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Yes—you can turn lettering, a logo, or black-and-white artwork into a usable relief stamp with a free Inkscape → SVG → OpenSCAD → STL workflow. Clean the artwork in Inkscape, extrude it onto a modeled base, mirror the complete model once, then slice and print it with the relief facing upward. The result is a rigid 3D-printed stamp, not automatically a rubber stamp; PLA is excellent for simple, short-run paper and craft work, while TPU or a cast rubber insert is better when the face must conform to uneven surfaces.
What you will make
The finished object is a backing plate with raised artwork. Ink touches the raised geometry and transfers the design to paper. This same workflow can produce a logo stamp, packaging mark, craft stamp, printing plate, or a master for casting silicone or rubber. An embossing tool is a different application: it needs complementary raised and recessed geometry rather than an ink-transfer face.
The complete pipeline is:
Artwork → Inkscape cleanup → SVG → OpenSCAD extrusion → STL or 3MF → slicer → printed stamp → finishing
Inkscape is free and GPL-licensed (license information). OpenSCAD supports SVG import in version 2019.05 and later; its importer reads geometric polygons, not every visual feature in an SVG (SVG import documentation).
#1 Best Overall
- Up to 16 Colors: Bring your designs to life with vibrant multi-color/multi-material printing capabilities, perfect for showcasing your creativity. Note: Connecting Bambu Lab AMS is required.
- 500mm/s and 20000 mm/s² Acceleration True High Speed: Don't wait around for your masterpieces. Lightning-fast printing speed lets you focus on creating, not waiting.
- Enclosed Design: Fully enclosed body improves print performance for advanced filaments. Automatic Bed Leveling: Say hello to high-quality, successful prints. Auto bed leveling makes 3D printing such an easy thing.
- Set Up in 15 Minutes: Spend more time printing and less time setting up. User-friendly design ensures a hassle-free assembly experience for all skill levels.
- Supported Filament: Ideal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PET ABS, ASA; Capable : PA, PC; Not Recommended: Carbon/Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer.
Choose the right stamp surface
| Approach | Best use | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Rigid PLA relief | Simple artwork, labels, paper and craft projects, short runs | Least forgiving on uneven surfaces; layer texture can affect ink transfer |
| Flexible TPU relief or body | Better contact with slightly irregular paper, cardboard, fabric or leather | Harder to print; soft material can blur fine details |
| Printed master or mold | Frequent use, fine lettering, consistent professional impressions | Requires casting or a separate rubber-making step |
| Outsourced print | One-off projects without a printer | Material may still be rigid and unsuitable as a rubber-like face |
For a first attempt, prototype in PLA. Move to TPU or cast rubber only after the mirrored artwork, dimensions and spacing have been validated.
Design rules before opening the software
- Use high-contrast, preferably black-and-white artwork with bold silhouettes.
- Make letters large and keep counters (the holes in letters such as A, B and O) open.
- Use generous gaps and avoid isolated details close to your printer’s practical line width.
- Treat the original nozzle-diameter rule as a conservative starting point, not a universal minimum. Slicer line width, layer height, material and printer calibration also matter.
- Keep all raised islands connected to the base. A floating dot may print, but it is easy to lose or misalign during use.
- Plan the final physical size in millimetres and leave a margin around the design.
- Include a directional test word such as
ABCor an arrow so mirroring is obvious.
Prepare clean geometry in Inkscape
- Set the document units to millimetres and set the page to the intended stamp size. Crop excessive page margins when they are not useful.
- Draw the artwork, import an SVG logo, or import a bitmap and trace it. Inspect an automatic trace for doubled edges, tiny islands and unwanted holes.
- Select text and choose Path → Object to Path. Ungroup objects as needed.
- Convert strokes to paths when the stroke width itself is meant to become printable geometry.
- Remove masks, clipping paths, filters, hidden duplicates and decorative effects. OpenSCAD does not import SVG text/fonts, clipping and masking as ordinary solids, and presentation-only styling may be ignored (OpenSCAD SVG limitations).
- Union overlapping shapes that should be one raised region. Close open paths and inspect the drawing in outline mode.
