3D Printed vs Acrylic vs Metal Keychains

Custom keychains come in three main materials: 3D printed plastic, acrylic and metal. Each is the right choice for someone, and each has a weak spot. We make 3D printed ones, so this guide tries hard to be fair about the others. Here is how they compare on the things people actually care about.

How each one is made

3D printed keychains, like ours, are built up layer by layer from plastic. Each colour is a separate solid region of plastic, and a design goes straight from a file to the printer, so making one costs the same per piece as making fifty.

Acrylic keychains are usually a clear acrylic sheet with a full-colour image printed on it (often on the back, so it shows through), then laser cut to shape. Some are made from coloured acrylic layers glued together.

Metal keychains are usually die-struck or cast in zinc alloy or iron, then filled with coloured enamel. Each design needs a custom mould or die, which is why they usually come with a minimum order of 50 to 100 or more.

Side by side

Where 3D printed keychains win

• One-offs and small batches. No mould, no setup fee, no minimum. A single name keychain costs the same per piece as a batch.
• Shapes. A 3D printed keychain can be cut around the letters of a name or the outline of a drawing, and be several millimetres thick, with no extra cost for the custom shape.
• Feel. Raised designs and stepped terraces give a keychain texture you can trace with a thumb, which is lovely for names and logos and useful for anyone who navigates by touch.
• Colour that lasts. Because the colour is the plastic itself, there's no printed layer to rub away in a pocket full of keys.
• Weight. A light keychain doesn't scratch a phone or drag on a bag zip.

Where the others win

• Photographs. If you want a photo to look like a photo, acrylic is the better choice. A 3D print turns a photo into up to eight flat colours, which looks bold and graphic rather than photographic.
• Heat. On a dashboard in a summer heatwave, a 3D printed keychain can warp. Acrylic and metal don't have this problem. Keep a printed keychain in a pocket or bag in summer.
• Toughness. Metal survives being dropped, stepped on and chewed. A 3D printed keychain is stiff: it holds up to daily use, but it can snap if it's bent hard.
• Heft. Some people like the weight of a metal keychain; it feels substantial and premium.

Which should you choose?

• A name, initials or a logo, one or a few copies: 3D printed. It's what the format does best.
• A photo that should look like a photo: acrylic.
• Hundreds of identical promotional keychains, or something that lives on a car key in a hot climate: metal.
• A child's drawing, a pet, a team crest: 3D printed. The flat-colour look suits drawings and crests unusually well, and the custom shape can follow the outline of the drawing.

What about price?

Price depends more on quantity than on material. For a single keychain or a handful, 3D printing is usually the cheapest way to get something truly custom, because there is no mould and no setup. Acrylic is competitive for single photo keychains, since a printed sheet costs little to cut. Metal only becomes cheap per piece in large runs: the die or mould might cost more than a hundred keychains, so the price per piece falls as the order grows. If you need five hundred identical keychains, metal or bulk acrylic from a promotional supplier will usually beat us; if you need five, or fifty with different names, 3D printing almost always wins.

What about the environment?

Because our keychains are made to order, nothing is printed speculatively and thrown away unsold. Acrylic and metal keychains are usually made in large runs overseas and shipped in bulk.

Caring for a 3D printed keychain

Keep it out of extreme heat (a dashboard in summer, a dishwasher). Clean it with a damp cloth. Use a proper split ring through the hole: our keychains have a thick tab around the hole so they don't snap there. If one ever breaks in normal use, tell us. Our guarantees are on the refunds and reprints page.