Great Large-Volume 3D Printer	Super Fast & Large Build Volume	Premium Pick For Businesses
Elegoo Neptune 4 Max	Creality K1 Max	Raise3D Pro3 Plus
3DSourced Rating:	3DSourced Rating:	3DSourced Rating:
Primary Rating: 4.4	Primary Rating: 4.8	Primary Rating: 4.7
Build Volume: 420 x 420 x 480 mm	Build Volume: 300 x 300 x 300 mm	Build Volume: 300 x 300 x 605 mm
Max Nozzle Temperature: 300°C	Max Nozzle Temperature: 300°C	Max Nozzle Temperature: 300°C
$470	$929	$7599
Elegoo here	Creality here	MatterHackers here
Amazon here	Amazon here

Great Large-Volume 3D Printer

Elegoo Neptune 4 Max

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.4

Build Volume:

420 x 420 x 480 mm

Max Nozzle Temperature:

300°C

$470

Elegoo here

Amazon here

Super Fast & Large Build Volume

Creality K1 Max

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.8

Build Volume:

300 x 300 x 300 mm

Max Nozzle Temperature:

300°C

$929

Creality here

Amazon here

Premium Pick For Businesses

Raise3D Pro3 Plus

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.7

Build Volume:

300 x 300 x 605 mm

Max Nozzle Temperature:

300°C

$7599

MatterHackers here

So, whether you want to print large-scale figures, model cars or cosplay helmets as home projects, or large commercial prototypes, we’ve split this article into two sections covering both:

• The best under $1,000 (the largest 3D printers for home use)
• The best large-scale 3D printers for commercial use

Some inspired makers have even built enormous 850mm tall printers at home as DIY projects.

This article includes the best large bed 3D printers, as well as buying guide with what factors to consider when buying a larger printer, tips and tricks for printing based on the elements that change as you scale up print bed size, and some FAQs on large-scale printing.

How We Picked

In assessing which of the following 3D printers deserved to be on our ranking, we used the following criteria:

• Speed – Large prints can take days to complete, so speed is the name of the game. Especially with independently designed prints, it can be a huge benefit to complete a print faster, even if that means failing faster.
• Reliability – This is a catchall for how much tinkering and troubleshooting you can expect from your printer. Although expected for budget printers, it’s a major con if you’re playing printing issue whack-a-mole every time you start a new project.
• Size Relative to Price – A large print volume on a cheaper printer is more meaningful, but it also makes it accessible to hobbyists or smaller independent businesses.
• Customer Service – Especially with industrial printers, bad customer service can ruin an otherwise solid printer.
• Special Features – Some printers stand out because they have special features, such as enclosures, different formats (like CoreXY), or better firmware.

Best Large-Format 3D Printers – 2024 Reviews

1. Neptune 4 Max – Best Budget Option for Hobbyists

• Price: Check latest price at Elegoo here / Amazon here
• Build volume: 420 x 420 x 480 mm
• Filament compatibility: PLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA, Nylon
• Max nozzle temp: 300°C 
• Max bed temp: 100°C

If you’re in the market for a budget large-volume printer, the Neptune 4 Max is the one to beat. It’s a comically large printer with a build volume of 420 x 420 x 480 mm.

The downside is that it won’t give you that polished, “it just works” experience. You can read more in our hands-on full review of the Neptune 4 Max, but you should expect some troubleshooting to get it printing optimally.

It does have great 121 point auto-leveling, which is crucial for a printer with such a large build plate. It isn’t as perfectly accurate as other printers on this list (like the Ultimaker S7), but you get what you pay for.

The Neptune 4 Max’s pre-installed Klipper firmware is another major point in its favor. If you’re willing to tweak settings, you can get incredibly high speeds with this printer while retaining excellent quality.

2. Anycubic Kobra Max – Largest Under $1000

• Price: Check latest price at Anycubic here / Amazon here
• Build Volume: 450 x 400 x 400 mm 
• Minimum Layer Height: 50 microns
• Max Nozzle Temperature: 260°C
• Filament Compatibility: PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU

The largest of Anycubic’s most recent batch of affordable large FDM printers, the Anycubic Kobra Max gives you a massive 450 x 400 x 400 mm – the largest build volume 3D printer under $600. That ultra-large build volume alone justifies a slot on our list, but there’s plenty more to like about the Kobra Max.

Despite the large capacity, the Kobra Max is made stable by the dual z-axis threaded lead screws, each with a dedicated stepper motor and two support rods to reduce wobble and keep things running smoothly.

With a 50-micron minimum layer height, the Kobra Max delivers solid precision and can theoretically crank sprint speeds up to a dizzying 180 mm/s.

It also has a tempered carborundum glass print bed, coated with Anycubic’s proprietary Ultrabase microporous coating.

Elsewhere, Anycubic has bundled in its in-house-developed LeviQ fully automatic bed leveling. We tested it ourselves on the Kobra and continue to be impressed with the accuracy and hands-off, set-and-forget ease of use it delivers. Anycubic is on to something special here, and it’s a delight to see LeviQ ported over the larger Kobra Max.

