Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Sell Printed Boxes?

For the Free Set: No, selling boxes from the free set is considered commercial use, which is not permitted under the Creative Commons license. This means you can print and use the boxes for personal or internal organizational purposes, but you cannot sell them or use them in a commercial capacity.
With a Paid License: Yes, if you purchase a license, you gain access to over 5000+ model files with the added benefit of being able to commercially produce and sell the printed boxes. However, it’s important to note that while you can sell the physical printed boxes, the sale or distribution of the model files themselves is not allowed. This restriction ensures the intellectual property rights are maintained, while still allowing you to profit from the physical output of the models.

See the full license text here.

Can I Use the Boxes Commercially?

For the Free Set: No, usage is restricted to personal or non-commercial purposes. This means you can print the boxes for personal use, including in your own workshop or even at your place of work, but any form of monetization or commercial benefit derived from the boxes is not permitted. The intent is to encourage personal and internal organizational use without directly generating revenue from the models themselves.
With a Paid License: Yes, purchasing a license enables not only access to an extensive library of over 5000 model files but also permits the commercial use of the printed boxes. This includes printing them for customers, selling them as products, using them for packaging, or integrating the printed boxes into products that you sell. As with the free set, the limitation is that the model files themselves cannot be sold or published; only the tangible, printed products are authorized for commercial use. This arrangement allows for versatile commercial applications while respecting the creator’s intellectual property.

See the full license text here.

What does Personal Use Mean?

Personal use refers to scenarios where you use the storage boxes without deriving any commercial profit from them.

At Home or Workshop: You can print them for personal organization at home or in your workshop, or even as gifts for friends.
In Your Workplace: Using them for organizing your personal workspace or within your workplace is allowed.
Restrictions on Sales and Income: You must not sell the printed boxes or use them in any way that directly generates income.
Casual Compensation: If occasionally you charge friends a nominal fee for printing a few boxes, this is generally acceptable. However, if such compensation exceeds €2,000 or approximately $2,000 in a year, it would then be considered commercial use.

This definition of personal use is intended to be flexible, accommodating casual and non-commercial uses while clearly distinguishing them from commercial activities.

What does Commercial Use Mean?

Commercial use involves utilizing the boxes in any manner that directly contributes to generating or enhancing income.

Selling Printed Boxes: This includes selling printed boxes directly to customers.
Workplace Organization: Using the printed boxes for organizing spaces in a commercial setting, such as a workplace or production site.
Integration in Products: Incorporating the printed boxes into products that are then sold to customers.
Packaging Products: Utilizing the printed boxes as packaging for products that are sold.
Derivative Designs: Creating and using derivative box designs based on the 3D models for commercial purposes.
Restrictions on Selling 3D Models: You must not sell the original 3D models themselves.
Publishing Derivatives:
- For derivatives created from the commercial set, you need my explicit permission to publish them.
- For derivatives from the free set, you can publish them without my permission, provided they are shared under the same license.

The definition of commercial use is broad to cover various ways the boxes can contribute to commercial activities, ensuring clarity on permissible and impermissible actions under commercial licensing.

See the full license text here.

Am I Allowed to Modify or Convert the Models?

Absolutely, you’re welcome to convert or modify these objects as you see fit for your personal use. If you plan to publish your derived models, please see the next question.

Am I Allowed to Publish Derived/Remixed Models?

Free Models: Absolutely! The files you obtained under the Creative Commons license explicitly allow publishing derived works under the same licencing terms. If you upload your derived versions to any online platform, please make sure to use the same licence as the original file and give appropriate attribution to my original work.
Paid Models: You are welcome to convert, modify and adapt the model files to suit your needs. However, there is a minor restriction regarding the publication of modified files. If you have acquired models by purchasing a license, you must first obtain my approval before publishing any works derived from them.

Are Fusion360 Sources for the Boxes Available?

No, I don’t provide Fusion360 source files for the storage boxes. These aren’t simple parameterized designs; they’re more complex and depend on a variety of scripts to build the models from it. As such, the source files wouldn’t be particularly useful for the average user.

Do You Have a Recommended 3D Printer?

Though I’m not an expert in 3D printing, I have had consistently good experiences with printers from Prusa. Most of the showcased boxes were printed using either a Prusa MK3S+ or a Prusa Mini+. However, given that my experience is limited to these models, I’m not in a position to offer a broad recommendation.

