Abstract: In a method for the production and/or treatment of a three-dimensional object with a printing material which is dispensed at a target position in the form of discrete three-dimensional printing material elements, a metering device is moved to at least one reservoir in which a supply of printing material is kept and, by means of the metering device, printing material is picked up from that at least one reservoir. The metering device is transported to a target position defined in all three spatial dimensions and, at that target position, a metered quantity of printing material is applied to a substrate or to a three-dimensional object arranged thereon or being constructed thereon, in order to create a printing material element. The creation of a printing material element is repeated until the three-dimensional object has been fully constructed and/or treated.