fidgify

Tips

Getting artwork ready for a great clicker

The cleaner the drawing you start with, the cleaner the trace and the crisper the print. A few minutes of preparation usually beats an hour of fixing things in the editor.

Preparing your artwork

  • Paint with flat colour

    Every colour in your art becomes a separate filament, so each area should be one solid colour.

    Gradients, glows and soft shadows get split into stripes of near-identical colours. Swap them for a single shade before you upload.

  • Give shapes a bold outline

    A thick, dark line around each shape keeps neighbouring colours apart and makes the trace snap to the edges you meant.

    Outlines also print beautifully: they become a raised frame that makes the design read from across a room.

  • Keep details at least about 1 mm wide

    Think about the size of the finished clicker, not the size of your screen. A line that looks fine zoomed in may shrink to a hair once the design is a few centimetres across.

    Anything narrower than about 1 mm at the printed size is too thin for a nozzle to draw. fidgify flags these spots in the editor, but it is easier to thicken them in your drawing first.

  • Plan your colour count

    A single AMS holds 4 filaments, so 4 colours or fewer prints without swapping spools by hand.

    More slots (a second AMS, or other multi-material setups) let you go further. Fewer colours also means a faster print with less purge waste.

Starting from a photo

Photos are full of subtle shading, which traces into a noisy patchwork. Turn the photo into flat cartoon art first, then upload that:

  1. Crop tightly around the subject and remove anything in the background you do not want printed.
  2. Trace over it on a new layer in any drawing app, using a thick brush for the outlines.
  3. Fill each region with one solid colour, picking no more colours than you have filament slots.
  4. Hide the photo layer and export just your drawing as a PNG, ideally on a plain white or transparent background.

Switches and hardware

One keyboard switch per clicker
The click comes from a real mechanical keyboard switch that you buy separately. It is not printed. Any MX-compatible switch fits the socket; choose a clicky one for the most satisfying sound and feel.
Check the fit before a big batch
Printers differ slightly. Print the small fit calibration coupon to find the socket size that holds your switch snugly.
Keychains
Want to carry it around? A small metal split ring is the sturdiest way to attach a clicker to your keys. Keychain loops are coming in a later update.
Start a design