Other notable features include filament runout detection, the same responsive 4.3″ touchscreen display found on the smaller Kobra, adjustable belt tensioners, an E3D Volcano-inspired hot end, and reasonably quiet operational noise levels at 58 dB.

Overall, it’s definitely the largest 3D printer for home use, and a reliable FDM pick.

3. Creality K1 Max – Mid-Range Option For Quality and Cost Efficiency

• Price: Check latest price at Creality here / Amazon here
• Build volume: 300 x 300 x 300 mm
• Filament compatibility: ABS, PLA, PETG, PET, TPU, PA, ASA, PC, PLA-CF, PA-CF, PET-CF
• Max nozzle temp: 300°C 
• Max bed temp: 100°C

The Creality K1 Max is nothing like the engineering project that is the Ender 3. With this printer, Creality has taken a high-quality yet consumer-focused approach to the large volume printer.

It uses a CoreXY model, which allows for faster print head movements and speedy prints of up to 600 mm/s. The K1 Max also includes monitoring and quality assurance tools like AI LiDAR, a camera, and an enclosed design.

These factors allow for a wide range of filaments to be used, including finicky filaments like TPU and ABS. Plus, the inclusion of an air purifier makes them safer to print for the hobbyist.

Of course, the defining feature is a large build volume. The Creality K1 Max boasts a cube size of 300 x 300 x 300 mm. Overall, the K1 Max is the best option for a powerful high volume printer that stays in the consumer price range.

4. Modix Big-60 V3 Kit — For Heavy-Duty Use

• Price: $4,700 — Available at Matterhackers here / Available at Dynamism here
• Build volume: 600 x 600 x 660 mm

The Big-60 makes the previously mentioned printers look tiny, with its enormous 600 x 600 x 660 mm build volume able to print even the largest prototypes and parts in one large part. 

This is a huge advantage as you can print these large models without having to assemble them together – so surface finish isn’t affected by post-processing. 

It’s a large 3D printer kit, but experienced operators or 3D printing makers will have no trouble assembling the Model Big-60 V3, especially as it comes with such detailed instructions that take you through every step of the assembly process. 

The Big-60 V3 kit features premium parts all around, for example, a high-quality E3D hot end, and Duet3D controllers as standard. Despite being designed for industrial, heavy-duty use, the Big-60 is designed also to be modular enough that you can easily install any upgrades tailored to your 3D printing needs.

These could be custom, third-party upgrades, or any one of a number of available upgrades you can buy with the printer, such as the enclosure kit, a super high-temperature nozzle for industrial material printing like PEEK or ULTEM, or a secondary print head.

Overall, it’s a large area 3D printer but at a much lower medium-range price, and it’s certainly a large 3D printer for big 3D printer projects.

5. Raise3D Pro 3 Plus – Best Professional Option for Tall Prints

• Price: Matterhackers here / Amazon here
• Build volume: 299.72 x 299.72 x 604.52 mm (single extruder), or 254 x 299.72 x 604.52 (dual extruder)
• Filament compatibility: ABS, PLA, PETG, PET, TPU, PA, ABS, ASA, PC, PLA-CF, PA-CF, PET-CF, Nylons, etc
• Max nozzle temp: 300°C 
• Max bed temp: 120°C

The Raise3D Pro 3 Plus is a printer for professional use, such as rapid prototyping. Its shining feature are the dual extruders, allowing for multiple filament types to be used in a single print.

The build volume changes depending on whether you have one or two extruders. It’s quite large either way, with the vertical axis being especially impressive at 604.52 mm.

For the price, you will get a fully enclosed printer with a HEPA filter and air flow manager, an HD camera, auto bed leveling, and interchangeable hot end and extruder covers.

Although it has two extruders, the print speed is quite low. You trade speed for flexibility and the capacity for multi-filament prints.

6. Ultimaker S7 – Best Reliable and Feature Packed Industrial Printer

• Price: Matterhackers here
• Build volume: 330 x 240 x 300 mm
• Filament compatibility: 280+ tested materials
• Max nozzle temp: 180 – 280°C 
• Max bed temp: 100°C

The Ultimaker name comes with reliable, trustworthy industrial printers and the Ultimaker S7 is no exception. This is another professional-tier printer with a large build volume and dual extrusion.

It has an improved inductive probe for auto-leveling, promising better accuracy. The build plate also has a unique design using 25 magnets and 4 pins. The result is a streamlined leveling process and saved time.

Other benefits include a tested air filter, an onboard camera, and an auto-nozzle lifting system.

Overall, the Ultimaker will be the most reliable in an industrial context, even if it doesn’t have the largest build volume available. It still offers an impressive size of 330 x 240 x 300 mm.

Tips for Large-Format 3D Printing

Keep time in mind

It’s important to remember how long it takes to print these enormous parts. In rapid prototyping, it’s common to leave your printer running overnight and come back to it the next day, but if you’re printing a 50 x 50 cm prototype with a 0.4mm nozzle and small-ish layer heights, it could take several days to print.

