Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Ulch Prints Studio

Most people see the finished product — a vibrant dragon, a satisfying articulated keychain, a glowing lithophane. What they don't see is the hours of calibration, the hum of a dozen printers running in parallel, and the careful eye that goes into every single piece we ship.

Here's what a typical day looks like at the Ulch Prints studio in Windsor, Ontario.

Morning: Checking the Night Prints

Many of our prints run overnight. Larger pieces — like our dice towers and dragon sculptures — can take 8 to 14 hours to complete. First thing in the morning, we check every printer, inspect the finished pieces for quality, and clear the beds for the next run.

Any piece that doesn't meet our standards gets recycled. PLA is one of the few 3D printing materials that can be ground down and repurposed, which aligns with our commitment to minimizing waste.

Midday: Fulfilling Orders

Once the morning prints are inspected and approved, we move into fulfillment. Each order is packed carefully — we use minimal packaging and avoid single-use plastics wherever possible. Every package that leaves our studio represents someone's gift, someone's collection, someone's moment of joy when they open the box.

That's not something we take lightly.

Afternoon: Setting Up the Next Run

The afternoon is for slicing new files, loading filament, and queuing up the next batch of prints. This is also when we work on custom orders — adjusting designs, test printing new colours, and communicating with customers about their requests.

Our print farm runs multiple printers simultaneously, which lets us offer fast turnaround times without sacrificing quality. Each printer is calibrated regularly to ensure consistent layer adhesion, colour accuracy, and dimensional precision.

Why We Do It This Way

We could outsource. We could use cheaper materials. We could skip the quality checks and ship faster.

We don't, because the whole point of Ulch Prints is to make things worth keeping. Handcrafted in Canada, with materials we believe in, for customers who appreciate the difference.

See What We're Making

Browse our full collection of 3D printed dragons, keychains, dice towers, lithophanes, and more — all made fresh in our Windsor studio. Free shipping across Canada on orders over $75.