Acrylic Block vs 3D Crystal Block
By Giftenova Team – Last updated May 24, 2026
Choosing the right personalized photo gift gets easier once you know which block format fits the moment. Acrylic photo blocks print your photo in vivid color on the front face of a polished acrylic block. 3D crystal photo blocks laser-engrave your photo as a three-dimensional point cloud deep inside a clear glass block. Both are made-to-order from a single photo you upload, both sit on a desk or shelf without a frame, and both belong in the same category of small, sculptural photo keepsakes. Pick acrylic when the color of the photograph carries the gift; pick crystal when the moment is what matters and you want the image to feel permanent.
Below is the full comparison: how each format is made, what they look like in real life, which sizes and shapes are available, and which one suits which occasion. By the end you should know exactly which to order and at which size.
What is a 3D photo keepsake?
A 3D photo keepsake is a small, solid display object - a few inches wide, freestanding, designed for a desk, a nightstand, a mantel, or a shelf rather than a wall. Your photo is either printed on one face of the block or laser-etched in three dimensions inside it. Unlike a framed picture or a flat plaque, a 3D photo block has weight and depth in the hand and reads from any angle. It is closer to a sculpture than a portrait.
This buyer guide covers the two block formats Giftenova currently offers as a custom photo gift in this category: the acrylic photo block and the 3D crystal photo block. Both sit in our broader collection of personalized photo gifts; this article exists to help you choose between the two.
Acrylic photo blocks: how they work
The acrylic photo block is a solid piece of clear acrylic, polished smooth on all six sides. Your photo on acrylic is UV-printed directly on the front face using pigment inks that cure under ultraviolet light, bonding the ink to the material for indoor display use. Light passes through the polished sides and gives the printed image a subtle three-dimensional depth, especially under lamp light or near a window.
What you get is a vivid, full-color photograph in a freestanding block that sits flat on its own edge. No frame, no stand, no wall nail required: place it and the gift is on display. The blocks come in four sizes from a 2 x 2 inch desk-mini up to a 6 x 6 inch statement square, all the same 0.8 inch thickness.
Acrylic photo blocks work best when the photo itself is the focal point: a smiling family portrait, an engagement shot, a wedding day picture, a beach vacation moment. The color of the photograph reads exactly as it does on screen, with a slight gallery-print boost from the way light catches the polished acrylic.
For the deep dive on the printing process, the four sizes, and how to prep a photo for the sharpest print, see our acrylic photo block guide.
3D crystal photo blocks: how they work
The 3D crystal photo block is a different material and a different process altogether. The "crystal" here is K9 optical crystal, the industry name for a clear lead-free optical glass. The industry calls it crystal because of how it carries internal laser engraving; technically it is optical glass, not the lead-based crystal you might find in a chandelier. The product page reflects this directly: the material is lead-free optical crystal.
Instead of printing on the surface, the image goes inside the block. Your photo on crystal is converted into a 3D model and a laser etches it as millions of tiny points deep within the glass. The result is a three-dimensional, sculptural image floating inside a transparent solid. The engraving is clear-and-white only, not full color - the depth and the way light scatters through the points is what makes the image read.
Pair the block with the optional LED light stand and the engraving glows softly from below, turning a quiet keepsake into a room-defining piece. The stand is USB-powered with a warm-white light, and ships with a USB-C cable that works with any phone adapter, laptop port, or USB wall plug.
Crystal blocks come in two shapes: rectangular (four sizes, classic keepsake feel) and heart (three sizes, made for romantic gifts like anniversaries and engagements). Each size has a recommended figure count: smaller blocks engrave one to two figures cleanly, larger blocks hold up to five.
For the full breakdown of K9 glass, the laser process, and which sizes fit which photos, read our 3D crystal photo block guide.
