To load new filament, firstly make sure the pen is turned on and the LED light is blue. Then place the filament into the loading hole at the top of the pen (the one next to where the power cable is inserted). Make sure the end of the filament is flat across the end before inserting (cut carefully with scissors if not). Insert the filament gently until it reaches the stop. Then simply press the Print button once and you will feel the filament being gently guided into the pen. This process will then continue automatically. Wait for the filament to be pulled all the way through the pen until you see it appear from the end of the nozzle. You can speed up this process by pressing the + button. Simply draw your designs in parts and use the Polaroid CandyPlay 3D Pen to join each of the parts together. If you have confirmed that you are using the correct power supply and the pen is still not working, please try using an alternative power source (power bank, USB power adapter etc.) to ensure that this isn’t the cause of the challenge. Once you’ve mastered the art of making your own candies using templates, why not take your creativity to the next level and start trying to create your own designs?

The app’s selection of patterns is very limited, but it also lets you import pictures from your device’s Photo Gallery to be turned into stencils. (As a result, you can shoot an object in the wild and then bring it up in the app to be reproduced by your hand.) 3Doodler has an archive of printable stencils, and a web search will turn up many more patterns. To load new filament, firstly make sure the pen is turned on and the LED light is blue. Then place the filament into the loading hole at the top of the pen (the one next to where the power cable is inserted). Make sure the end of the filament is flat across the end before inserting (cut carefully with scissors if not). Insert the filament gently until it stops. Then simply press the Start button once and you will feel the filament being gently guided into the pen. This process will then continue automatically. Wait for the filament to be pulled all the way through the pen until you see it appear from the end of the nozzle. You can speed up this process by pressing the ‘Speed Control’ button, until 3 green LED lights are showing indicating the extrusion speed is set to rapid.The process of changing a colour is as follows. Firstly, to change the colour of the filament you are using, you need to unload any filament that is already in the pen. To do this, press and hold the Power button for a couple of seconds. You will see the LED light on the front start to flash from red to blue and you will hear the motor start to unload the filament. You will also see and be able to feel the filament moving as it is retracted from the pen. If you gently hold the end of the filament you will feel when it has come loose from the pen and it can then be removed completely. With the Play pen, you can even draw in three dimensions. To do that, you set the pen at its slowest extrusion speed, draw a small circle on a surface to act as a base, and then slowly bring the pen upward, keeping the filament taut, and it will harden even as you draw. In this manner, you can connect elements, draw spirals, and more. You can also make a three-dimensional object by creating two-dimensional objects (say, the sides of a building) and then “welding” them together by extruding hot plastic along the seam while keeping it at the proper angle.

You can either draw freehand—on paper, fabric, wood, or other materials—or use a stencil. The Polaroid Play Trace iOS/Android app provides a small selection of patterns to draw on. You can put the included screen protector over your device, but the protector is just large enough to fit my iPhone 11’s screen. Unless you’re skilled at tiny, intricate sketching (and can do it with a chunky 3D pen), a better approach may be to print the pattern on letter-size paper. (Screen protector or no, I'm also a bit leery of putting a superheated extruder that close to the screen of any device.) You can also try slowing down your extrusion speed slightly as this means the melting temperature is slightly lower, which in turn may mean you see less of the ‘stringiness’. The process of changing a colour is as follows. Firstly, to change the colour of the filament you are using, you need to unload any filament that is already in the pen. To do this, press and hold the Power button (marked ‘On/Off’) for a couple of seconds. You will see the LED light on the front start to flash from Red to Blue and you will hear the motor start to unload the filament. You will also see and be able to feel the filament moving as it is retracted from the pen. If you gently hold the end of the filament you will feel when it has come loose from the pen and it can then be removed completely.Take your drawing into a new dimension – the third dimension – with this awesome Polaroid Play 3D Pen bundle! Please re-load the filament by simply pressing the Print button once and you will feel the filament being gently guided into the pen automatically (you can increase the speed at which the filament is pulled through by pressing the + button). This time, gently apply a small amount of pressure by pushing the filament slightly as it feeds into the top of the pen. Wait for the filament to be pulled all the way through the pen and this time you should see it appear through the end of the nozzle and the pen will be ready to use.