A natural solution is to replace the standard 0.4mm nozzle that comes on most large-scale 3D printers with a larger (0.8-1.2mm) nozzle. Then, if printing larger layer heights (200 – 400 microns) you massively increase print speed.

However, this opens another can of worms. Less powerful hotends can struggle to melt such a large amount of filament quick enough to extrude in time, so you may want to upgrade your hotend to print without issue. We have a guide to some great hotends here.

Is it worth buying a large 3D printer, or using a 3D printing service instead?

This is another question you should ask yourself. If you’re only planning on printing a few prototypes for the year, you might find it advantageous to instead outsource your printing needs to an external service.

It’ll be more expensive than if you were to just pay for the materials to print yourself, but if you don’t have much use for the large-scale 3D printer, it’ll sit there collecting dust in your workshop for the rest of the year.

This is a simple value judgment — do you think you’ll use it enough?

The answer could even be to keep/buy a standard smaller 3D printer, use that for day-to-day prototyping, and if you have an enormous printer project, outsource those. We have a ranking of some of the best 3D printing services.

1 big 3D printer, or multiple smaller printers for many small parts

A common line of thought is that buying one large 3D printer gives you the capacity to print many smaller parts simultaneously.

This is true, but not necessarily efficient. Yes, you can print 10-20 small pieces at the same time on a large 3D printer, but it’ll take 20 times as long as you could have printed these parts on 20 desktop 3D printers. So, if you’re planning on printing many small parts, consider instead going with a 3D printer farm.

That said, the best 3D printer for large objects is certainly one with a big print volume – it’s a hassle gluing multiple parts together, and affects the final part’s strength.

FAQs

If you enjoyed this ranking, you may also be interested in:

• Our ranking of the best small 3D printers
• The best dual extruder 3D printers
• The best 3D pens
• How much does a 3D printer cost to buy and maintain?
• The best commercial 3D printers
• The best 3D printers for small businesses
• Best 3D printers for $5000
• 500x500x500mm 3D printers
• Nylon 3D printer buyer’s guide

• The best resin printers for printing the actual miniature models
• And FDM printers best for terrain printing

Super Budget Pick	Premium Resin Pick For Accurate Miniatures	FDM Printer For Terrain
Anycubic Photon M3	Anycubic Photon Mono M5s	AnkerMake M5C 3D Printer
3DSourced Rating:	3DSourced Rating:	3DSourced Rating:
Primary Rating: 4.5	Primary Rating: 4.8	Primary Rating: 4.6
Build Volume: 163 x 103 x 180 mm	Build Volume: 218 x 123 x 200 mm	Build Volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
Printing Speed: 50mm/hr	Printing Speed: 105mm/h	Printing Speed: 500 mm/s
$209	$399	$399.00
Anycubic Store here	Anycubic here	AnkerMake Direct here
Amazon here	Amazon here	Amazon here

Super Budget Pick

Anycubic Photon M3

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.5

Build Volume:

163 x 103 x 180 mm

Printing Speed:

50mm/hr

$209

Anycubic Store here

Amazon here

Premium Resin Pick For Accurate Miniatures

Anycubic Photon Mono M5s

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.8

Build Volume:

218 x 123 x 200 mm

Printing Speed:

105mm/h

$399

Anycubic here

Amazon here

FDM Printer For Terrain

AnkerMake M5C 3D Printer

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.6

Build Volume:

220 x 220 x 250 mm

Printing Speed:

500 mm/s

$399.00

AnkerMake Direct here

Amazon here

Beyond the specs, we also explain the factors that actually make a difference to miniature print quality.

Quick Overview

Best 3D Printers For Miniatures

1. Anycubic Photon M3 – Best Budget Resin Printer For Minis

• Price: Check latest price at Anycubic here
• How many minis can you fit? Around 15
• Build Volume: 163 x 103 x 180 mm
• XY Resolution: 40 microns
• Minimum Layer Height: 10 microns

The newly released Anycubic Photon M3 hits its stride in miniature making by bundling in better specs at the same price as its predecessors, the Photon Mono and Mono 4K.

These enhancements are most pronounced with a larger 163 x 103 x 180 mm build volume. This might not seem like much on paper, but means the Anycubic Photon M3 can produce much larger single models or batch print more copies of the same in one sitting than the Mono 4K, let alone the original Mono.

During my testing, I loaded up an example 28mm mini STL file and found you can fit around 15 minis on the build plate:

The extra z-height lends itself well to taller models, excellent if you’re working to produce large figurines for display purposes.

The Anycubic Photon M3 and Mono 4K both use a monochrome 4K LCD, but the Photon M3’s larger 7.6” screen handles the larger build volume. In numbers, this means a slight downgrade to a 40 micron XY resolution compared to the Mono 4 K’s 35 microns, but at these low numbers, the difference is indistinguishable to the naked eye, even for veteran miniature aficionados.

