For families · Goal100 Maker Lab
📚 Print it at your library
No 3D printer at home or at school? Many public libraries have a makerspace with a 3D printer that the community can use. Here is how it usually works and what to ask.
Not every library has a 3D printer, and rules differ from library to library. Check your library's website or call before you go. We do not list specific libraries here.
How it usually works
- Choose a model in the Print it gallery and download the STL file (the 3MF file too, if the library asks for it).
- Check the library's makerspace page or call: how do they take files (a web form, email, a USB drive at the desk)?
- Library staff usually check the file, slice it and start the print. Some libraries let adults take a short training first.
- You get a pickup time. Prints can take hours, and there may be a waiting list.
What to ask
- Do you have a 3D printer the public can use? Do I need a library card?
- Are there age rules? Does a child need an adult with them?
- Is it free, or is there a cost (for example, per gram of plastic or per hour)?
- What is the biggest size and the longest print time you accept?
- Which file types do you take (STL, 3MF)? Which plastic do you use (often PLA)?
- Can my child watch the printer work, or join a maker class or club?
Tips that save time
- Bring the size and print time from the model's “Print settings” card. Every Goal100 file fits a 180 × 180 × 180 mm printer.
- Start with a small model: a class token, a die or a set of cube-tower pieces.
- Your child does not need an account anywhere to use these files. Goal100 never makes accounts for children.
- Ask a grown-up before you post anything online, including photos of prints.