Drop an image. Generate a relief printing roller STL in seconds. 3D print in TPU, roll across an ink pad, press to paper. The machine is free to build. The toolchain runs offline. The files are free, open, and permanently archived.
Any image format. PNG, JPG, SVG screenshot, scanned drawing. The generator converts to grayscale, then applies your chosen preprocessing mode — lineart expansion, halftone dots, woodcut edges, or raw.
Hard threshold: every pixel becomes fully raised or fully recessed. No gradients. No slopes. At every transition, a vertical cliff wall is inserted — the recess physically cannot reach the ink pad. Pure letterpress mechanics.
Slice in TPU 95A at 0.1mm layer height, 100% infill, printed upright. Roll across a stamp ink pad. Roll across paper. Raised surface transfers ink. Recessed surface never touches the pad.
The texture roller market is full of designs — clay rollers, embossers, pattern stamps. Every single one is a closed STL. Someone designed it in CAD, exported it, put it on Printables for $8. You buy that one image. You own that one roller.
"Imprimatur is the one where you bring your own image and the toolchain does the rest."
Pen plotters handle text and vector beautifully. They are not optimized for fast ink-transfer reproduction of images or tactile relief on paper. Imprimatur is not a plotter replacement — it's a different tool for a different output. Bold graphics, illustrations, halftones. Something that looks like it came off a press, because it did.
| Existing rollers | Imprimatur | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Closed STL | Any image |
| Cost | $8–15 each | Free |
| Generator | None | CLI + web app |
| Medium | Clay / emboss | Ink + paper |
| Machine | Sold separately | Print or cast it |
| License | All rights reserved | CERN-OHL-S v2 |
Everything you need to build the machine, generate rollers, and start printing. All files are free. All files are open. Licensed under CERN-OHL-S v2 and GPL.