We still recommend the Photon M3 over the Mono 4K for the larger build volume – at this level, a 5-micron difference is not going to make a difference, even in the most precise of miniatures.

Against the standard Mono’s 2K LCD, there’s no competition: the Anycubic Photon M3 delivers far better fine details and features on even the most complex Warhammer and D&D figures. It does so fast as well, with a solid 50 mm/h print speed, which equates to roughly 30 minutes per 28 mm model.

2. Anycubic Photon Mono M5s – Best Mid-Size Pick

• Price: Check price at Anycubic here
• Build Volume: 218 x 123 x 200 mm
• Speed: 105mm/h

The Anycubic Photon Mono M5s has a stacked range of built-in sensors and checks to keep everything working, so you spend more time enjoying successful prints than cleaning up failures …or scratching your head wondering what went wrong. 

These features include print peel detection, hands-off bed leveling, a resin level sensor, and a self-check routine to pick up potential hardware issues.

Beyond that, the Anycubic Photon Mono M5s is the best mid-size resin printer right now in its price range. Nothing else competes with the thanks to the combination of a roomy 218 x 123 x 200 mm build volume, 12K resolution, and 19/24 micron XY resolution. 

Whereas the Photon M3 fits around 15 miniatures on the build plate, I estimate around 28 minis can fit on the M5s build plate – as per my screenshot below:

If you don’t need the extra space then the Mars 4 or Photon M3 should be fine, but with this extra space (and resolution) you can print larger batches of miniatures… and they’ll come out with glistening detail and sharp features. 

If you use high-speed resin, the M5s can even push print speeds up to 105 mm/s, vastly reducing print times while still maintaining print quality on your minis.

Though you’ll find a slightly large build volume on similar models like the Elegoo Saturn 2, the M5s beats the Saturn 2’s 29-micron XY resolution. Similarly, the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K trumps the M5s with its 22-micron resolution, but that printer is capped at 8K prints and has a substantially smaller 165 x 72 x 180 mm build volume, so you’ll get less detailed miniatures and small batches.

Overall in my opinion, the Mono M5s is the best middle-ground printer in the mid-size range, and is perfect for large batches of minis, at high quality, at high speeds.

Alternative: Elegoo Mars 4 Ultra

I also recently tested the Elegoo Mars 4 Ultra, and it’s also really good and fast.

Here’s some minis I printed on it:

So, while I recommend the Anycubic highly, the Elegoo is also a great printer. If you look at the ornate Mew I printed at the bottom, it even printed the patterns on the surface really accurately — but my camera didn’t pick up all of these features so it’s hard to see.

However, it does have a smaller build volume, so if you do want to print larger numbers of miniatures, you are more restricted with the Mars 4 Ultra. You can only fit a maximum of around 8:

3. Anycubic Photon M3 Max – Best Large-Format Pick

• Price: Check price at Anycubic here / Amazon here
• Build Volume: 298 x 164 x 300 mm
• Speed: 60 mm/h

The Anycubic Photon M3 Max has a huge 293 x 163 x 300 mm build volume. At this size, you can print around 150 standard 28 mm miniatures in a single print session. Insane!

Despite the large build volume, the Photon M3 Max still pushes a 7K resolution that gives print intricate details and rich features. It may lag behind the 8K and even 12k printers out there, but the difference is largely imperceptible unless you pull out a magnifying glass.

Whereas the M3 can print around 15 minis maximum, and the M5s can print around 28, I estimate from my testing that the M3 Max can print around 45 minis per run, as shown below:

The Anycubic Photon M3 Max also ships with a smart resin refilling system, which will automatically pull resin through purpose tubing from a bottle to the vat as needed. You’ll never have to interrupt a print halfway through to pour in fresh resin, saving you both time and wasted resin.

With print speeds up to 60 mm/h, the M3 Max is not that fast… but it’s not horrendously slow either. And with the size of the printer, you could in theory print 150 minis in around an hour if they were all small enough. 

However, if you need faster speeds, I recommend the 105 mm/h speeds on the Anycubic Photon Mono M5s, and if you want better detail, go for the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K. But, neither has anywhere near the size of the spacious M3 Max.

If you’re looking to kick start a for-profit miniature printing setup, the Anycubic Photon M3 Max is a reliable workhorse that can pump out hundreds of miniatures on daily. At over $800, it’s a lot more expensive than some cheaper desktop options, like the Photon M3, or Mars 3 and 4 printers.

4. Ankermake M5C – Best Budget Printer For Terrain

• Price: Check price at AnkerMake here
• Build Volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
• Speed: 500 mm/s

I’ve reviewed the Ankermake M5C, and it’s the most pleasant and easy-to-use consumer printer I’ve used recently. 

The route from a sliced model to a glistening, fresh-off-the-bed piece of terrain is as easy as it gets thanks to a pre-configured purging routine, simplified printing presets, automatic bed leveling, a direct drive extruder to reduce clogging, a one-click on-printer button to launch prints, and one of the most intuitive 3D printer apps I’ve used.

