Help & support

How to use Create.Blitch

A quick-start guide, answers to common questions, the things worth knowing before you print, and fixes for the usual snags.

Quick start FAQ Good to know Troubleshooting

🚀 Quick start

From an idea to a print-ready file in a few minutes — no CAD, no install.

  1. Pick a product & typeChoose from the catalogue (keychains, tags, plaques, beads, cutters, stamps, clickers…) and enter your text. A finished design is already on screen when you arrive.
  2. ConfigureSet the size, pick a font, add a baseplate or keyring, choose a text style (raised, engraved, or flat colour). Controls update the model as you change them.
  3. Preview in 3DRotate and inspect. What you see in the viewport is exactly what exports — there's no separate "export version" that can look different.
  4. ExportDownload STL for any printer, or 3MF for multi-colour (each colour becomes its own part, assigned to a filament).

Batch a whole order. Set one design up as a template, paste a list of names or upload a CSV, and export — every design is generated, colour-grouped and auto-nested onto print plates, packaged as one ZIP.

Save & reload. Designs save in your browser and can be exported to a .json file for backup or to move between machines. Your parameters are always recoverable.

❓ FAQ

Do I need an account?
Not to design. Building and previewing a model is free, with no account and nothing to install. An account is needed to download a file (Creator plan up). Your designs are saved in this browser either way, and can be exported to a .json file to back up or move to another machine.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
The files you upload — fonts, images, SVGs — are read and traced entirely on your device and never transmitted. That is the part most people are asking about, and it is absolute.

Two things do leave your browser. Your email address, if you make an account. And when you download a file, the finished 3D shape is sent to our server, which writes the STL or 3MF and sends it back — that is how a download is checked against your plan. The shape goes up; your source font or photo never does. The shape is not stored once your file is built. Full detail in the privacy policy.
What file do I get — STL or 3MF?
STL works on any printer and is a single colour. 3MF splits your design into one part per colour, each assigned to a filament — use it for multi-colour prints. Both come from the same model you previewed.
Which printers does it work with?
Anything that accepts an STL. The 3MF export is tuned for Bambu Studio (parts pre-assigned to filaments), but the STL is universal.
Can I sell what I make?
The bundled fonts are cleared for personalised resale, and the Commercial plan includes the resale licence. If you upload your own font, using it to sell goods is governed by that font's own licence — that part is between you and the font's publisher.
What fonts can I use?
Two sources: the bundled open-licence library, available to everyone and cleared for resale, and your own TTF/OTF upload (Creator plan up). An uploaded font stays on your device — it is read in the browser and never sent anywhere.
How does pricing work?
There's a free plan, plus Creator and Commercial plans, priced for your region. See the full breakdown on the pricing section.
Why don't my colours arrive pre-set in the slicer?
A 3MF ships separated, filament-assigned parts, each carrying its intended colour in the part name (e.g. base (#1D3B57)). In the slicer you map each filament slot to your real spool — that's where the colour actually comes from. The preview colours are a visual approximation of that.

💡 Good to know

A few things that are working as intended — worth knowing before you print.

Colours are set in the slicer, not baked into the file.The 3MF carries filament-assigned parts; you pick the real colour by choosing which spool goes in each filament slot. You'll want as many filaments loaded as your design has colours.
Photo/PNG uploads trace to a single colour.A raster image is traced to one clean silhouette — bold, high-contrast art (logos, icons) works best; a photo won't. Upload an SVG to keep full vector detail and separate regions.
Uploaded fonts and images aren't saved with a design.Your parameters are always restored when you reload, but the actual uploaded font/image file isn't stored (it never leaves your device) — re-add it if you reopen the design later.
Name beads rely on the slicer's auto-repair.Beads have a real cord tunnel bored through them, which leaves a mesh that slicers close automatically on import (Bambu, Orca and Prusa all do). This is expected and prints fine.
Switch clickers need a quick fit calibration.Press-fits vary by printer. Do a first print with a spare switch and cap; if it binds go Loose, if it wobbles go Tight (or set a Custom value once and reuse it).
If a feature "disappears," it didn't fit.When a keyring hole, magnet pocket or a letter can't fit the shape, it's dropped to keep the model printable rather than breaking the mesh — and a warning names the exact control to change. Read the warning.
Engraved text and graphics can't be dragged.Engraved features are cut into the base and have no separate handle to grab. Position them as Raised or Flat, move them, then switch to Engraved — the position is kept.
Batch nesting packs tightest for similar sizes.Designs nest tallest-first without rotation, and same-colour tags merge into one part per plate. Great for a run of similar name tags; a very mixed-size batch leaves more gaps.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

My colours look wrong in the slicer
Set filaments 1, 2… to your actual spools after importing — the part colour is whichever filament you assign. You need as many filaments loaded (AMS slots or manual swaps) as the design has colours; with only one filament, everything prints as a single colour.
A feature disappeared from my model
It didn't fit and was dropped to keep the model printable. Look for the warning — it names the control to change. Usually the fix is to enlarge the shape, shrink the feature, or change the keyring angle.
I can't drag my engraved text
Engraved text has no separate mesh to grab. Switch the text style to Raised or Flat, drag it into place, then switch back to Engraved — the offset is kept.
My font didn't load / the preview is blank
This usually means you're offline (a bundled font or library couldn't be fetched). Upload a TTF or OTF font to continue, or reconnect and reload.
My printed switch or handle is too tight / too loose
Use the fit control — set it to Loose if it binds or Tight if it wobbles, or enter a Custom clearance to dial in your printer once. Both mating parts must be printed at the same fit setting.
Still stuck?

Email us at support@createblitch.com — we're happy to help.