- Save two files: an editable source such as
stamp-source.svgand a cleaned export namedstamp.svg.
Keep the page dimensions and viewBox intentional. Large empty margins can make center=true appear to misplace the visible design, while missing or non-absolute units can produce surprising scale.
Rank #2
- One-Click Automatic Printing: Experience hassle-free 3D printing with the Adventurer 5M Series. Enjoy automatic bed leveling for flawless first layers, ensuring consistent adhesion and saving time with no manual adjustments required.
- 12X Ultra Fast Printing: Featuring a CoreXY structure with 600mm/s travel speed and 20000mm/s² acceleration, the AD5M maximizes efficiency, reduces production cycles, and ensures high precision, making it ideal for rapid prototyping and mass production.
- Smart and Efficient Design: Quick 3-second nozzle changes, a high-flow 32mm³/s nozzle, and fast 35-second warm-up to 200°C deliver stable high-speed printing. Its dual-sided PEI platform and versatile options provide easy removal and adaptability for various creative projects.
- Superior Print Quality & Adaptability: Combines a 280°C direct drive extruder with dual-fan cooling and vibration compensation. Includes a standard 0.4mm nozzle and accepts optional sizes from 0.25mm to 0.8mm to fit various printing needs.
- Real-Time App Monitoring: Monitor print progress, adjust settings, and receive instant status alerts remotely with the Flash Studio. Smart mobile control ensures a seamless, effortless printing experience anytime, anywhere.
SVG or DXF?
| Criterion | SVG | DXF |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended use | Modern direct Inkscape-to-OpenSCAD workflow | Legacy projects or CAD-oriented exchange |
| Extra exporter | Usually unnecessary | May require an Inkscape DXF extension |
| Text | Must be converted to paths | Must become geometric outlines too |
| OpenSCAD support | Supported in 2019.05+ | Supported as a 2D import format |
| Beginner experience | Fewer moving parts | Useful fallback when an existing project expects DXF |
The older Make workflow uses an Inkscape DXF exporter (historical tutorial). DXF remains valid, but it is not required merely to move ordinary vector artwork into current OpenSCAD. The official language and user references document both import formats and linear_extrude() (language reference).
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Put custom_stamp.scad and stamp.svg in the same folder. This starter model creates a centred base, extrudes the SVG, joins both solids and mirrors the entire result once.
Rank #3
- Up to 16 Colors: Bring your designs to life with vibrant multi-color/multi-material printing capabilities, perfect for showcasing your creativity. Note: Connecting Bambu Lab AMS is required.
- 500mm/s and 20000 mm/s² Acceleration True High Speed: Don't wait around for your masterpieces. Lightning-fast printing speed lets you focus on creating, not waiting.
- Enclosed Design: Fully enclosed body improves print performance for advanced filaments. Automatic Bed Leveling: Say hello to high-quality, successful prints. Auto bed leveling makes 3D printing such an easy thing.
- Set Up in 15 Minutes: Spend more time printing and less time setting up. User-friendly design ensures a hassle-free assembly experience for all skill levels.
- Supported Filament: Ideal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PET ABS, ASA; Capable : PA, PC; Not Recommended: Carbon/Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer.
stamp_width = 40;
stamp_depth = 40;
base_height = 3;
relief_height = 1.0;
art_scale = 1.0;
module stamp_art() {
scale([art_scale, art_scale, 1])
linear_extrude(
height = relief_height,
center = false,
convexity = 10
)
import("stamp.svg", center = true);
}
mirror([1, 0, 0]) {
union() {
cube([stamp_width, stamp_depth, base_height], center = true);
translate([0, 0, base_height / 2])
stamp_art();
}
}What each operation does
import()reads the 2D SVG geometry.linear_extrude()turns that profile into a solid along Z.translate()places the relief at the top of the base. It must overlap the base enough to form one solid.union()joins the backing and relief.mirror([1,0,0])reverses X for every child inside the braces. Use[0,1,0]to reverse Y instead.
center=true centres the imported bounding box, not necessarily the visual centre. An asymmetrical logo or a page with empty margins may need cropping in Inkscape or a deliberate translation in OpenSCAD. If you need a recessed design, subtract the extruded artwork with difference() instead of unioning it onto the base.
