There is an odd little storefront on University Avenue in Palo Alto, Calif. The industrial scanner manufacturer Artec has opened a 3D-scanning studio where you can pop in, get a quick scan of yourself, and receive, several days later, a small, somewhat accurate, color statue of said self.

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Step 1: Get yourself scanned. This rotatable computer model is the end result of my time in front of the Artec-driven, Kinect-based 3D scanner.

Why? Because it’s cool, that’s why. And it’s technically pretty slick. First of all, the scanner is a Kinect motion sensor, the same gear used on millions of Xboxes. So, yes, you can scan at home, using the company’s free Shapify software.

Second, the 3D printer that Artec uses in its storefronts is one of the few in the world that prints 3D models in color.

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The $79 cake-topper.

But 3D selfies are not cheap, nor speedy. A 3-inch-high model will run you $79. That’s $158 to put you and the person you’re marrying on top of your wedding cake, instead of those off-the-shelf, injection-molded stand-ins.

The 2-inch party-favor model is $79 for five copies. If you want to go bigger, it’s $129 for a 4.5-inch model or $199 for a 6-inch. All the models take hours to print (although the machine can do several at once) and a week or two to deliver.

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