Pokemon Pokopia 3D Printer Guide — How to Copy Any Item

The 3D Printer is one of the most powerful tools in Pokémon Pokopia. It lets you duplicate almost any item in the game — from Berry Trees and furniture to decorations and crafting materials — simply by photographing it with your camera and spending some Pokémetal. Once you understand how it works, you'll never run out of the items you need for building the perfect habitat. This guide covers everything: how to unlock the 3D Printer, how to use it step by step, the best items to copy, material costs, and a multiplayer trick that lets you duplicate items from your friends' worlds.

How to Unlock the 3D Printer

The 3D Printer becomes available after you rebuild the first Pokémon Center in the game. This happens in the Withered Wasteland, the starting area of Pokémon Pokopia. The Pokémon Center is one of the first major structures you restore as part of the main storyline, so you won't have to go out of your way to find it.

To rebuild the Pokémon Center, you need to gather materials from the surrounding area and complete the restoration quest. The game walks you through this process as part of the early tutorial, teaching you how to use Ditto's transformation moves to collect resources. Once the Pokémon Center is fully restored, walk inside and you'll find the 3D Printer sitting right next to the PC terminal.

From this point forward, every Pokémon Center you rebuild in other areas will also have a 3D Printer inside. You don't need to unlock it again — once the first one is active, all subsequent Pokémon Centers come equipped with the printer automatically. This means you'll always have convenient access to the 3D Printer no matter which area you're working in.

How to Use the 3D Printer (Step by Step)

Using the 3D Printer is a two-step process: first you photograph the item you want to copy, then you visit the printer to create it. Here's exactly how it works.

Step 1: Photograph the Item

Before you can print anything, you need a photo of it. Pokémon Pokopia's camera system has two modes: a Pokémon photography mode (the default) and an item photography mode. You need to be in item mode to capture objects for the 3D Printer.

1. Open the camera — Press the minus button (−) on your controller to enter camera mode. The screen will shift to a first-person viewfinder.
2. Switch to item mode — Press Y to toggle from Pokémon mode to item mode. You'll see the UI change to indicate you're now targeting items instead of Pokémon. This is the step most players miss on their first attempt.
3. Frame and photograph the item — Point the camera at the item you want to copy and press A (or the shutter button) to take the photo. The item will be highlighted when it's properly in frame. You'll get a confirmation that the item has been registered in your photo catalog.

Your photo catalog stores all the items you've photographed. Once an item is in the catalog, you can print it as many times as you want (as long as you have the materials). You never need to photograph the same item twice.

Step 2: Print the Item

With the item photographed and saved in your catalog, head to any Pokémon Center and interact with the 3D Printer (the machine next to the PC).

1. Interact with the 3D Printer — Walk up to the printer and press A. This opens your photo catalog showing all items you've photographed.
2. Select the item — Browse through your catalog and choose the item you want to create. The printer will show you the material cost before you confirm.
3. Pay the materials — Confirm the creation by spending the required Pokémetal or Rare Pokémetal. The item is created instantly — there is no crafting timer or waiting period.
4. Collect your item — The newly created item goes straight into your inventory. Place it in your habitat using Ditto's Stockpile & Spit Out move (hold A to store, press A to place).

That's it. The process is fast and repeatable. If you need ten Berry Trees, just select it ten times and pay the materials each time. There's no cooldown between prints and no limit on how many copies you can make.

Best Items to Copy with the 3D Printer

While you can copy almost anything, some items are far more valuable to duplicate than others. Here are the items experienced players prioritize at the 3D Printer.

Why Berry Trees Are the #1 Priority

Berry Trees deserve special attention because they unlock an entire chain of gameplay benefits. A single Berry Tree can produce multiple types of berries when placed in your habitat, and those berries are essential ingredients for cooking recipes. Certain meals powered by berries activate Mosslax buffs — temporary stat boosts that make Ditto's moves more powerful and efficient.

By printing multiple Berry Trees and placing them across your habitats, you create a self-sustaining supply of berries. This means you can cook any recipe on demand without having to forage, and you'll always have access to the buffs you need for challenging builds. Berry Trees cost Rare Pokémetal to print, which is more expensive than standard Pokémetal, but the investment pays for itself many times over.