It’s also super fast. It prints up to 500 mm/s with only a minor loss of quality, which won’t matter that much for rough and ready terrain anyway! They come out looking great… and more importantly, fast, so you can get to testing them out on your tabletop sooner.

It’s capable of surprisingly good detail, too, honestly I was surprised!! While I’m recommending it for terrain… look at how good the skeleton creator mini I printed below is:

For an FDM print, that’s pretty amazing!

The Ankermake M5C has a pretty standard 220 x 220 x 250 mm build volume, which should be enough to print most terrain and backdrops like ruins, mid-sized dungeons, interiors, and even modest structures. 

But if you want to print anything larger, either get a larger build volume printer (I recommend the Neptune 4 Max below), or just print in parts and glue them together.

5. Elegoo Neptune 4 Max – Best Large-Format Printer For Terrain

• Price: Check price at Elegoo here / Amazon here
• Build Volume: 420 x 420 x 480 mm
• Speed: 500 mm/s

The Elegoo Neptune 4 Max is a perfect fit if you’re a tabletop enthusiast that wants a reliable FDM printer to bring large-scale terrain to life. 

The huge 420 x 420 x 480 mm build volume is enough to print entire structures like towers and cathedrals or even large trees and rock formations. You can also print smaller pieces within the same job as medium-sized terrain prints…you have so much space!!

The nice part also is that you don’t need to print multiple pieces and then attach them – it’s fine to do this, but it’s extra time, and the glues together pieces can be weaker than if they were just printed in one part.

For example, this is a large statue model I printed in one large piece, which is larger than most terrain I’d ever need to print, and it came out really well!

The Neptune 4 Max is also quick thanks to Klipper-powered fast 500 mm/s print speeds. You’ll print more and in less time compared to the previous generation of FDM printers that hover around 80-100 mm/s, so you can print larger terrain much quicker.

Alongside, it has automatic bed leveling, a 300°C nozzle for more exotic filaments like Nylon, Wi-Fi connectivity for control and monitoring, and a dual-gear direct drive extruder to handle flexibles like TPU, but also cut down on clogging and other nasty extrusion issues.

During my review of the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max, my only real gripe was how the machine does require a bit of tinkering to truly shine, but this is more a question of polishing up imperfect prints than remedying all-out print failures. 

The Neptune 4 Max has what it takes to produce highly detailed terrain, you just need to have patience and be willing to put in the time to tweak and refine.

Important Specs & Factors To Consider When Buying

Layer Height

The smaller the layer height you choose for your models, the better the quality, and the less visible the layer lines will be. 

However, the lower the layer height, the more layers you’ll have in your model, which increases the time it takes to print, and also increases the chance of a failed print.

I advise that you don’t need to go all the way down to 0.01mm on your resin 3D printer with miniatures – 0.03-0.04mm is a good range for great quality.

The Truth About 4K, 8K, or 12K+ Screens

4K is fine honestly, and even 2K isn’t super noticeable compared with an 8K print except on details like hair and beards, or hands and fingers on your models. If you have the money, go for an 8K printer – but it isn’t a necessity.

Corners will look a bit sharper, and certain facial features and muscle definitions will come out better generally, but you can still create very good models on 4K resin printers.

However, do not look solely at the specs when determining if a printer is high quality. 

A 2K screen with a printer made from high-quality build plate bolts and resin vat locks (that can handle low layer heights, retain accuracy, and aren’t prone to threading) will produce better miniature models than a shoddily built 4K printer.

I recommend buying from a high-quality brand like Anycubic, Elegoo or Phrozen.

How Speed and Size Works with a Resin Printer

Resin printers work differently from FDM printers. Instead of printing one part at a time as an FDM printer’s extruder traces the layer, LCD printers flash an entire layer at once, so whether you load up 10 STL files or just 1, they’ll print in the same amount of time.

So, the only factor that determines how long a resin print job will take is the height of the tallest model. 

This makes the build size of a resin printer important, as the more models you can pack into the area, the more models you can print in the same amount of time. Large 3D printers can print potentially 20+ miniatures at once – though most hobbyist printers can print around 3-4 reasonably sized miniature models.

Why 3D Print Your Own Miniatures?

With a 3D printer, you can print anything you want – you’re. notlimited by what’s in the catalogs! And, you can print your own minis for under a dollar each in resin cost, rather than sometimes $10+ per model!

In fact, I’ve written a deeper dive into D&D miniature and Warhammer prices and built my own calculator you can use to estimate miniature printing costs and how many minis until you earn back the cost of a 3D printer.

Some designers publish their miniature files online for free (I’ve listed the best places later on), but even premium models are extremely cheap – often just a few dollars.

Things to Remember When 3D Printing Resin Miniatures

• Resin is toxic and irritant – never touch it directly, and if you do, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Wear a mask to avoid the fumes, generally try to avoid the room when printing, and if possible put the printer near ventilation.

• There is post-processing involved after printing – you’ll need to scrape the resin prints off the build plate, remove the supports (wear gloves), wash the resin off of the prints with isopropyl alcohol, dry them, and cure them in UV light. Then, optionally you can fix any imperfections, prime and paint them for your custom look. We recommend buying your brand’s wash and cure station to save you time and hassle.

