Printcommons.com - Cal Hacker Machine Service Marketplace

Inspiration

I took my 3D printers to Cal Hacks with the intention of working on a hardware project, but soon people began requesting to use them since the official print queue was too long. Over the course of the weekend I assisted a great many people with both 3D printing and paper printing, as well as giving them CAD advice, while at the same time they helped me to improve my Demo

What it does

PrintCommons is a kind of marketplace for fabrication services, similar to Fiverr for makers. People can list their machines (such as 3D printers, paper printers, laser cutters, UV printers, and tools) and then take on paid "jobs" from those who need something made. Hackers have a quicker option than having to wait in a long queue, and machine owners gain a means of putting their equipment to use.

As a buyer

Smart Search: Search for the items you're interested in. With Claude's smart search you can identify the right fabricator even if you don't know the technical jargon.
/vendors: You have the option of viewing the services and fabricators that are available.
/profile: This enables you to see the fabricator's profile along with all of their services.
List a Service: Join the community and become a fabricator; Claude helps you create your listing
Message centre: Get in touch with the fabricators to check the details and make arrangements for the pickup.

As a seller

– Set up a profile: include the machines and services you have available and state your rates – The page that belongs to you (printcommons.com/yourname): simply a link that you can use to include your name on other platforms.

** Business center**: Manage leads, jobs, and payouts all in a straightforward way

How I built it

Supabase for the backend database
Vercel for the frontend
GitHub for the website's repo
Claude API for smart submission features and search
Cloudflare for the domain name
Built with Claude Max (20x) Plan Claude Code, Claude Design, Claude Artifacts, Claude Agents (mostly Opus 5.5)

Challenges

Session limits: Although I used Claude to set up the project, on the Pro plan I was constantly encountering session limits, which disrupted my progress.
Due to AI-induced scope creep: the app would occasionally include features that I didn't need, which meant I had to constantly direct it back to the essential aspects.
Mobile layout: The site appeared unsatisfactory on the iPhone and I had difficulty getting it to fit properly. I redesigned the layout for the iPhone interface using Claude artifacts and it then looked much better.
Getting involved in helping people while building: During the weekend numerous people asked me to print things for them and I helped as many as I could, which although it slowed down my building gave me some valuable user feedback.

What I learned

People who want a task to be carried out quickly are not interested in going through a number of steps. It is important to keep the process simple and direct, especially when using a mobile device, since with less space less important features may end up hiding the main thing the user is there to do.

What's next

I set up PrintCommons since the print queue at Cal Hacks was too long, but I don't believe that the problem ends with this hackathon; many people need things to be made and yet many machines are not being used. Therefore, I'm going to continue with this project and aim to make it useful outside of Cal Hacks.

The next big steps:

Actual payments. Although I didn't bill anyone this weekend, the fabricators should still be paid for both their time and their materials. – When setting up an email, individuals need not keep refreshing the site in order to check whether someone has replied or accepted their job. – Keep it simple. On mobile devices, I want the process of getting something produced to require as few taps as possible.
The number of fabricators increases; the more people there are who list a machine, the greater the chance that someone nearby will be able to help.