process | Build volume | Best for | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra | Resin (SLA) | ~218 × 123 × 220 mm (8.6 × 4.8 × 8.7 in) |
Miniatures, fine high-detail parts | Highest (~14–19µm) |
| Bambu Lab A1 | FDM (filament) | 256 × 256 × 256 mm (10 × 10 × 10 in) |
Medium terrain, inserts, multicolor tokens | Good, durable |
| Creality CR-10S | FDM (filament) | 300 × 300 × 400 mm (11.8 × 11.8 × 15.7 in) |
Large single-piece terrain & organizers | Good, durable |
Bigger than the build plate?
We split it. Anything that exceeds a single plate gets broken into sections, printed, and assembled with alignment keys so it goes together solid and clean. There's effectively no upper size limit on what we'll take on — just a quick conversation about parts and budget.
A note on handling
Resin minis are stunning but more brittle than FDM — we wash, cure, and prep every piece, and we'll tell you straight when FDM is the smarter call for something that needs to survive heavy table use.
Tell us what your table needs
Send a photo of the broken pawn, a link to a model you found, or just describe it. We'll tell you whether it's a resin job, an FDM job, or both — and what it'll cost before you commit.
- 📞 858-342-6984
- ✉ dreaming3dprinting@gmail.com
- 📍 3880 Valley Centre Dr, San Diego
- 🌐 dreaming3d.net
Local to San Diego? Anywhere else? Both work.
Pickup is easy if you're local — we serve the whole county, from Solana Beach and Del Mar to La Jolla and everywhere north of the 52. Not local? Doesn't matter. We pack and ship custom prints anywhere in the world, so a game crew in another state or another country gets the same upgraded pieces.
Frequently asked questions
Can you print a miniature from a file I found online?
Usually, yes — send us the STL or a link and we'll check it prints cleanly, flag any thin spots or supports needed, and recommend resin or FDM based on the model. Please make sure you have the right to print it; we'll only work from files you're permitted to use.
Resin or FDM — which is better for miniatures?
Resin, almost always. It captures the fine facial and texture detail that makes a painted mini pop. FDM is the better choice for larger terrain, inserts, and functional pieces that need to take abuse.
How big can a single piece be?
Resin tops out around 218 × 123 × 220 mm on our Saturn 4 Ultra. FDM goes up to 256 × 256 × 256 mm on the Bambu A1, or 300 × 300 × 400 mm on the CR-10S for large single-piece prints.
What if my model is bigger than your build plates?
We split it into sections, print each part, and assemble it with alignment keys for a strong, clean join. Effectively no upper size limit — we'll just talk through part count and cost first.
Do you make custom board game inserts and organizers?
Yes — custom trays and organizers are one of our most popular requests. We design them to sort cards, tokens, and minis so the box closes flat and setup is fast.
Can you match colors or do multicolor pieces?
On FDM, yes — the Bambu A1 supports multi-color printing, so we can do two-tone trays, color-coded markers, and faction-themed parts without painting. Resin prints in a single resin color and is designed to be painted.
Do you really ship worldwide — and can I pick up locally?
Both. We're based in San Diego with local pickup across the county, and we pack and ship custom prints anywhere in the world.
Let's make your game better
Got a crew that's complained about the same busted piece for a year? The fix is easier than they think. Reach out and we'll get started.
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Meta title: Custom Board Game Miniatures, Terrain & Upgrades — 3D Printed in San Diego | Dreaming3D
Meta description: Dreaming3D resin-prints high-detail board game miniatures and FDM-prints terrain, tokens, and inserts in San Diego — and ships worldwide. See exact print size limits for our three printers.
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