• You will need to replace parts – the two main culprits are FEP films, and screens, which will need to be replaced over time. This puts you out of action for a while, and costs money. We’ve also calculated whether 3D printing miniatures is cheaper (I calculated the exact cost for FDM and resin printing miniatures).

Why Not To Use FDM For 3D Printing Miniatures (But You Should For Terrain)

While FDM 3D printers typically have larger print areas, and the filament is cheaper than resin and non-toxic, you can’t get anywhere near the same level of detail. And minuscule details are the key to amazing-looking miniatures.

To put it into perspective, if you saw an FDM-printed miniature in a shop, you probably wouldn’t buy it.

But, you can print the larger, rougher terrain parts with an FDM printer, such as backgrounds, and accessories like towers, bridges, and other cool add-ons.

Best Practices for FDM 3D Printing Miniatures

• Nozzle size: using a small nozzle makes for better precision on printers, and though they print slower, this isn’t a big problem when printing small models that do not take long anyway.
• Slow printing speed settings: if you have the fastest 3D printer around, such as a delta 3D printer, you should slow it down when printing small, precise models. You may want to reduce speed to as low as 20-30mm/s.
• Infill percentage: you may want to change this based on how strong you want your miniatures to be. If you want to save on material costs and don’t mind giving up some part strength, you can reduce infill to 10%, though some hobbyists who want solid models may go for a higher infill percentage.
• Retraction settings: optimize retraction settings to prevent oozing and stringing of filament, which can occur especially often with PLA.
• Post-processing: not directly related to your printer, but you can decide whether to paint your model, sand or polish it to enhance its finish.

However, we still recommend resin over FDM for miniature printing. You can read a more in-depth comparison in our article comparing FDM and resin 3D printing for miniatures.

Sites To Download Minis Files

Here are some sites that host free and paid files:

• MyMiniFactory
• Cults3D
• Thingiverse (all free)
• Gambody (specialized in video game/comic book models)
• Pinshape

And here are some articles I’ve written that round-up the coolest files across other websites:

• Dungeons and Dragons 3D print files
• Warhammer 40K 3D prints
• 3D printed figurine files
• 3D printed anime figure files
• 3D printed dice towers
• 3D printed dragon files

Is it legal to 3D print Warhammer models?

It is legal to 3D print Warhammer figures as long as you do not try to sell them or use them for any other kind of commercial use. Patent laws prevent anyone from selling any object based on someone else’s intellectual property. If you design the model yourself however, if it isn’t identical or a total imitation of another’s copyrighted work, then you aren’t infringing on their copyright or patents.

However, keep abreast to new changes in laws that affect where creators and IP holders stand legally. For example, the 2021 Appropriations Act changed the way holders of IP and perceived infringers interact. This article is also useful for a general understanding of where you stand with 3D printing and intellectual property.

We would like to conclude this article by reminding readers to be careful, as intellectual property (IP) laws prevents the creation, download or 3D printing of trademarked characters. You can get into trouble if you print a trademarked character such as a Pokémon, with some large companies becoming increasingly studious in pursuing people breaking these laws.

Updates To This Review

We consistently update our rankings with our latest recommendations based on our hands-on 3D printer reviews.

Jan 2024 updates:

• We removed the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro. The Photon M3 and Mars3 have come down in price so far that it no longer makes sense to get the Mars 2 Pro. And overall, we still recommend the Photon M3 over the Mars 3.

Feb 2024 updates:

• We added the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max as our new recommendation for large terrain printing.
• We also added the Photon Mono M5s for premium desktop resin printing.

Top Budget Pick	Top Fast Printer Overall	Fastest Large 3D Printer
Anycubic Kobra 2	Creality K1	Elegoo Neptune 4 Max
3DSourced Rating:	3DSourced Rating:	3DSourced Rating:
Primary Rating: 4.4	Primary Rating: 4.7	Primary Rating: 4.6
$279	$599	$470
Max Print Speed: 300mm/s	Max Print Speed: 600mm/s	Max Print Speed: 500mm/s
Build Volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm	Build Volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm	Build Volume: 420 x 420 x 480 mm
Anycubic here	Creality here	Elegoo here
Amazon here		Amazon here

Top Budget Pick

Anycubic Kobra 2

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.4

$279

Max Print Speed:

300mm/s

Build Volume:

220 x 220 x 250 mm

Anycubic here

Amazon here

Top Fast Printer Overall

Creality K1

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.7

$599

Max Print Speed:

600mm/s

Build Volume:

220 x 220 x 250 mm

Creality here

Fastest Large 3D Printer

Elegoo Neptune 4 Max

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.6

$470

Max Print Speed:

500mm/s

Build Volume:

420 x 420 x 480 mm

Elegoo here

Amazon here

The Best Fast 3D Printers in 2024 – Reviews

1. Creality K1

• Price — Check latest price at Creality here / Amazon here
• Max speed: 600mm/s
• Build volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
• Filament compatibility: ABS, PLA, PETG, PET, TPU, PA, ABS, ASA, PC, PLA-CF, PA-CF, PET-CF
• Max nozzle temp: 300°C
• Max bed temp: 100°C
• Connectivity: USB, WiFi

The Creality K1 is a fully enclosed CoreXY printer. Right off the bat, you can tell where it’s going to excel: speed and stability.

