Remote 3D Printer & Computer Help—Live on Zoom or FaceTime, Anywhere in the World
A printer that jams every few layers in Toronto. A resin printer failing every plate in Lisbon. A PC that blue-screens in Manila. Most of these get fixed once someone who has seen the problem before is watching. That can be us, on a video call: you point a phone at the machine on Zoom or FaceTime, we work out what's wrong, and we talk your hands through the fix.
We've put over 100,000 hours into 3D printers, computers and other IT gear at our San Diego shop. A session puts that experience on your bench without shipping anything anywhere.
- Covers
- One 3D printer or one computer
- Length
- Up to 60 minutes, live
- On
- Zoom or FaceTime, your pick
- Hours
- 7 am to 9 pm Pacific, booked in your time zone
- Parts
- Not included. If something needs replacing, we tell you exactly what to order
Three ways to get help from us
Start with the cheapest one that fits. Plenty of problems never get past the first.
- Free, by emailEmail a photo or a short video of the problem to dreaming3dprinting@gmail.com. If it's a quick fix, we'll tell you, and you won't need a session.
- This sessionA live video call where we diagnose the problem with you and walk you through the fix. Available anywhere.
- In San Diego CountyWe come to you with tools and parts. Book our in-person 3D printer and computer repair instead.
Will our hours work where you are?
We run sessions from 7 am to 9 pm Pacific time. The chart puts that window on 13 cities' clocks. Every one of them keeps at least 5 hours of it between 7 am and 10 pm local time: the Americas overlap most of our day, Europe and Africa line up with our mornings, East Asia and Oceania with our afternoons and evenings, and the Gulf and India get a slice of each end.
How a session works
- Check out above.Add this session to your cart and check out. One session covers one machine.
- Email us the basics.Send your order number to dreaming3dprinting@gmail.com with your printer or computer model, what's going wrong, your city, and whether you'd rather use Zoom or FaceTime. Photos, a short video and the exact error code on the screen help most.
- Pick a time.We reply with open times inside our 7 am to 9 pm Pacific window, written in your local time, and send the Zoom or FaceTime link once you choose.
- Set up the camera.Use the checklist below so we can see the problem the moment the call starts.
- Fix it together.You show us the machine, we narrow down the cause, and you do the hands-on steps while we watch. When we need to see a slicer or a computer screen, you share it.
- Get the recap.After the call we email a short summary: what we found, what we changed, and any part you still need to order.
What fits a video call, and what needs hands on it
A video session is our eyes and experience, and your hands. Most printing problems are settings, calibration or a small mechanical fix you can do with someone guiding you. Some aren't.
| Problem | Over video? | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| First layer won't stick, warping, stringing, layer shifts | Good fit | A test print we can watch start |
| Clogs, cold pulls, nozzle or hotend swaps | Good fit | Hex keys, gloves, and a spare nozzle if you have one |
| AMS or filament feed jams | Good fit | The camera close to the feed path |
| Error codes and failed calibration | Good fit | A photo of the exact code and what happened just before it |
| Slicer settings, profiles and supports | Good fit | Zoom, with your slicer screen shared |
| New printer setup, firmware updates, Wi-Fi | Good fit | The printer powered on and near your router |
| Resin: failed plates, exposure, screen and film checks | Usually | Nitrile gloves, eye protection, a ventilated room |
| Grinding, skipping or noisy motion | Usually | Sound on, and the camera close to the axis |
| PC won't boot, blue screens, slowdowns, new-build checks | Usually | Zoom on the PC if it boots, a phone camera if it doesn't |
| Dead mainboard, burned connector, failed power supply | Diagnosis only | We tell you which part to order; the fix happens when it arrives |
| Anything inside a mains power supply or wall wiring | Not over video | A local technician, in person |
Before the call
Ten minutes of setup saves twenty minutes of "can you move the camera a bit?"
Camera and connection
- Your phone on a stand, clamp or tripod, aimed at the problem. We mostly need to see the machine, not you.
- A desk lamp lighting the printer from the front or side. A bright window behind it turns everything into a silhouette.
- Good Wi-Fi where the printer sits. Try a short video call from that spot before the session.
- Your phone charged or plugged in, with Do Not Disturb on so other calls don't cut in.
On the bench
- The tools that came with your printer, plus flush cutters and tweezers.
- A spare nozzle or part, if you already own one.
- Isopropyl alcohol (90% or stronger) and paper towels.
