Will 3D printers become as commonplace as mobile phones in the megacities or the backwaters of the Global South? Thomas Birtchnell and William Hoyle assess the development potential of this new technique for producing three-dimensional objects, which resembles the way a paper printer produces pages of text. Will 3D printing for development become a key strategy for community action against enduring material poverty? Birtchnell and Hoyle consider this question through a centrepiece case study on the UK charity techfortrade's 3D4D Challenge.