Introduction: 3D Print Your Own Chinese Name Seal (Chop)

By SexyCyborg.imgur.com
About: I'm Naomi Wu, a Maker and 3D printing enthusiast from Shenzhen. I enjoy working on wearables and functional designs for women.

If you don't already have a Chinese name, picking one can be a little tricky. For something fast and simple you can try this: Get a Chinese Name

If you are going to be using it around Chinese people- say for business, you probably want to put a bit more care into the selection. For a more detailed guide to picking a Chinese name, see here: How to Choose Your Chinese Name

Step 1: Make a Bitmap Image of the Seal.

Once you have your Chinese name go here: Chinese Seal Generator

I'm using my Chinese Internet name- 机械妖姬 or "Machinery Enchantress". It has four characters, most names have three. The script will add a forth character for "seal" if needed, this is normal and correct.

Carving: Positive

Ink: Black

Size: 200

The second font, of the second block of fonts is probably most authentic- but not all Chinese will be able to read it (it's an ancient writing style).

The third font of the second block, and the sixth font of the first block are also ok- but not as authentic.

Click the bottom: "Image's link for download"

Step 2: Convert the Bitmap Image to an SVG File.

Go here: Convert Picture to SVG

SVG Color: Black

Details: Great

Filters: Ready #3

Click "Download" and save the SVG file to your computer.

Step 3: Convert the SVG to a 3D Object.

Go to TinkerCAD.com and create a new design in the legacy mode (not the Beta as it messes up the SVG import).

Under "Import:"

Select the SVG file you saved on your computer.

Scale: 3% (will make it about 33.3mm on a side)

Height: 1mm

Step 4: Create the Body of the Stamp.

Drag a cube onto the workplane. Create a 34mm x 34mm x 70mm block, and lift it up 1mm.

Step 5: Align the Stamp Body With the Stamp Text.

Shift-Select both objects. Using the "Align" function under the "Adjust" icon on upper right of your screen, first align the X axis, then the Y. Group them and export the STL for 3D Printing.

Step 6: 3D Print Your Stamp.

If you don't own a printer you can visit 3D Hubs to find someone locally to print it for you for a small fee. Make sure to print the seal with the stamp side up. Printing at .2mm with 10% infill seems to work fine.

You may have to sand the stamp down a little to make it more flat but the ink paste we'll get in the next step can fill in minor height differences. The slight imperfections in a hand carved seal are often left to make it harder to counterfeit and are part of the aesthetic so don't worry if it's not perfect.

Step 7: Buy Red Ink Stamp Paste

The key to making a hard plastic stamp, instead of the usual soft rubber is using Chinese seal paste. Since a name "chop" is made of hard materials, we use a traditional paste like ink. A regular ink pad will not give very good results since the layer of ink on the stamp will be too thin to transfer. If you own a 3D Printer, the ink paste is pretty handy stuff to have since it's easier to make stamps with regular (hard) filament then mess about with the soft filament you'd need for regular ink pads. There are many brands, the above is just one of them.

If you search Amazon for "Red Ink Paste" a number of options come up.

Step 8: Using Your Stamp

Touch the stamp lightly to the paste a few times to transfer the ink. Then press it firmly on the paper. Wipe it before you put it away or the ink will dry and obscure the characters.

You can also Boolean subtract the seal script from your 3D designs to leave an imprint. Although personally I feel it is not really in the spirit of Open Source to mark things this way. I think if you are sharing the design attribution should be voluntary.

If you like this and want to see more of my projects, you can check here:

►Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealSexyCyborg
►My Photo Albums: http://sexycyborg.imgur.com
►YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/SexyCyborg