Questions answered
Everything we get asked about the material, the wait and living with a printed object — including the things a printed piece is not good at.
The studio
What is Puku Prints?
Puku Prints is a small editorial 3D-print studio based in India. It makes a short catalog of decorative objects — vases, bowls, sculptures and wall pieces — each printed to order in plant-based PLA and hand-finished before it ships.
Where is Puku Prints based, and where do you ship from?
The studio is in India and every piece ships from India. Shipping is free on orders above ₹1,500.
How many pieces are in the catalog?
Six. The catalog is deliberately short — a piece stays in it because it is worth making rather than because it sells, and a new piece only enters if it is not a variation on one already there.
Do you take custom or commissioned work?
Write to us and describe what you have in mind. The studio runs one printer at a time on made-to-order pieces, so custom work depends on what is already on the bed, but we would rather hear the idea than not.
Ordering and delivery
What does printed to order mean?
Your piece does not exist until you ask for it. Nothing is warehoused, so nothing is discounted or discarded for failing to sell. The trade-off is that you wait for the print rather than for a courier alone.
How long will my piece take?
The print itself takes between 11 and 26 hours depending on the piece — 11 for the Still Bowl, 26 for the Bonsai Sculpture — and each product page lists its own print time. Hand-finishing, packing and domestic courier time follow. We write to you when your piece leaves the print bed.
How do I reserve a piece?
Open the piece you want and use the reserve form on its page. You give us an email address, we put the piece on the bed, and we write when it leaves. There is no shelf for it to be picked from.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping within India is free on orders above ₹1,500, which covers every piece in the catalog.
What if my piece arrives damaged?
Write to us and tell us what arrived and how it was packed. Every piece is printed to order here, so we know exactly which print your piece came from, and we will sort it out with you directly.
Material and finish
What are the pieces made from?
Plant-based PLA by default — a plastic made from fermented plant sugars, usually corn starch or sugarcane, rather than from petroleum. Some pieces can also be printed in wood-fill or stone-fill, which are PLA blended with wood or mineral particles. Each product page lists the materials that piece is offered in.
Can I choose the material, finish and tone?
Yes, on the pieces where those choices are offered. Every product page lists the material, finish and tone options for that piece, and you pick them when you reserve it. Because nothing is printed until you order, the choice costs no extra wait beyond the print time already listed.
How do wood-fill and stone-fill differ from plain PLA?
Both are PLA with particles blended in, so they behave like PLA — same heat limit, same care, not watertight. Wood-fill takes on a warmer, matte surface that shows the layer lines more openly. Stone-fill reads cooler and more mineral. Neither is stronger than plain PLA.
Is PLA compostable or recyclable?
PLA is certified compostable in industrial composting facilities that hold material at high temperature for weeks. It is not home-compostable, it will not break down usefully in a landfill, and most municipal recycling does not accept it. The plant feedstock is a real difference; the disposal route mostly is not.
Why can I see the layer lines?
Because we leave them. They are the record of how the piece was made, and sanding them away would make a printed object imitate a moulded one. We hand-finish where an edge needs to feel resolved — a vase rim, a bowl lip — and leave the faces as they came off the bed.
Do you offer other colours or finishes?
Each piece ships in the finish shown on its product page. If you have a particular room in mind, write to us before your piece goes on the bed and we will tell you honestly whether we can do it well.
Living with a printed piece
Can I put water and fresh flowers in a printed vase?
Use a liner. A printed PLA vase is not watertight — water eventually seeps through the microscopic gaps between layer lines — so drop a glass tube or small jar inside and fill that instead. Dried stems can go straight into the vase.
Are your bowls food-safe?
Treat them as catch-alls rather than tableware. The fine crevices between printed layers are difficult to clean thoroughly, so they suit keys, coins, whole fruit and wrapped items, not loose or wet food.
How do I clean a printed piece?
Dust it with a soft dry brush, which reaches into the layer lines better than a cloth does. For marks, use a cloth barely damp with water and mild soap, then dry it immediately. Avoid dishwashers, hot water, solvents and scouring pads.
Will a printed piece survive Indian summer heat?
Indoors, yes. PLA needs sustained temperatures above roughly 55°C to soften, and indoor conditions do not reach that even without air conditioning. A car parked in the sun does, so never leave a piece in one, and bring deliveries in off a hot terrace.
Can printed pieces sit in direct sunlight?
Indirect light is better. Sustained ultraviolet light slowly embrittles PLA and can shift its colour very slightly over years. A shelf across the room from a window is ideal; a sill that takes hours of direct afternoon sun is the one place to avoid.
What if a piece cracks?
PLA is rigid rather than tough, so a hard fall onto stone can crack it. A clean break bonds well with ordinary cyanoacrylate superglue, and because the material is matte and opaque a careful repair is genuinely difficult to see.
Still wondering?
The journal goes further into materials and care.