Acrylic vs 3D crystal: the buyer decision
When you are choosing a custom photo gift in this category, here is the side-by-side most shoppers ultimately need:
| Attribute | Acrylic photo block | 3D crystal photo block |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Premium acrylic (PMMA, the clear plastic commonly sold as acrylic) | K9 optical crystal (a clear lead-free optical glass) |
| Image method | UV pigment ink printed on the front face | Laser engraving inside the block (sub-surface 3D point cloud) |
| Color | Full color, vivid, true-to-photo | Clear-and-white only (laser points have no color) |
| Visual mood | Vivid photograph + subtle 3D depth from the polished edges | Sculptural 3D image floating inside the glass + refraction glow |
| Shape options | Squares and rectangles (2 x 2, 4 x 4, 4 x 6, 6 x 6 in) | Rectangular (4 sizes) or heart (3 sizes) |
| Weight feel | Lighter, gallery-print feel | Heavier, sculptural feel (about 1 to 5 lbs depending on size) |
| Optional add-ons | None - the block is the gift | Optional LED light stand, optional engraved text (up to 30 characters) |
| Best fits | Color-led photos: weddings, family portraits, travel shots, pet portraits | Single faces, romantic shots, memorial portraits, milestone keepsakes |
If the photo's color is the story (the bright bouquet, the sunset on the beach, the cake at the wedding), the acrylic block keeps that color exactly as you remember it. If the gift is about the face, the moment, the symbolic weight of someone caught in time, the crystal block gives the image a sculptural permanence that a printed photograph cannot.
Sizes and how to pick one
Acrylic photo block sizes
All four sizes are 0.8 inch thick, polished on every side, and sit upright without a stand.
- 2 x 2 in (5 x 5 cm): Mini keepsake. Fits on a nightstand, a cubicle shelf, or inside a card-and-gift presentation. Best for a single face.
- 4 x 4 in (10 x 10 cm): Our most-gifted size. Standard square that suits any bookshelf or console.
- 4 x 6 in (10 x 15 cm): Portrait orientation. Best for single-subject vertical photos like a graduation shot or a wedding portrait.
- 6 x 6 in (15 x 15 cm): Large square. Substantial display presence without being bulky. Good for group shots or landscape photos.
3D crystal photo block sizes
Rectangular blocks come in four sizes and heart blocks come in three. The right size depends on how many figures are in the photo: smaller blocks engrave more cleanly with fewer faces.
Rectangular (W x D x H):
- Small - 1.77 x 1.77 x 2.75 in, 1.102 lbs. Best for 1 to 2 figures. Palm-sized.
- Medium - 2.36 x 2.36 x 3.15 in, 2.249 lbs. Best for 1 to 3 figures.
- Large - 3.14 x 3.14 x 4.13 in, 3.153 lbs. Best for 1 to 4 figures. Our most popular rectangular size.
- XL - 3.93 x 3.93 x 5.90 in, 5.071 lbs. Best for 1 to 5 figures. Mantel-scale statement piece.
Heart (W x D x H):
- Small - 3.14 x 1.57 x 2.75 in, 1.019 lbs. Palm-sized romantic gift.
- Medium - 4.01 x 2.32 x 3.50 in, 2.324 lbs. Substantial desk or shelf presence.
- Large - 4.80 x 2.51 x 4.21 in, 3.805 lbs. Most popular heart-shape, full visual impact.
Current pricing for each size shows live on the matching product page, so the figure you see is always current.
Which to pick by occasion
- Anniversaries and engagements: The heart-shaped 3D crystal is purpose-built for this. A close portrait of the couple engraved in glass becomes a romantic keepsake that catches the bedside lamp every night. The acrylic block also works well here if the photo is color-led (the engagement-day picture, a vivid wedding shot).
- Weddings: Either format suits a wedding. The acrylic block captures the bouquet, the cake, the dress in true color. The crystal block, especially the Large rectangular, turns the couple's portrait into a sculptural keepsake. Many couples gift one of each.
- Memorial and remembrance: The 3D crystal block carries an emotional weight that suits memorial gifts. A face engraved deep inside clear glass reads as permanent and quietly powerful. A pet portrait or the photo of a loved one who has passed both engrave beautifully.
- Milestones (graduation, retirement, new baby, first home): The acrylic block excels at color-rich milestone photos: the graduation cap on a blue sky, the retirement party gathering, the first family portrait with the new baby. The 4 x 6 or 6 x 6 sizes anchor a milestone display nicely.
- Long-distance and grandparent gifts: The smaller acrylic blocks (2 x 2 and 4 x 4) and the Small or Medium crystal block all ship well, look gift-ready out of the box, and read well from across a room. A grandparent who keeps the gift on a nightstand will see the photo every morning.
- Executive desk and office gifts: The 4 x 4 acrylic block or the Large rectangular crystal both work as a polished desk keepsake. The crystal block in particular signals quality without being loud.
For a broader sweep of occasion picks across every photo keepsake we make (including the flat personalized acrylic plaques we use for song plaques, anniversary plaques, and graduation plaques), see the photo-block overview.