Relief, base and layer-height starting points
There is no universal stamp dimension. As practical starting points for a simple FDM test, use a relief of about 0.8–1.5 mm, a base around 2.5–4 mm thick and a 0.16–0.24 mm layer height. These are tuning values, not guarantees. The original Make example used a 1 mm artwork extrusion, a 0.2 mm layer height and 195°C PLA on a particular Printrbot Play; its temperature must not be copied to another filament or printer (example and qualifications).
Rank #4
- High-Speed Precision: The Bambu Lab P2S 3D printer prints up to 600 mm/s while maintaining exceptional accuracy. With the PMSM Servo Extruder and Active Flowrate Compensation, every layer of your printed object stays sharp and smooth, delivering flawless corners and consistent results.
- Ready to Print in 15 Minutes: Set up your P2S FDM 3D printer and start printing in just 15 minutes. With AI failure detection, quick-swap nozzles, and automatic calibration, this 3D printer makes professional-grade 3D printing effortless, even for beginners.
- Effortless Multi-Color Printing: The AMS 2 Pro enables seamless multi-color/multi-material 3D printing. It features built-in filament drying at up to 65 °C, keeping every spool ready for flawless prints. (Note: The P2S 3D printer does not support multi-color printing; Combo version required.)
- Smart Airflow for Any Filament: The Adaptive Airflow System automatically balances cooling and heat retention—keeping overhangs crisp with cool air, or maintaining a 50 °C chamber for engineering-grade materials. A carbon filter ensures clean, safe air while you print.
- Limitless Creativity, Seamless Workflow: Explore over one million 3D models on MakerWorld and bring them to life with a smooth, unified workflow using Bambu Studio, Bambu Handy, and your FDM 3D printer, from design to finished print.
Model a small calibration strip before a large stamp. Include several line widths and gaps, multiple relief heights, a mirrored word and both circular and rectangular marks. Compare impressions, not just the slicer preview.
Recommended Free Tools
Mirror, render and export
- Press F5 for a quick preview. View the top and underside and confirm the relief is attached.
- Read the directional test word in the model. The stamp surface must be reversed so the paper impression reads normally. Mirror once only; mirroring in Inkscape and OpenSCAD produces the original orientation.
- Press F6 for the exact render. Preview is approximate and can hide geometry problems that fail during a full render (OpenSCAD user manual).
- Use File → Export → Export as STL. Export 3MF only when your installed OpenSCAD and slicer support the intended workflow.
Slice and print the stamp
- Place the flat backing plate on the build plate with the relief facing upward. Do not flip it merely because the artwork is mirrored.
- Avoid supports on the ink-contact face.
- Use enough top layers to make the backing solid, and inspect every layer in the slicer preview.
- Set nozzle temperature from the filament manufacturer’s range, not from an unrelated historical example.
- Use a calibrated first layer and a clean, reasonably flat build surface.
- Reduce stringing between isolated letters with printer-specific retraction and travel settings.
- Print the calibration strip or a small version first.
PrusaSlicer is a free, local, open-source option for Windows, macOS and Linux; its official page listed version 2.9.6, released June 25, 2026, when checked (PrusaSlicer). A manufacturer’s slicer profile may be easier if your printer already has one.
Best Value
- 600mm/s Speed & CoreXY Structure — Powered by an all-metal CoreXY frame and 20,000mm/s² acceleration, Adventurer 5M Pro reaches speeds up to 600mm/s. Integrated vibration compensation algorithms eliminate ghosting and ringing for smooth, high-precision surface finishes.
- 3-Second Quick-Swap Nozzle & Auto Leveling — Features a tool-free, quick-release nozzle mechanism for effortless 3-second replacements across multiple sizes (0.25/0.4/0.6/0.8mm). One-click full auto-leveling ensures precise bed calibration and a perfect first layer every time.
