Full Color Personalized Lithophanes

from $59.00

Preserve Your Memories, Sculpted in Light—and Full Color

The "Magic" of Lithophanes: Now in Living Color

At first glance, a color lithophane looks like a textured, multi-hued slate. But once you place a light source behind it, the colors bloom into a vivid, glowing recreation of your original photograph. Unlike traditional monochrome lithophanes, our Full Color process brings a cinematic warmth and realism to your 3D-printed art.

How the Magic Happens

We use ultra-high-resolution 3D printing and a sophisticated "CMYK" layering process to reconstruct your photo in three dimensions.

  • The Four-Color Layering: We utilize the four primary printing colors—Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and White—carefully layered to blend and create every shade in the spectrum.

  • Light Transmission: By varying the thickness of these specialized colored filaments, we control exactly how much light passes through each pixel.

  • The Result: Light becomes the "engine" that drives the color. It creates a glowing, high-fidelity image with a depth, vibrance, and tactile quality that a standard paper print simply cannot achieve.

A Memory That Glows

Because the color is embedded within the physical structure of the polymers, it won’t fade, peel, or smudge over time. It is a permanent, light-reactive tribute to your favorite moments—perfect for a sunny windowsill or as a stunning, personalized nightlight.

Alien3D Color Lithophane Options:

  • The Desktop Lightbox: Your color image encased in a standalone 3D-printed frame with a built-in LED.

  • The Color Lithophane Only: the “Pane Only” option, designed for those who already own an Alien3D lightbox.

The "Alien" Duplicate Discount

Need more than one? Since the complex color-engineering and slicing is already completed with your first unit, additional copies of the same image in any format are available at a 25% discount.

How to order duplicates:

  1. Add your first unit to the cart and complete the Lithophane Design Request form.

  2. For additional copies, simply Contact Us or leave a note in your order. We will send a custom "Print-Only" invoice for the extra units so you don't pay the engineering fee twice!

Preserve Your Memories, Sculpted in Light—and Full Color

The "Magic" of Lithophanes: Now in Living Color

At first glance, a color lithophane looks like a textured, multi-hued slate. But once you place a light source behind it, the colors bloom into a vivid, glowing recreation of your original photograph. Unlike traditional monochrome lithophanes, our Full Color process brings a cinematic warmth and realism to your 3D-printed art.

How the Magic Happens

We use ultra-high-resolution 3D printing and a sophisticated "CMYK" layering process to reconstruct your photo in three dimensions.

  • The Four-Color Layering: We utilize the four primary printing colors—Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and White—carefully layered to blend and create every shade in the spectrum.

  • Light Transmission: By varying the thickness of these specialized colored filaments, we control exactly how much light passes through each pixel.

  • The Result: Light becomes the "engine" that drives the color. It creates a glowing, high-fidelity image with a depth, vibrance, and tactile quality that a standard paper print simply cannot achieve.

A Memory That Glows

Because the color is embedded within the physical structure of the polymers, it won’t fade, peel, or smudge over time. It is a permanent, light-reactive tribute to your favorite moments—perfect for a sunny windowsill or as a stunning, personalized nightlight.

Alien3D Color Lithophane Options:

  • The Desktop Lightbox: Your color image encased in a standalone 3D-printed frame with a built-in LED.

  • The Color Lithophane Only: the “Pane Only” option, designed for those who already own an Alien3D lightbox.

The "Alien" Duplicate Discount

Need more than one? Since the complex color-engineering and slicing is already completed with your first unit, additional copies of the same image in any format are available at a 25% discount.

How to order duplicates:

  1. Add your first unit to the cart and complete the Lithophane Design Request form.

  2. For additional copies, simply Contact Us or leave a note in your order. We will send a custom "Print-Only" invoice for the extra units so you don't pay the engineering fee twice!

Format:

The Lithophane Process:

  • Choose your Size: Pick from our desktop or wall-mounted options.

  • Upload your Photo: High-contrast photos with clear subjects work best!

  • We Engineer & Print: We convert your 2D image into a 3D light-map and print it at ultra-high resolution.

Lithophanes are entirely dependent on how light passes through varying thicknesses of plastic, the quality of the uploaded photo is the difference between a blurry smudge and a crisp "sculpted" memory.

Photo Submission Guidelines

To ensure your Lithophane captures every detail, please follow these "Alien-Approved" photo standards:

  • High Contrast is Key: Lithophanes rely on light and shadow. Photos with strong lighting (bright highlights and deep shadows) produce the most striking 3D depth. Avoid "flat" lighting or very hazy photos.

  • Resolution Matters: Please upload the original, full-resolution file. Avoid screenshots or photos saved from social media, as they lose the "pixel data" our software needs to calculate thickness.

  • Subject Clarity: Photos with a clear subject (a single face, a pet, or a bold silhouette) translate better than busy landscapes with tiny details.

  • Format: We accept .JPG, .JPEG, and .PNG.

  • The "Crop" Factor: * Standard Lightboxes: 4:3 or 1:1 (Square) works best.

    • The Litho-Cube: Requires 4 separate images. Try to ensure all four have a similar "vibe" or lighting style for the best finished look.

Alien Pro-Tip: If you aren't sure if your photo will work, look at it in "Grayscale" (Black and White) on your phone. If the subject still stands out clearly from the background, it will make a fantastic Lithophane!