What Materials Are Best for Printing the Boxes?

I’ve primarily tested the storage boxes with PLA and PETG, each offering its own set of advantages that make them well-suited for these models.

While I believe that various materials could be compatible, given the appropriate printer settings, my testing has been limited to PLA and PETG. So, if you venture into using other materials, you’ll be charting new territory.

Are There Any Limitations to the Free Set?

The free set is a curated collection of storage boxes, provided under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Typically, this set includes boxes with a width of up to two units and a depth of up to three units. The rail grid options are more extensive, and I’ve even included a selection of boxes with internal dividers for added utility.

While the Creative Commons license allows for considerable flexibility, it explicitly prohibits commercial use. If commercial usage is your goal, consider purchasing the full set available in my shop. Doing so not only unlocks access to an expansive collection of over 5000+ boxes but also permits you to sell printed versions.

Is Customer Support Available for These Models?

Customer support, as traditionally understood, isn’t available—meaning you won’t find yourself on hold for an eternity or conversing with an unhelpful bot. However, you’re more than welcome to reach out to me directly for assistance. Just use any of the contact methods listed on this page: Your Feedback is Highly Valued.

Can I Request Custom Features or Variants?

Your feedback, ideas, and recommendations are always valuable to me. If you have any particular features in mind, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Again, you’ll find all the ways to contact me here: Your Feedback is Highly Valued.

How Often Are New Models Added?

There’s no set schedule for releasing new models. The existing collection is already quite comprehensive, so there’s less urgency to add new ones. That said, inspiration does strike now and then, leading to fresh additions to the storage box system.

To stay updated on upcoming models, consider following me on Mastodon. You’ll get sneak peeks of what’s in the pipeline.

For those who’ve bought the full license, you’ll automatically get access to any new additions to the LR2052 system, no extra steps needed.

Can You Please Create Boxes with the Dimension X?

I appreciate your interest in custom-sized storage boxes. While I understand the appeal, I’ve chosen to focus on the 60x60mm raster size for several reasons. Crafting a design demands time and meticulous attention to detail, and my preference is to channel that effort into extending and optimizing the existing system. The 60x60mm raster, in my view, strikes a delicate balance between ensuring easy access to contents and making efficient use of space. Smaller boxes might make content retrieval cumbersome, whereas larger ones might not utilize the space as effectively.

Furthermore, there’s a variety of alternative storage solutions with different dimensions readily available for download from various creators to meet diverse needs. Maintaining a consistent raster size across all components guarantees interchangeability and presents a user-friendly, straightforward system. Introducing multiple similar raster sizes, on the other hand, has the potential to create confusion.

I appreciate your understanding and encourage you to explore the versatility of the existing design. If you require smaller compartments, for instance, consider boxes with dividers as a practical alternative.

Are these Storage Boxes Compatible with System X?

No, most likely not.

What Software Do I Need to Use the Models?

If you’re new to 3D printing, you might want to cut your teeth on some simpler models first. Essentially, you’ll need a piece of software called a “slicer.” Each 3D printer manufacturer typically recommends or provides their own slicer software.

Here’s the basic workflow: load the model file you downloaded from Printables or this site into the slicer, tweak the settings for your specific printer, and then generate a set of printer instructions. Transfer this file to your 3D printer, either over a network or via USB stick, and you’re ready to print.

What Are the Payment Options for the Full Set?

The full set can only be purchased in my shop. The available payment methods will be displayed at checkout, depending on your country of residence. These are the only payment options I can offer. I’m not a massive corporation; the shop is tailored to handle the transaction volumes I deal with, even if you’re buying on behalf of a big company.

Can I Pay with PayPal?

No, PayPal is not supported in my shop. Given that I use services from a competitor of PayPal, this isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

Was I Hacked? I Received a Password Breach Warning.

The storage box system uses a shared username and password for all users, and unfortunately, one of these combinations was compromised and ended up in a large database on the dark web.

Rest assured, these credentials are not tied to any personal information.

With these credentials, someone would only be able to download model files from the site—there are no other functionalities associated with them.

I plan to implement individual user accounts with personal passwords in the future, but I haven’t had the time to develop this feature yet.