PrusaPrinters is a well known name for people familiar with 3D printing. It is a free 3D model repository. However, you might not find the repository at its usual location, PrusaPrinters.org now. You can’t, as it has now been rebranded to the new name of Printables.com.
The reason behind adopting the new name is a big branding idea to push the platform to the new level. It was found that the name PrusaPrinters, suggested upcoming users that the platform is somehow associated or would eventually require the use of a Prusa printer. This narrowed down the platform’s reach of users. The platform wanted to bring people not associated with Prusa to also avail their features. Hence, they opted for a new generic name, on purpose.
The shifting of the name wouldn’t have been cheap though. The domain name Printables.com had been held by Metro Design Group since 1996. The Group had offered the domain name for sale, however since the name was used in Group’s branding, it wanted additional compensation for its rebranding efforts. The fact that Prusa did buy the domain name, portrays the importance of the rebranding for them.
Prusa is also planning to sell commercial models on the platform. This will be a good opportunity for creators to earn some monetary benefit from the platform. Even users can earn money through different means, like by posting the pictures of their prints. Monetisation of the platform is the sensible way for Prusa, however it must also learn from the mistakes of its predecessors. It must not reiterate the path that Thingiverse went on.
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