Which model licenses allow printing?

A short guide to what we can and can’t print for you.

When you send a model link or upload an STL, we check the license before printing. Here’s how the common licenses break down.

Licenses we can print for you

• Creative Commons (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC) — fine for personal prints. CC BY and CC BY-SA need attribution; we keep records.
• MIT, GPL, and similar permissive software-style licenses on the model file — fine.
• Patreon “personal use” / “commercial use” tiers — if you have the tier, send proof (screenshot of the post or download page). We print under the rights you’ve already paid for.
• MyMiniFactory, Cults3D, Printables paid listings — you buy the file, we print it. Send the receipt or the download link from your account.

Licenses we need extra steps for

• CC BY-NC (non-commercial) — fine for private use only. We can’t print these for resale or business use.
• CC BY-ND (no derivatives) — fine as long as we print the model as-is, no scale changes that count as a derivative, no remixing.
• “Personal use only” statements from the creator — fine for you, the buyer. We act as the printing service, not the redistributor.

Licenses we can’t print

• Pirated or leaked models (ripped from games, stolen Patreon files, redistributed paid models without proof of purchase).
• Trademarked characters without a license from the rights holder — even if a free fan-made STL exists.
• Models marked “do not print for resale” when the order is clearly for resale.

What we do when in doubt

• Ask you for proof of purchase or the original listing.
• Contact the creator if the license is ambiguous.
• Decline politely and refund — no print started, no charge.

Got a model you’re not sure about? Send us the link before paying. We’ll check it for free.