- For resin printers: nitrile gloves, eye protection and a plastic scraper.
- The facts: model, firmware version, slicer and version, the material, and a photo of a failed print.
- For computers: the model or parts list, and what changed right before the trouble started.
Zoom or FaceTime?
Use whichever you already have. If we'll need to see a computer screen or steer your mouse, Zoom makes that easier.
| Zoom | FaceTime | |
|---|---|---|
| Works on | iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and Mac, or in a web browser | iPhone, iPad and Mac. On Android or Windows, open our link in the latest Chrome or Edge |
| Account needed | No. We host the meeting and you join from our link | Your Apple Account on Apple devices; none when you join from a browser |
| Showing us a computer screen | Yes, with screen share | Yes, from a Mac, iPhone or iPad |
| Letting us steer your mouse | Yes, from the Zoom desktop app on Windows or Mac, once you approve it | We use Zoom for this |
| Where it works | Most of the world | Not offered in every country. If it isn't available where you are, choose Zoom |
Zoom remote control works from the Zoom desktop app on Windows or Mac, only after you approve it, and ends when you click Stop Share. FaceTime links can only be started from an Apple device, so we send the link.
What we won't do over video
- Open a power supply with you. We won't walk anyone through working inside a mains power supply, or on anything wired to the wall while it's plugged in.
- Switch off safety features. No help disabling thermal runaway protection or other safety checks in firmware.
- Rush the hot or messy steps. We'll never ask you to grab a hot nozzle or bed, or to handle resin without gloves. When a step carries risk, we slow down or stop.
- Ask for your passwords. Not for your accounts, your Wi-Fi or your bank. Zoom remote control only happens during the call, while you watch.
- Promise a fix without the part. If the session finds a dead part, you leave with the diagnosis and the exact part to order.
Common questions
Do you help people outside the United States?
Yes. If Zoom or FaceTime works where you are and you have a steady internet connection, we can work on your printer or computer. Sessions are in English.
What times can I book?
Sessions run 7 am to 9 pm Pacific time (San Diego). The chart on this page converts that window for 13 cities, and each of them keeps at least 5 hours of it between 7 am and 10 pm local time on every day of the year. Tell us your city and we'll offer times written in your own clock.
Do I need a Zoom account or an iPhone?
No. For Zoom, we host the meeting and you join from our link in the app or a web browser. For FaceTime on an Android phone or a Windows computer, open our link in the latest Chrome or Edge, type your name, and we let you in.
Can you control my computer during the call?
On Zoom, yes, if you're using the Zoom desktop app on Windows or Mac and you approve the request. You see everything we do, and you can take control back at any time by clicking Stop Share. It doesn't work from a phone or tablet, and we never ask for your passwords.
What if we don't finish in 60 minutes?
You can book a second session and we pick up where we stopped. If the cause turns out to be a broken part, the session ends with the diagnosis and the exact part to order, and a second session can cover the install.
Are parts included?
No, the same as our in-person repair. If something needs replacing, we tell you exactly which part to order and where to buy it for your region, usually the printer maker's own store. You buy it directly.
Which printers and computers do you work on?
FDM and resin printers from Bambu Lab, Creality, Prusa, Elegoo, Anycubic and most other brands, including Klipper and Marlin machines, plus Windows desktops, laptops and custom-built PCs. Not sure about yours? Email us before you book.
Can I ask a quick question for free first?
Yes. Email a photo or a short video of the problem to dreaming3dprinting@gmail.com with your printer or computer model. Basic email troubleshooting is free, and if a reply solves it, you won't need a session.
I'm in San Diego. Should I book this or a visit?
Either one. Book an in-person visit when the printer needs our hands and parts on it, and a video session when you want a second set of eyes without waiting for an appointment slot.
Not sure it's a video fix?
Send a photo or a 20-second video of the problem with your printer or computer model. We'll tell you whether it's a quick email answer, a video session, or a job that needs a part first.
Email us a photoOr text 858-342-6984, or message @dreaming3dprinting on Instagram.
More from the repair bench
- Help over video: 3D printing support by FaceTime, Zoom or in personThe longer read on what a video session can and can't fix.
- Symptom first: the order we diagnose 3D printers inThe same order we'll work through with you on the call.
- How to fix your Bambu Lab AMSIf the trouble is in the AMS, a few checks here may save you the session.
- How to update your 3D printer firmwareWorth doing before the call if your printer is a few versions behind.
