Just curious: Who is using online 3D printing services in this group? Or do you prefer to print with your own desktop 3D printer?
I use shapeways, I am getting a printer, but some things you want in more exotic materials that are not doable at home
I have used i.materialize, but not since they have added a US partner. I was happy with the results, but shipping costs were a bit hard to swallow. However, I will start printing my own once my RigidBot BIG arrives - until I have the designs down pat, then I may have the final parts printed by either them or shapeways.
I have been using Shapeways for about 4 years, and got my own FDM printer more than a year ago. I still use both.
Rojer, thanks for the mention. We hope you’ll try us again now that our shipping has gone down on the items printed in the US. Running a discount on one of our metals this month, but won’t post the link here. You can easily find it. 
Thanks for the comments! Btw, did anybody had problems with the orientation of the 3D designs, when they have been printed at an online printing service? The wrong orientation can make the quality worse. And did anybody had issues with the color of the prints or problems with missing layers/parts?
Both models that i.materilze printed for me were true to the models I submitted and of excellent quality. Even down to the fine fragile parts - which the cleaning folks at work promptly destroyed - but that’s a different issue.
You know - the method used to print my models wasn’t fused filament deposition. I believe it may have been laser sintering, but I’m not sure. I don’t think that the orientation of the model on their printer bed has the same impact with whatever method they used. I’m certain that there was a skilled engineer looking over the print process and the finest details were quite accurate. I can see how in FFD orientation can play a major roll in success, but it didn’t seem like an issue with the material I ordered my prints in.
The orientation problems I have seen so far were related to the 3DP method, which is also used by the ZPrinters. There are quite a few people in the forums of the online printing services, who complain about that.
@Rojer_Wisner what material have you ordered your prints in?
Btw, I had not in mind to talk bad about the printing services. I just wanted to see if the forum of the printing services is used by a small but loud minority or if these problems are a bit more common, but only few are talking about it.
Polyamide - white - unpolished, both items
Our polyamide prints are made via laser sintering technology. Here’s a link to the materials page about polyamide (which includes a video about the tech), if you’d like to see more. (Not trying to spam, but to provide helpful info.) http://bit.ly/15kx32E