Materials Cost: Pokémetal vs Rare Pokémetal

The 3D Printer uses two types of currency: Pokémetal and Rare Pokémetal. Understanding the cost structure helps you plan your resource gathering and decide which items to prioritize printing.

Pokémetal is relatively easy to stockpile. You'll find it everywhere as you terraform and explore, especially when using Rock Smash or Rollout to clear terrain. Rare Pokémetal is scarcer — it drops from specific mineral nodes and as rewards for completing habitat goals. Plan your Rare Pokémetal spending carefully and prioritize Berry Trees and one-of-a-kind furniture pieces.

A good strategy is to stockpile Rare Pokémetal before committing to a printing session. Visit the Sparkling Skylands area where Rare Pokémetal deposits are more common, gather a healthy supply, and then print all the high-value items you need in one go.

Multiplayer Photography Trick

One of the most useful — and easily overlooked — features of the 3D Printer system is that photographs taken in other players' worlds carry over to your own. This opens up a powerful shortcut for collecting items you haven't found yet in your game.

How It Works

1. Join a friend's world — Use Pokopia's multiplayer system to visit another player's island.
2. Open the camera in item mode — Press minus (−) then Y to switch to item mode, just like in your own world.
3. Photograph their items — Snap photos of any items they have that you don't. Berry Trees, rare furniture, decorations — anything you can photograph in your world can also be photographed in theirs.
4. Return to your world — The photographed items are now in your catalog permanently.
5. Print them at your 3D Printer — Visit your own Pokémon Center, use the 3D Printer, and create the items using your materials.

This is especially powerful early in the game. If you have a friend who is further along in the story, you can visit their world and photograph high-tier items that you won't encounter for hours in your own playthrough. You still need the materials to print them, but having the blueprints in your catalog means you're ready to go the moment you can afford it.

What Cannot Be Copied

While the 3D Printer is remarkably versatile, there are some limitations. Not every object in the game can be photographed and duplicated.

• Key items — Story-critical items and quest objects cannot be photographed. These are unique items tied to specific story events or area progression.
• Pokémon themselves — You can photograph Pokémon for your album, but the 3D Printer only works with items. You cannot print a Pokémon.
• Terrain blocks — The natural terrain (dirt, rock, water) is manipulated through Ditto's moves, not the 3D Printer. Use transformation moves like Water Gun, Leafage, and Rock Smash to modify terrain.
• Structures and buildings — Large structures like the Pokémon Center, bridges, and other major buildings cannot be duplicated. These are rebuilt through quests and area restoration.

If you try to photograph a non-copyable item, the camera simply won't register it. You won't get an error message — the highlight indicator just won't appear when you aim at the object. If an item doesn't highlight in item mode, it means it can't be photographed for the 3D Printer.

Tips & Tricks

Here are some additional strategies to get the most out of the 3D Printer system.

• Photograph everything during exploration — Make it a habit to switch to item mode and snap photos of every new item you see. Building your catalog early means you'll have more options when you're ready to decorate and build habitats later.
• Print in bulk — Since there's no cooldown or waiting time, you can print dozens of items in a single session. Gather materials first, then go on a printing spree at the Pokémon Center.
• Use Rollout for Pokémetal farming — The Rollout move clears terrain fast and often drops Pokémetal from destroyed rocks. It's the most efficient way to stockpile printing materials.
• Check your catalog before exploring — Open the 3D Printer menu to review what you already have. This prevents wasting time photographing items that are already in your catalog.
• Save Rare Pokémetal for Berry Trees first — Before spending Rare Pokémetal on cosmetic items, make sure you've printed enough Berry Trees to cover all your cooking needs. The gameplay benefits of Berry Trees far outweigh the aesthetic value of rare furniture.
• Place printed items strategically — Remember that items placed in habitats contribute to habitat completion scores. Check the habitat requirements to see which items are needed and print exactly what each habitat is missing.
• Don't forget multiplayer — Even if you prefer playing solo, consider joining a friend's world once just to photograph their unique items. A single visit can expand your catalog significantly and save you hours of exploration.

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