How to Make a 360° Lithophane Lamp
A 360° lithophane lamp is a printed cylinder whose wall thickness varies with your image, so it shows a continuous wrap-around picture when lit from inside.
Updated 20 October 2026 · 7 min read
A lithophane lamp wraps a photo or panorama all the way around a printed cylinder. Switched off, it looks like textured white plastic; with a light inside, the thin areas glow and the thick areas stay dark, and the full image appears. It is one of the most rewarding prints you can make, but a lamp is less forgiving than a flat lithophane: the image has to match the cylinder's proportions, the light has to be cool and centred, and the print takes many hours. This guide covers each decision with the numbers you need.
How a cylindrical lithophane works
Every point on the cylinder wall gets a thickness between a minimum and a maximum based on the image's brightness: dark pixels become thick, light pixels thin. Light passing through from the inside is absorbed in proportion to the plastic it crosses. White PLA is the standard because it diffuses light evenly and gives the widest tonal range. For the basics of lithophane thickness and filament choice, see the lithophane printing guide; this article focuses on what is specific to the 360° lamp.
Image aspect ratio: the circumference maths
The image is wrapped around the cylinder, so its width becomes the circumference and its height becomes the lamp's height. The circumference is:
circumference = π × diameter
So the image aspect ratio should be (π × diameter) : height. If it is not, the image is stretched or squashed horizontally, which is very noticeable on faces.
| Outer diameter | Circumference | Height | Image aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 mm | 219.9 mm | 100 mm | 2.2 : 1 |
| 80 mm | 251.3 mm | 100 mm | 2.51 : 1 |
| 90 mm | 282.7 mm | 120 mm | 2.36 : 1 |
| 100 mm | 314.2 mm | 150 mm | 2.09 : 1 |
| 120 mm | 377.0 mm | 120 mm | 3.14 : 1 |
Work backwards if your image is fixed. A 3:1 panorama on a 100 mm tall lamp needs a circumference of 300 mm, which means a diameter of 300 ÷ π = 95.5 mm.
Whether you measure from the outer or inner diameter changes the result by only a few percent for a 2–3 mm wall. Use the same diameter that the generator uses for the image surface; in practice, the outer diameter.
Choosing and preparing the image
- Panoramas are natural fits: phone panorama shots are often 3:1 to 5:1, and you can crop to your ratio.
- Collages: combine three or four photos side by side into one wide strip. Leave a soft gradient or a dark border between them rather than a hard edge.
- Single portraits leave large empty areas on a 360° lamp. Either extend the background, or use a smaller arc (a curved lithophane) instead.
- The seam: the left and right edges of the image meet at one line on the cylinder. Put something uneventful there – sky, a plain wall – or use a 360° panorama whose edges already match.
- Resolution: about 10 pixels per millimetre of circumference is plenty. For a 251 mm circumference, a 2500-pixel-wide image is ample; more just makes a bigger file.
- Contrast: lithophanes flatten contrast. Boost it a little, brighten faces slightly and avoid very large pure black areas, which become solid maximum-thickness bands.
Diameter and height choices
- 60–80 mm diameter – desk lamp size, fits over an LED tea light, prints in roughly 8–15 hours depending on height and settings.
- 90–120 mm – bedside lamp, more room for a bulb and more image area; expect 15–30+ hours.
- Height – 100–150 mm is typical. Taller cylinders with thin walls can wobble near the top during printing; keep height under about 2× the diameter unless you add a top ring.
Check your printer's maximum height and remember the lamp is printed standing up, so the diameter only needs to fit the bed footprint.
Wall thickness settings
| Setting | Typical value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum thickness | 0.6–0.8 mm | Brightest areas; below 0.6 mm risks gaps and pinholes |
| Maximum thickness | 2.5–3.2 mm | Darkest areas; thicker means more contrast with a bright source but a dimmer lamp |
| Top/bottom ring | 3–5 mm tall, solid | Stiffens the cylinder and gives a clean edge to sit in the base |
A weak light source suits a lower maximum (around 2.2–2.5 mm); a bright bulb can drive 3 mm or more. The image is normally embossed on the outside with a smooth inside, which is easier to print and keeps the outer detail sharp.
