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A light pink 3D-printed bow maker clip on a light wooden craft table: two slim jaws split into prongs at the tip, a sliding ring near the front, a folded stack of pink and white grosgrain ribbon held between the jaws, and a spring loop with a ridged thumb tab at the back, with spools of pink, white and lilac ribbon, a finished bow and small scissors around it.
Bow Maker Clip Fold it, clip it.
Tie the perfect bow.
Open-ended tie slot Slide-on clamp ring

Print facts

Print time
1 h 42 min
Filament
33 g
Colors
1
Parts
2
Length
152 mm
Set up for
P2S, PETG

01About

A 15 cm (6 in) clip for making ribbon hair bows. Squeeze the thumb tabs, lay your folded ribbon between the jaws and let go: the printed spring holds the folds while small teeth crimp them. Slide the clamp ring toward the tip for a firm grip.

Each jaw is split into two prongs by a slot that runs out of the tip, so you can slide thread, a pipe cleaner, a small zip tie or thin ribbon in from the end while the clip is closed, wrap the center and tie it off. Then loosen the ring, squeeze, and slide the finished bow out.

It's two printed parts on one plate: the clip, with its spring printed in (no metal spring, no pin), and the ring. Nothing to glue or screw. PETG is recommended so the spring keeps its snap; PLA works for occasional crafting.

It comes as a Bambu Studio project for a P2S and as STL. The license lets you sell the prints you make.

  • Printed spring: squeeze to open, let go to hold
  • Open-ended slot: slide the tie in from the tip
  • Crimp teeth on both jaws
  • Slide-on ring locks the grip
  • Two printed parts, no hardware
  • Sell the prints you make
  • Crafts
  • Hair bows
  • Ribbon
  • Tool

  1. Open the 3MF in Bambu Studio

    Open it as a project (File, then Open Project). The printer, plate and settings are already saved, so there's nothing to set up. Printing on another brand? Use the STL files with the settings below.

  2. Load your filament

    One color:

    • Clip and ringLight pink

  3. Print

    Print the clip and the ring together on one plate, the clip on its side as supplied. Both come off ready to use once the supports are out: nothing to glue or screw.

Print the clip on its side as supplied: that way the spring bends along the printed layers. With the STL, apply supports to the clip only and set the ring to no supports and 100% infill. Keep the scale at 100%: the spring, the teeth and the ring's fit depend on it.

Printing on another printer or slicer? See the settings

The 3MF project has these settings saved for a Bambu Lab P2S. Using the STL on another printer? These are the settings it was made with.

Printer
Bambu Lab P2S, 0.4 mm nozzle, textured PEI plate
Material
PETG (Bambu PETG Basic). PLA works for occasional use: switch the filament profile first
Layer height
0.20 mm, first layer 0.20 mm
Walls
3, with 4 top and bottom layers
Infill
Clip 20% gyroid, ring 100%
Supports
Clip: on, under the jaws and in the slots (they peel out). Ring: none
Brim
None
Orientation
As supplied: the clip on its side, the ring flat

03What to print

2 parts. One clip and one ring from one file:

PartHow manyColor
Clip and ring01-Bow-Maker-Clip2 partsThe clip and the clamp ring

Both parts print together on one plate. Pick one format, the 3MF or the STL, not both.

04Making a bow

  1. Print and clean up

    Let the plate cool, then peel the supports from under the jaws and out of both slots. Clear any strings from the teeth.

  2. Fit the ring

    Slide the ring over both front tips with its raised arches centered on the slots, and park it back near the spring.

  3. Clamp the ribbon

    Squeeze the thumb tabs, lay your folded ribbon across the jaws and let go. Slide the ring toward the tip until the folds hold.

  4. Tie the center

    Slide thread, a pipe cleaner, a small zip tie or thin ribbon into the slot from the open tip, wrap the bow's center and tie it off.

  5. Release the bow

    Move the ring back toward the spring, squeeze the tabs and slide the finished bow out through the open tips.

Open the jaws only as far as you need, and don't spread the prongs sideways or store the clip wedged open. Keep it away from heat and sunlight. It's a craft tool, not a hair accessory or a toy.

05Selling your prints

Every download comes with a license that lets you sell the physical prints you make. The full terms are in LICENSE.txt inside the ZIP.

You can

  • Print it for yourself, family and friends, and as gifts
  • Sell physical prints, with no quantity limit or royalty
  • Change the files for your own printing, and sell prints of those too
  • Use your own photos of your prints to sell them

You can't

  • Share, upload, sell or give away the files, or remixes of them
  • Pass the files on with a print you sell
  • Claim the design as yours, or imply 3MF Labs endorses your shop

Want a friend to have the files? Send them this page. It's free for them too. Read the full license

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