Photo quality and prep
Both formats reward a good source photo. The basics that apply to both:
- Resolution matters. For acrylic, we recommend at least 2 megapixels for the 2 x 2 and 4 x 4 sizes, and 4 megapixels or higher for the 4 x 6 and 6 x 6. For crystal, at least 2 megapixels for any size.
- Pull from the camera roll, not a social-media export. Most social platforms downscale photos and strip resolution. Use the original from your camera roll or your photo library where possible.
- Clean backgrounds and good lighting. This matters more for crystal than for acrylic. Laser engraving captures finite points, so a clear subject against a clean background engraves more cleanly than a busy outdoor shot.
- Watch the figure count for crystal. Each crystal size has a recommended number of figures. Fitting more figures than the recommended range means each face gets fewer engraving points and reads with less detail.
- Recent photos are best for crystal. We recommend images taken within the last five years for crystal engraving. Older scans and low-resolution prints can lose definition in the 3D conversion.
For deeper guidance on prepping any photo for a custom keepsake, our choosing the right photo guide walks through resolution, composition, and lighting in detail.
How does this compare to other photo formats?
Blocks and crystals sit in a specific lane: small format, freestanding, sculptural. They are not the only personalized photo gift formats we make.
- Flat acrylic plaques: the personalized photo plaques collection covers thinner (3 to 4 mm) plaques that sit upright or hang lightly, and that combine a photo with optional printed text like a name, date, or dedication. Plaques are better for photo-plus-text gifts like graduation plaques or song plaques; blocks are better when the photo is the whole gift.
- Tempered glass wall art: tempered glass wall art is wall-mounted glass, much larger (10 x 14 inches and up), and stays on a wall like a framed print. Same translucent-material story as the crystal block, but at a totally different scale and display position.
- Custom photo puzzles: a different category entirely - the recipient assembles your photo piece by piece. Best when the gift is the experience as much as the image.
For a side-by-side look at how acrylic, K9 crystal, and tempered glass compare as photo gift materials across these different scales, our acrylic, glass, and tempered glass photo gift materials comparison maps each material to its scale and use case.
A 3D photo block is the right pick when you want a small, freestanding, sculptural object that lives on a surface (desk, mantel, shelf, bedside) rather than on a wall.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 3D crystal photo block really crystal?
The material is K9 optical crystal, the industry term for a clear lead-free optical glass. It is technically a glass, not the lead crystal that goes into chandeliers and high-end stemware. K9 is what laser-engraving facilities use for sub-surface 3D engraving because the clarity lets the engraved points stay visible under ambient light. The product name uses "crystal" because that is the industry-standard label for this material in the photo keepsake category.
Which format lasts longer?
Both formats are made for indoor display. The acrylic block uses UV-cured pigment ink on the front face. The 3D crystal block has its image engraved inside the glass itself, so the engraving sits beneath the polished surface rather than on top of it. Keep either out of persistent direct sunlight and wipe with a soft, dry microfiber cloth.
Can I use a color photo for the crystal block?
You can upload any color photo for the crystal block, but the engraving comes out in clear-and-white because the laser engraves tiny clear points inside the glass instead of printing color. The 3D depth and the way light catches the points is what makes the image read. If full-color matters to the gift, the acrylic block is the better pick.
Can I add text to either block?
The crystal block has an optional engraved text field for a name, date, or short dedication of up to 30 characters, engraved beside or below the 3D image in a crisp serif font. The acrylic block does not currently offer a separate engraving field; the gift is the photograph itself.
What happens if my photo is not quite right?
The upload tool handles basic cropping and sizing automatically. Picking a high-resolution source photo (per the per-format guidance above) is the most reliable way to get a clean print or engraving. If the photo is borderline for the format you picked, drop to a smaller size where lower resolution still prints sharply.
How fast can I get one?
Manufacturing takes 2 to 5 business days after checkout for both formats. Standard shipping is 2 to 8 business days. Express shipping is available at checkout for faster delivery. For time-sensitive occasions like anniversaries, weddings, or memorial services, plan at least two weeks ahead and confirm the cart's live delivery window before completing checkout.
Why Giftenova
Designed and handcrafted by our small Giftenova team with 100,000+ happy customers worldwide. Every block, acrylic or crystal, is inspected and gift-boxed before it ships. If something is not perfect when it arrives, message us at support@giftenova.com within seven days of delivery and we will remake or refund it.
Note: Both block formats are made-to-order from a custom photo you upload, so they are non-returnable for a change of mind. The acrylic block keeps its color vivid; the crystal block keeps its engraving glow as long as you keep it out of long direct sunlight and wipe it with a soft dry cloth only.