- Dual Filtration System & Quiet Enclosure — Built with an integrated dual filtration system and a fully enclosed chamber to ensure a clean printing environment and thermal stability. Powered by low-noise motion control, it operates quietly under 50dB for seamless home, office, or classroom use.
- 280°C High-Temp Extruder & Broad Material Compatibility — With a 280°C max nozzle temperature and a 110°C heated bed, it reliably prints engineering materials like ABS, ASA, and PETG-CF, as well as standard PLA and PETG.
- Smart Camera & Mobile Control — Features a built-in camera for real-time monitoring and time-lapse video creation. Monitor progress, adjust settings, and receive instant status alerts via Flash Studio. Integrated with filament detection, power loss recovery, and a 4.3-inch touchscreen for effortless operation.
Finish and assemble the printed face
- Remove strings and blobs between raised features with a sharp tool.
- Lightly file or sand high spots so the raised face contacts paper evenly. Avoid removing narrow details.
- Wipe away dust and test with a thin, even coat of ink.
- Use a hard, flat surface under the paper and press consistently. Too much ink or pressure floods the gaps.
- After alignment is proven, attach a wood or printed handle with a suitable adhesive.
A coarse FDM face may need more finishing than a normal decorative print. If sanding destroys the lettering, redesign with wider features and fewer details, or move to TPU or a cast rubber surface.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Artwork is invisible in OpenSCAD | Text, mask, clipping, open path, visual stroke, bad file path or unexpected SVG scale | Convert text and strokes to paths, remove masks, close and union geometry, save a plain SVG, verify the folder and test a square |
| Stamp is too large, small or offset | Units/viewBox, page margins or scaling applied twice | Set millimetres in Inkscape, crop the page, measure the imported bounding box and scale in one place only |
| Impression reads backward | No mirror or two mirrors | Use a directional test word and mirror the complete model exactly once |
| Relief separates from base | No overlap or displaced coordinate systems | Translate the relief into the base, use union(), render with F6 and inspect the join |
| F6 fails although F5 looked fine | Self-intersections, duplicate paths, excessive nodes or open polygons | Simplify artwork, remove duplicates, close paths and render the relief alone before adding the base |
| Slicer rejects the STL | Non-manifold geometry, holes, zero-thickness faces or invalid polygons | Clean the SVG, F6-render and re-export; use mesh repair only after fixing the source geometry |
| Fine lines disappear | Features are below the practical printer/slicer limit | Thicken lines, widen gaps, remove tiny counters or enlarge the stamp; test a calibration strip |
| Ink fills the gaps | Excess ink, shallow relief, tight spacing, uneven face or excessive pressure | Use less ink and pressure, simplify spacing, flatten high spots or use a more compliant surface |
PLA, TPU or a cast surface?
PLA is rigid, easy to print and dimensionally stable, making it the fastest route to a prototype, handle or short-run stamp. It will not behave like commercial rubber. TPU can conform better, but flexible filament demands careful drying, slower printing and a compatible filament path. Bambu Lab’s TPU 85A/90A page warns that the material must be dried and is not compatible with AMS or AMS lite; the page showed $44.99 USD for 1 kg when checked, a vendor- and date-specific price (product information).
For frequent use, very fine lettering or highly consistent impressions, print a master or mold and cast a compliant rubber-like insert. This preserves the Inkscape/OpenSCAD design while moving the contact surface to a more suitable material.
If you do not own a printer
Export the STL and upload it to a print service or local makerspace. Shapeways says its upload process provides printability checks, material choices and instant pricing; its listed materials and delivery windows vary by selection (Shapeways getting started). Confirm that the chosen material and finish are suitable for an ink-contact face—many service plastics are rigid masters rather than rubber-like stamps.
The Bottom Line
Use SVG as the modern default: convert every important visual element to clean paths in Inkscape, import it with center=true, extrude and union it with a base in OpenSCAD, mirror the complete model once, then F6-render and test-print before committing to a large stamp. PLA is the simplest prototype; TPU or cast rubber is the upgrade when compliance and repeatable ink transfer matter.
Quick Recap
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