You print a custom part, deliver it, and the customer disappears without paying. Or worse: you print it and at the last minute they say they no longer want it. A custom piece can't be sold to anyone else. That is why a deposit for 3D printing orders isn't distrust, it's an orderly way for both sides to commit. Here is why to ask for it, how much to ask depending on your case, what to do about cancellations, and how to put a simple order policy in writing. This is a practical business guide, not legal advice.
Why ask for a deposit for 3D printing orders on custom work
When you accept an order, you start spending things you can't recover if the customer backs out: filament, machine hours, time preparing the file, and sometimes design hours. If the part is a catalog model, you might sell it to someone else. If it's custom work, almost never.
Covers what you're about to spend
Material, electricity, and time get used even if the customer cancels. A deposit makes sure you don't fund everything out of pocket before the order is confirmed.
Filters out the curious
Someone who pays a deposit is usually decided. Someone who just asks for prices with no intent to buy leaves without costing you print hours.
Organizes your production schedule
When orders are confirmed with a payment, you know what to print first and you don't reserve the machine for jobs that may never happen.
Sets the rules from the start
When the customer accepts the terms by paying, arguments about changes or cancellations become much easier to resolve.
How much deposit to ask: criteria, not a mandatory percentage
There is no single correct percentage for every shop. Decide based on the risk you take on. One practical way to think about it: the deposit should cover, at minimum, what you would lose if the customer left halfway through the job.
A reasonable floor for the deposit: what you'd lose if the customer cancels
On top of that floor, adjust using these criteria: the size of the order, whether the part is fully custom, whether the customer is new or has bought before, and how much machine time you will reserve. The percentages in the table are only examples to illustrate, not mandatory figures or universal recommendations.
Examples of how you might set it up (illustrative, not mandatory)
| Situation | Example deposit | Why it might make sense |
|---|---|---|
| Small catalog part, returning customer | Full payment on ordering, or no deposit | Low risk and easy to resell |
| Custom part, new customer | Example: 50% on acceptance | You can't resell it and don't know the customer |
| Large order or several parts | Example: 50% on acceptance and the rest on delivery, or payments by batch | Commits many machine hours |
| Project with design included | Example: one payment for the design and another for the printing | The design is already delivered work on its own |
Ask for the deposit naturally
Don't present it as doubt about the customer, but as a normal part of the process: 'To reserve your spot in production we ask for a deposit of the agreed percentage; the rest is paid on delivery.' Said that way, almost nobody is bothered.
Cancellations and changes: decide the rule before it happens
What wears down a customer relationship the most is improvising the rule once there is already a problem. Decide in advance what happens at each moment, and write it down.
Before printing starts
No material has been spent yet. You can refund the whole deposit, or keep a small part if you already invested time in design or preparation. You decide and put it in writing.
While printing is underway
Part of the material and time is already used. The usual approach is that the deposit covers what was spent and any difference is refunded.
With the part already finished
If the part was made as agreed and the customer changes their mind, it is reasonable for the order to be charged in full. That is why having the agreement in writing matters.
Rules on refunds, consumer rights, and contracts differ from country to country. If you have doubts about what you can require or must refund, ask a lawyer or your country's consumer authority. What is described here are business practices, not legal advice.
A hypothetical example to see how it works: a custom order of 120 USD, with an assumed 50% deposit (60 USD). If the customer cancels before printing and your policy says you keep 10 USD for design work already done, you refund 50 USD. If they cancel with half the job printed and the material and hours used add up to, say, 45 USD, the deposit covers that cost and you refund 15 USD. These are invented numbers just to illustrate; your policy may differ.
Payment per part or in full
For single-part orders, the simplest approach is a deposit and the balance on delivery. For orders with many parts, you can split the work into batches: the customer pays the deposit, receives the first batch, pays for the next, and so on. That reduces your risk and gives the customer peace of mind from seeing progress. Note in the quote how many parts go in each batch and when each payment is due. If you don't have your quote set up yet, see [what to include in a 3D printing quote](/en/blog/que-incluir-cotizacion-impresion-3d).
A simple order policy in five lines
You don't need a long document. A short text that the customer reads and accepts before paying solves almost everything. This is the basic content worth covering.
Put those lines in your quote or in a message the customer confirms. If you're still unsure what to charge for your parts, read [how much to charge for 3D printing](/en/blog/cuanto-cobrar-impresion-3d-2026) and download the [quote template](/en/quote-template) for a starting point.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal to ask for a deposit in 3D printing?+
What deposit percentage should I ask for?+
Do I refund the deposit if the customer cancels?+
What if the customer doesn't want to pay a deposit?+
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