Recursion
📚 How Collections and Inscriptions Work
In a traditional collection, you inscribe each final image (PFP) directly. But full images are often 1–3MB, which can cost thousands of dollars per file — and if a file is over 4MB, it can’t be inscribed at all.
❌ Why This Doesn’t Scale
In a 10k collection, direct inscriptions are:
Too expensive
Not scalable
Limited by size caps
✅ Why Recursion Fixes It
With recursion, you inscribe the individual traits once (eyes, background, etc.), and then create small recursive files that reference those traits to build the final image on-chain.
Key Benefits:
Drastically lower costs
Files stay under size limits
Fully on-chain and modular
Each mint only needs to inscribe a tiny recursive file — making minting cost as little as $1 per collector, without sacrificing on-chain permanence.
💰 File Size = Higher Fees
Inscriptions are priced per byte. Bigger files = higher fees.
📦 Example:
100KB = $100
20KB = $20
👉 Smaller files = cheaper inscriptions. Keep files light to save money.
⚙️ Using Generatord + Recursion (The Cheap Way)
Use GeneratorD to build and prepare your collection efficiently.
🛠 Workflow:
Compress traits:
Resize to 500×500
Convert to
.webpStrip metadata (EXIF, color profiles)
Upload compressed traits to GeneratorD.
Inscribe traits at a low fee rate (e.g. 1.2 sats/byte).
Pay for file generation inside Generatord.
Generate recursive files (don’t inscribe them yet).
Upload your collection to 👉 https://creator.ordinalgenesis.xyz
⚠️ Important: Do not inscribe the recursive files yourself — just generate them and follow the steps in the Ordinal Genesis Creator.
🧾 Why This Saves Money
Recursive mints only reference traits — they don’t store full images again.
💸 Result:
Each mint = just 100 bytes
At 1.2 sats/byte, minting can cost under $1
Scales easily without bloating costs
👉 Compress + recurse = fully on-chain + super cheap mints
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