5 Cool 3D Prints That Organize Your Desk Clutter

Having a desk that's overly cluttered can lead to important items getting lost, and it can reduce the space to actually get work done. If you're looking for ways to keep your desk tidier, you have a few options. You could try out a few cheap and simple hacks to keep things neat, from picking up a monitor mount to installing a headset holder, and of course you'll also want to prevent cable chaos by setting up a proper cable management system.

Online retailers also offer a bevy of organizers and management systems that promise to keep things in order, but if you have a 3D printer, another world of alternatives opens up. Many of the most popular 3D printed desk organizers are free to download, and the best ones are a lot cooler than most organizers you'll be able to buy premade. From cityscape organizers to sci-fi-style locking boxes, you shouldn't overlook these five printing projects if you want to keep your desk as tidy as possible.

Engineers have spent many hours puzzling over how to move the world's heaviest buildings, but transporting a whole house made of 3D-printed plastic is a lot easier. Of course, they aren't buildings at all, but desk organizers. Take, for example, the Pocket City Desk Organizer, that can be downloaded via MakerWorld. It's designed to look like an urban building, complete with miniature sunblinds, balconies, and even a nearby streetlight. Its size can be adjusted by including extra floors for the building, which adds storage pockets that can be enclosed or left open.

Its maker, "Structales – Roadrunner4d," recommends putting an electric tealight inside the building for dramatic effect, but even without the additional lighting, it's one of the coolest ways to keep small items on your desk organized. Taller compartments can store pens and pencils, while the enclosed compartments are best suited to the small items that usually risk getting lost among the clutter. Almost 2,000 users have downloaded the design at the time of writing, and around the same amount have liked it, with a string of users posting photos of their completed projects alongside four-star or five-star reviews.

It's often the smallest items that are the easiest to lose on a cluttered desk. SD cards, MicroSD cards, and USB sticks can all go missing if they aren't stored in a dedicated place, such as this Gridfinity-style desk organizer that was posted on Printables. Since it was launched, it has amassed more than 5,000 downloads and 600 likes. It can hold up to six SD cards and 10 MicroSD cards, plus six USB sticks, making it a great option if you have a lot of flash storage to keep track of.

Like the other projects here, the organizer is free to download. It's licensed under Creative Commons' CC BY-NC, meaning it can adapted or used as-is for non-commercial use. Its designer, Cody Sechelski, has also created a number of other potentially useful organizer items for cluttered desks, including a tape measure spool, a coin holder, and even a superglue holder.

Today's TVs might sport minimalist designs and come in ever-larger sizes, but old-school TVs are making a comeback among some tech enthusiasts. Anyone who's a fan of retro design but doesn't fancy replacing their monitor with an old CRT screen could opt for a model one instead. What's even better is that this retro TV model also doubles up as a handy desk organizer. The Retro TV Office Helper by user Blubdiwub features everything from a smartphone stand to a built-in tape dispenser, as well as multiple draws and holders for common office stationery.

The screen of the TV holds a Post-It dispenser, but some reviewers note that they've printed logos from retro TV shows instead to complete the old-school look. None of the reviewers have tried to make it into an actual TV yet, but even if they did, it wouldn't be the weirdest TV ever made. At the time of writing, the model has been downloaded more than 2,000 times, and received around the same amount of likes.

If space is at a premium on your desk, and you don't want a bulky organizer taking up a big chunk of room, the Rotating Desktop Organizer by Stamatis Sarlis might be the answer. The cylindrical compartment can hold larger items and screws into the base of the organizer, while the rotating shelves slot neatly around it. Assembling the organizer takes just a few steps once all the components have been printed: The arms fit around the cylinder, and a printable cap prevents them from moving.

Reviewers have shown off their organizers in a wide range of color schemes, so no matter the vibe of your desk, you should be able to create something that blends right in. One reviewer even printed theirs entirely in gold, although most users picked either a plain monochrome color scheme or chose to print the rotating arms in different colors.

The organizer was posted on MakerWorld and has been downloaded more than 3,700 times, with 2,100 likes and almost 200 reviews. Across those reviews, it has received an exemplary average of 4.9 out of five stars.

Sharing a desk with co-workers can lead to things being "borrowed" or simply disappearing without explanation, but locking your valuables away should prevent them from going missing. The average desk organizer isn't going to be able to prevent pen thieves, but the Lockable Sci-Fi Box by Muddymaker isn't your average desk organizer. It's built to look tough, and it can be locked using a thin cable lock. The model's designer also recommends glueing the fasteners in the box, for extra security.

Unlike the other organizers here, the sci-fi box doesn't feature individual compartments for small items, although they could always be fitted later. However, it does come with a hidden compartment at the back of the box that its creator suggests could be used to store money. Just like all the other designs here, anyone looking to download the model won't need to pay to do so, although they can always choose to tip the creator. More than 5,600 people have already downloaded the design, and more than 2,600 people have liked it on Printables.