How to make custom cookie cutters for 3D printing
A 3D printer lets you make a cookie cutter in any shape: a pet, a logo, a child's drawing. But a printed cutter only works well if it is designed for how plastic is printed and how dough is cut. Here is what matters.
Wall thickness: at least 1.2 mm
A standard 0.4 mm nozzle lays a line about 0.42–0.48 mm wide. A 1.2 mm wall is three clean perimeters. Thinner walls are fragile, and slicers often drop them entirely, printing only the base.
A tapered edge for clean cuts
A wall that thins toward the top cuts dough more cleanly than a flat-topped one. CookieCut thins the last 3 mm of the wall down to a 0.4 mm edge, the thinnest line most printers can print.
A flange you can press
A wide rim around the base spreads pressure across your hand and stops the wall from flexing outward. Without it, pressing hard hurts and thin shapes bend.
Height and size
Shallower than about 8 mm is hard to grip and release from dough. A total height of around 16 mm works well. For width, 60–100 mm suits most cookies; go larger for dough with chunky add-ins like chocolate chips.
Print settings
Print with the flange down and the edge up, with no supports. A layer height of 0.12–0.2 mm and at least three perimeters give a smooth edge and a strong wall.
The fastest way to design one
You can model all of this in CAD, or generate it from an image in your browser. See the step-by-step guide and read about food safety before you bake.