While the CoreXY design helps it achieve speeds of up to 600 mm/s, you’ll have less factors to worry about while diagnosing problems thanks to the enclosure. It has an onboard camera for easy print monitoring, too.

The Creality K1 has a standard, relatively small build volume of 220 x 220 x 250 mm – like the Ender 3 has. If you want something bigger, you could opt for the K1 Max instead, with 300 x 300 x 400 mm – the same as the CR-10s.

As a slightly more expensive option for fast consumer printers (it’s a bit more than the Neptune 4, AnkerMake M5C, Qidi Tech X-Plus 3 with similar speeds), The Creality K1 works best if you want fast speeds but also love the K1’s other capabilities. Although it’s by no means a truly high-end printer, it is a slightly more expensive option.

So, if you have no plans of using finicky filaments like ABS and PETG and don’t know if you’ll really make use of the print monitoring tools, the Creality K1 isn’t worth it. But for fast printing without much hassle, it’s great.

2. Neptune 4 Max

• Price: Check latest price at Elegoo here / Amazon here
• Max speed: 500mm/s
• Build volume: 420 x 420 x 480 mm
• Filament compatibility: PLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA, Nylon Filaments
• Max nozzle temp: 300°C
• Max bed temp: 85°C
• Connectivity: USB, WiFi, WLAN

The Neptune 4 Max is the printer to beat for a large build volume at a cheap price. But what people should really be paying attention to is the potential for high speed printing. This was the main thing I wanted to understand in my hands-on review of the Neptune 4 Max: in a 3D printer so large, can you really still get accurate prints at high speeds?

With Klipper coming pre-installed on the printer and the extra big fan equipment, high speeds are very much possible. They’ll shave off hours from larger prints.

The Neptune 4 Max’s build volume of 420 x 420 x 480 mm opens the doorway to multi-day prints. So, small speed improvements make for big time saves across that kind of timeline…

Unfortunately, the Neptune 4 Max’s best feature is also its main downside. To get that great build volume on a cheap printer, you should expect to spend time troubleshooting and fixing issues as they arise.

That’s doubly true when you’re pushing print speed to its limit. Although it’s not impossible for a beginner, it’s definitely a better choice for someone familiar with 3D printing and ready to dive into Klipper, input shaping, etc.

3. Bambu P1P

• Price: Check latest price at Bambu Lab here
• Max speed: 500mm/s
• Build volume: 256 x 256 x 256 mm
• Filament compatibility: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PET, and with enclosure PA, PC, ABS, ASA
• Max nozzle temp: 300°C
• Max bed temp: 100°C
• Connectivity: USB, WiFi

The Bambu P1P is like a stripped down version of the popular Carbon X1. It doesn’t have the camera or the enclosure (unless you buy them as add-ons), but it does have a CoreXY design that speeds things up. It can print at a maximum of 500 mm/s.

A high max nozzle temperature and the potential for an enclosure makes the Bambu P1P a similarly reliable and consistent option to the Creality K1. It comes with the Bambu Lab slicer, auto leveling, and even AMS compatibility for multi-color printing, but no touchscreen.

Although many exclusive slicers fail to be as useful as the free options, Bambu Lab’s slicer actually proves to be very useful by providing a huge number of presets.

A major problem with high speed printing is the amount of tinkering necessary to achieve them. The Bambu P1P can get you there, without you needing to mess with firmware configs, cheap and unreliable printers, or complicated upgrades.

4. Anycubic Kobra 2

• Price: Check latest price at Anycubic here / Amazon here
• Max speed: 300mm/s
• Build volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
• Filament compatibility: PLA, PLA+, TPU
• Max nozzle temp: 260°C 
• Max bed temp: 110°C
• Connectivity: MicroSD

The Anycubic Kobra 2 is a true budget machine, but it still offers significantly faster print speeds than other printers in its price range. Its maximum is 300 mm/s.

It doesn’t reach those speeds using a CoreXY design or offering Klipper. The Kobra 2 just has a quality extrusion and cooling system, so you can safely reach higher speeds. Notably, it uses a direct drive extruder and a rapid cooling system.

Although it doesn’t cost much compared to other printers on this list, it does still have WiFi, auto-leveling, and a touchscreen. The main negative of the Kobra 2 is that you will be stuck with subpar speeds– at least, in the realm of high speed printing. There’s upgrade potential so you could change that, but it isn’t impressive by default.

If you’re willing to put in some extra effort to reach higher speeds and you’re on a strict budget, the Anycubic Kobra 2 is pretty much perfect. But if you can afford something better, it will serve you well.

