You spent an hour posing the perfect character on Hero Forge. The stance is right, the cloak is right, even the tiny dagger is right. Now you want it on the table on Friday night, and you do not own a 3D printer, do not want a bottle of resin on your kitchen counter, and do not want a mystery customs bill from a shop in another country. Good news: you can hand the file to a Canadian print farm and get a finished miniature in the mail. Here is exactly how.
The short answer
Buy and download the STL of your character from Hero Forge, then send that file to a Canadian miniature printing service. They print it in resin or full-colour material at the scale you choose and ship it to you, usually within a few days plus transit. Because it prints and ships inside Canada, there are no customs fees or duties. You never touch a printer.
Step 1: Export your STL from Hero Forge
On Hero Forge, the pose you build in the browser is free to look at, but the printable file is a paid add-on. When you buy the digital model, you get a zipped .stl file on your Digital Downloads page, usually within about 15 to 30 minutes of checkout. A few things worth knowing before you buy:
- It is a mesh, not a photo. The download is a tessellated model of up to roughly 100,000 triangles. That is plenty of detail for a tabletop mini.
- Ask for base separation. Hero Forge offers an option to separate the figure from its base at export. Tick it. It makes the model far easier to print cleanly and to prime later.
- Print a free sample first if you are unsure. Hero Forge publishes free sample models so you can confirm a service prints them well before you pay for your real character.
Once the zip lands, unzip it and keep the .stl somewhere you can find it. That single file is everything a print shop needs.
Step 2: Pick a Canadian print service (and skip the border)
This is where a lot of gamers lose money. Order a print from a U.S. or overseas shop and you can pay shipping, exchange, and a customs or brokerage fee on top of the mini itself. Printing domestically removes all of that. A Canadian service quotes you in Canadian dollars, ships within the country, and there is no duty to clear.
3DCentral runs an industrial print farm in Laval, Quebec, and takes files exactly like this through its print my character service and its custom D&D miniature service. You can also drop the file straight into the on-demand upload and quote flow. The point is not that there is only one shop – it is that you should keep the whole transaction inside Canada.
Step 3: Choose your scale and finish
The same character can be printed tiny for the battle map or large for a shelf. Match the scale to what you actually want to do with it:
| Scale | Height (roughly) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 28 mm | ~30-35 mm to the eyes | Standard tabletop play; fits movement trays and most terrain |
| 32 mm | ~35-40 mm | The modern “heroic” tabletop standard; a touch chunkier and easier to paint |
| 75 mm | ~75 mm | A display piece or a special character you want to show off |
If you are not sure which to order, our figurine size guide walks through the trade-offs. For finish, a raw resin or FDM print arrives ready to prime and paint. If you would rather it arrive painted, ask whether the service offers hand-finishing – some do, some do not.
Step 4: Approve, print, and ship from Quebec
A typical order looks like this: you send the STL, the shop confirms the scale and price, you approve, and then it goes into production. At 3DCentral that means a few days of production followed by Canadian shipping – no customs, no surprise duties. If you are up against a session date, ask about a rush option; ours adds a surcharge for a 24 to 48 hour turnaround.
What if you never made the STL in the first place?
Not everyone wants to spend the evening in a character builder. If you have a reference – a piece of character art, an old sketch, or even a clear photo – you can skip the file entirely. 3DCentral can make a mini straight from a photo or description. The sculpt is AI-assisted and then finished by a real artist, so it looks like your character and not like a melted approximation. Hero Forge is the fastest path when you enjoy posing the model yourself; the from-photo path is better when you already have the character in your head or on paper.
Is it legal to have my Hero Forge file printed?
Yes, for personal use. When you buy the digital model, Hero Forge is selling you a file to 3D print for yourself – that is the entire point of the STL product. Handing that file to a print shop so a machine you do not own can print it for you is no different, legally, from printing it on your own machine. It is your character and your file, for your own tabletop.
Two honest caveats. First, this covers personal use – printing copies to sell is a different question and not something a print bureau can grant you. Second, 3DCentral is an independent Canadian print service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Hero Forge; “Hero Forge” is a trademark of its respective owner, referenced here only to describe file compatibility.
Ready to get it printed?
Export the STL, decide on a scale, and send it to a Canadian shop so it ships to your door with no border in the way. If you want us to handle it, start with our custom D&D miniature service – upload the file, pick your size, and we print and ship it from Laval.
FAQ
Can you print a Hero Forge file if I do not own a printer?
Yes. That is the whole idea. You buy and download the STL from Hero Forge, send it to a print service, and they print and ship the physical miniature to you. No printer, no resin, no cleanup on your end.
How much does it cost to print a Hero Forge mini in Canada?
It depends on scale and finish. A standard 28 to 32 mm tabletop mini is at the low end; larger display pieces cost more, and hand-painting adds to it. Ordering inside Canada also saves you the customs and brokerage fees you would pay importing a print.
What file do I send?
The zipped .stl you download from Hero Forge. Unzip it first and send the .stl inside. If Hero Forge offered you a base-separation option at export, use it – it prints more cleanly.
Will there be customs or duty?
Not if it is printed and shipped within Canada. That is the main reason to choose a domestic service over a U.S. or overseas shop for a single mini.
How long does it take?
At 3DCentral, expect a few days of production after you approve, plus Canadian shipping time. A rush option can bring production down to 24 to 48 hours for a surcharge if you are on a deadline.
Can I get it painted?
Some services, including ours, can hand-finish a mini so it arrives painted rather than bare. If you plan to paint it yourself, order it unpainted and simply prime it when it arrives.
