--- title: "I stopped chasing cool 3D prints and started printing boring stuff, and my printer finally pays for itself" url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-stopped-chasing-cool-3d-prints-and-started-printing-boring-stuff-and-my-printer-finally-pays-for--qdj4zvx9y source_url: https://www.xda-developers.com/stopped-chasing-cool-3d-prints-boring-stuff-printer-pays type: article source: "XDA Developers" published: 2026-05-14T21:02:46.288Z updated: 2026-05-14T21:03:10.655Z reading_time: 5 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # I stopped chasing cool 3D prints and started printing boring stuff, and my printer finally pays for itself **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary After months of printing novelty models, the author found real value in 3D printing mundane functional parts like spacers, brackets, clips, and replacement pieces. These boring prints solve everyday problems, avoid small purchases, and make the printer feel like a genuine household tool rather than a gadget. Learning basic CAD to design parts to exact measurements amplifies this utility. The post argues that practical printing and fun printing complement each other, with functional projects building skills that improve decorative prints too. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [The best 3D printer prints are the boring ones that fix problems you've learned to ignore](https://daily.dev/posts/the-best-3d-printer-prints-are-the-boring-ones-that-fix-problems-you-ve-learned-to-ignore-ghhgi0hen) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [3D printing finally clicked when I stopped chasing downloads and started fixing annoying little things](https://daily.dev/posts/3d-printing-finally-clicked-when-i-stopped-chasing-downloads-and-started-fixing-annoying-little-thin-hwsazlaha) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The 3D prints that actually saved me money were the boring ones I almost didn't bother making](https://daily.dev/posts/the-3d-prints-that-actually-saved-me-money-were-the-boring-ones-i-almost-didn-t-bother-making-vz5bm3e4v) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-stopped-chasing-cool-3d-prints-and-started-printing-boring-stuff-and-my-printer-finally-pays-for--qdj4zvx9y)