Which LED to use (and why heat matters)
PLA starts to soften at around 55–60 °C. A lithophane lamp is a closed plastic tube around a heat source, so the light must be LED only. Never use incandescent or halogen bulbs.
| Light source | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Battery LED tea light | Cheap, no wiring, very little heat | Dim, light concentrated near the bottom |
| USB LED puck or strip | Brighter, can run from any USB charger | Needs a cable exit in the base |
| LED filament or corn bulb (E14/E12/E27) | Bright, even 360° light | Mains wiring; must use a certified socket and cord set |
| Smart / colour LED | Adjustable warmth and brightness | Colour light changes how the image reads |
Practical guidelines:
- Keep LED bulbs to a few watts (around 3–5 W) and leave at least 15–20 mm between the bulb and the wall.
- Prefer warm white (2700–3000 K) for photos; cool white looks harsh through white PLA.
- Light from a single point at the bottom leaves the top dim. A bulb positioned near mid-height, or an LED strip wrapped around a central post, lights the cylinder evenly.
- If you use mains power, buy a ready-made lamp cord with a socket and switch rather than wiring one yourself, and add ventilation openings.
Designing the base
The base holds the cylinder, hides the light source and manages cable and heat:
- Seat: a groove or lip 3–5 mm deep with 0.3–0.5 mm clearance around the cylinder's bottom ring, so it drops in without forcing.
- Light mount: a recess for the tea light, a hole for the USB puck, or a mount for the socket, centred under the cylinder.
- Cable exit: a notch or hole at the back; add a strain relief clip for mains cables.
- Ventilation: slots in the base and an open top let warm air rise out. A closed top lid is fine only with a tea light or low-power LED.
- Material: print the base in a dark or opaque colour so it does not glow and distract from the image.
Print settings for a lithophane lamp
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Filament | Plain white PLA (not silk, not translucent "natural") |
| Layer height | 0.12–0.16 mm for smoother tones |
| Infill | 100%, so there are no infill patterns visible in the light |
| Walls | Enough perimeters to fill the maximum thickness, or let 100% infill fill it |
| Speed | Moderate outer wall speed (30–60 mm/s) to avoid ringing on the curved surface |
| Seam | Aligned, placed on the image seam so it hides in one line |
| Adhesion | 5–8 mm brim, as the footprint is a thin ring |
| Supports | None |
| Cooling | Normal PLA fan; avoid drafts that cause layer shifts on tall prints |
Before committing to a full print, slice and check the estimate in your slicer and the filament cost with the 3D print cost calculator. A 100 mm tall, 80 mm diameter lamp with a 3 mm maximum wall typically uses well under 100 g of PLA, but the long print time is the real cost. It is also worth printing a 20 mm tall test band with the same settings to judge brightness against your light.
Step-by-step: from photo to finished lamp
- Decide diameter and height, then compute the aspect ratio: (π × diameter) ÷ height.
- Crop or build your image to that ratio, place the seam on a quiet area and adjust contrast.
- Open the 360° lithophane lamp generator, load the image and enter diameter, height, minimum and maximum thickness and ring sizes.
- Download the STL and inspect it in the STL viewer: check dimensions and that the image is not mirrored.
- Slice with the settings above, align the seam with the image seam and print.
- Print the base in a dark colour and fit the light source.
- Test the light, drop the cylinder into the base and check for hot spots after an hour of running.
If you want a partial arc rather than a full cylinder, or a flat panel for a frame, the lithophane maker handles flat and curved shapes from the same image.
FAQ
What aspect ratio should a lithophane lamp image be?
Width to height should equal π × diameter to the lamp height. For an 80 mm diameter, 100 mm tall lamp that is 251 : 100, or about 2.5 : 1.
Is it safe to put a light bulb in a PLA lithophane lamp?
Only a low-power LED. PLA softens around 55–60 °C, so incandescent and halogen bulbs can deform it. Keep LEDs to a few watts, leave space around the bulb and provide ventilation.
How thick should a lithophane lamp wall be?
About 0.6–0.8 mm at the thinnest and 2.5–3.2 mm at the thickest. Use the lower end of the maximum for dim lights such as tea lights.
How long does a lithophane lamp take to print?
Usually between 8 and 30 hours, depending on diameter, height and layer height. Fine layers, 100% infill and slower outer walls add time but give smoother tones.