Layer lines are not a defect

A 3D printer does not sculpt. It lays down one thin line of melted plastic at a time, then stacks the next line on top of it. A 3-inch duck is roughly 150 of those layers. You are going to see the seams.

Why we print at 0.16 mm

We could print at 0.08 mm and get a surface that looks almost smooth, but the print time roughly doubles and small details like feathers and bills start to blur. We settled on 0.16 mm because it keeps the detail sharp while keeping a duck affordable. You can see the layers, and that is the trade we chose on purpose.

What we do to finish a piece

• Support material is removed by hand with flush cutters — never snapped off.
• Contact points are sanded with 400-grit, then 800-grit, so nothing catches a fingertip.
• Every piece gets a visual check for layer shifts, stringing and under-extrusion before it is packed.
• Anything with a visible flaw gets reprinted rather than discounted.

If two ducks were identical, we would be a factory. We are not a factory.

So expect slight variation between pieces, especially on multi-color prints where the filament changes mid-layer. That variation is the honest signature of a small-batch studio, and it is exactly why collectors keep buying them.