About PrintTime
PrintTime exists because filament is cheap and everything around it is not.
3D printing economics hide in plain sight: the filament costs $2, the electricity $0.20, and the failed first attempt $2.20 — the "true cost" is the number craft sellers and budget hobbyists both need.
The calculators do two jobs: sanity-check print time against filament weight and speed (is a 14-hour slicer estimate plausible?), and compute true cost including power and the 10% failure tax everyone pays.
We are printer people and educators, not a filament brand. Nothing here sells spools, and the math runs entirely in your browser.
What makes PrintTime different
- Your numbers never leave your browser. Every calculator on PrintTime runs entirely on your device. We never see, store, or transmit the figures you enter — there are no accounts and no server-side processing of your inputs.
- Published methodology. Each calculator page explains the exact formula it uses and the assumptions behind it, so you can check our work or reproduce it in a spreadsheet.
- Free, forever, without a paywall. PrintTime is supported by advertising. There is no premium tier, no email gate, and no upsell.
Independence
PrintTime is an independent educational project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency, lender, insurer, or the organizations whose formulas and public data we reference (such as standard FDM throughput and slicer practice). All trademarks and referenced standards belong to their respective owners.
Questions, corrections, or suggestions are genuinely welcome — get in touch.