Hi, I’m Johnathan Ertwine—founder of TheLilPrintz—and this all started in 2020 during the COVID shutdown with a single resin 3D printer and a lot of spare time. What began as a hobby quickly grew into a creative obsession. After experimenting with resin printing, I moved on to FDM printing with an Ender 5 (thanks to my brother), but let’s just say... I wasn’t a natural. I pushed the machine a little too far and blew it out completely. I hit a low point, wondering, what now?

That’s when I discovered laser engraving through a late-night YouTube rabbit hole. Inspired and determined, I built a power converter and attached a laser to that same Ender 5, turning it into my first engraving machine. It was incredibly slow—some pieces took days to finish—but it worked.

At the time, my friend and coworker Hannah saw what I was doing and became my first customer. She started ordering portraits of her dog, Cozi, and encouraged me to keep going. With each order, I refined my process and learned how to create high-quality pieces with even the most basic equipment.

Hannah eventually joined the journey as an apprentice, learning every step of the craft. Today, she’s not just our Shop Manager—she’s my business partner and the heart of many of our day-to-day operations. Together, we’ve grown from a tiny side hustle into a creative studio with four laser engraving machines, countless custom projects, and a shared vision for what's next.

And the future? It’s looking bright.