How Speed Works in 3D Printers

Printer Format

Printer format is the factor in print speed that’s the hardest to change— you’re stuck with whatever type of printer you’ve purchased.

The Cartesian FDM printer type is the one people usually think of when they imagine a 3D printer. However, there are other variations that can really up the speed of your prints.

A good example is CoreXY. They’re becoming increasingly mainstream because they have such few downsides, but can reach higher speeds.

As the name implies, the X and Y motors on a CoreXY printer are fixed.  These printers have a relatively low part count and a light, hyper mobile print head. Bambu’s printers, as well as the Creality K1 and Qidi Tech X-Plus run these CoreXY systems. You can read more about these in our guide to the top coreXY printers.

They are usually contrasted by the typical bed slinger design, which moves the bed back and forth during the printing process.

Another less popular type of FDM printer is the Delta printer. They’re easy to differentiate because of their triangular shape, which is also the reason they can reach higher speeds. You can read more about these in our guide to the top delta printers.

Although Delta and CoreXY printers are designed to be faster, that doesn’t mean you need one to hit high speeds. There are a ton of other factors that impact printer speed, too.

In this article alone, I mention multiple 3D printers that aren’t Delta or CoreXY – like the Kobra 2, and the Neptune 4 Max. 

Printer Equipment

If you want speed and you want it ASAP, nozzle size might be the way to go. Most 3D printers have a default nozzle size of 0.4 mm, but you can find 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm, or even larger nozzle sizes for purchase.

Swapping out your nozzle for something bigger and pairing it with a corresponding larger layer height can immediately double your print speeds. The caveat is that you sacrifice some print quality.

Although upping nozzle size only works for non-precise, non-decorative pieces, there are other printer features that assist with speed in every situation. They just don’t do it as directly.

Quality heating components are pretty much a necessity for high print speeds because the filament won’t heat up quickly enough otherwise. Poor heating can also cause issues with filament viscosity.

Similarly, cooling components need to be just as quality to match the breakneck speeds or you risk print errors.

Firmware

Many older (and some modern) 3D printers use Marlin by default as their firmware. It’s not the best for making config changes, and it has certain limitations when it comes to speed.

Klipper is the firmware of choice for anyone who wants those two benefits. You can swap Marlin out for Klipper, but some printers even come with it pre-installed.

The easier config changes make the fine tuning process faster, which is the first step to getting better print speeds. Another key feature is input shaping— in essence, it’s a way to minimize vibrations and the corresponding ringing that happens at super high speed 3D printing.

One of the biggest changes between Klipper and Marlin is the fact that Klipper can run g-code faster. Even with no config changes, Klipper will let your hardware shine rather than slowing your printer down because of the g-code bottleneck.

It’s important to understand that Klipper on its own won’t automatically make your printer fast. You need to use the tools Klipper gives you to make the most out of your printer.

Slicer Software

The free way to instantly up your print speed is to simply change settings in your slicer software. You can do this no matter what slicer you use, and no matter what printer you own.

Usually, changing infill and wall thickness settings to use less filament gets you quick results with little chance of failure.

If you’re ready to increase speeds beyond that, you’ll need to consider settings like acceleration, jerk, temperature, and fan settings.

You’ll probably want to tweak things slowly with an easy benchmarking print, like a Benchy. Make sure you’re compensating for temperature and vibrations as you go.

So, Do You Really Need a Super Fast 3D Printer?

Although speed is an increasingly popular marketing gimmick for 3D printers, sometimes it’s just that— a gimmick. Not everyone needs a fast 3D printer or will put that speed to use.

If you enjoy the engineering process of getting your printer to work at insane speeds, then that’s reason enough to pursue it from a hobby perspective. But if you’re doing it for the sake of practicality, you should rethink your pursuit of speed.

You often will need to make the choice between quality and getting your printer that much faster. Quick printing will always make it harder to assure quality, and unless you really don’t care how your prints come out, it might not be worth the time and monetary investment.

For FDM 3D printers, some materials become volatile and print with imperfections if you don’t slow right down, like PEEK, PC, and others. Printing at 150mm/s+ would just ruin your prints, so the speed is useless here.

Instead of purchasing products or printers that are designed to be faster, try doing some basic changes in your software. It will make printing a little more efficient, without the effort, money, and inconsistency that comes with the fast printing package.

Related articles:

• Best large resin 3D printers (bigger = faster!)
• Best FDM 3D printers
• How long does 3D printing take?
• Best 3D Print Speed Settings for Every Filament
• Check the best print speed settings for Ender 3

Best for absolute beginners and kids	Great reliable printer	Budget pick
Toybox: 3D Printer for Kids	Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 3D printer (pre assembled)	Anycubic Kobra 2
3DSourced Rating:	3DSourced Rating:	3DSourced Rating:
Primary Rating: 4.4	Primary Rating: 4.8	Primary Rating: 4.7
$299-349	$899	$249
Build Volume: 70 x 80 x 90 mm	Build Volume: 250 x 210 x 210 mm	Build Volume: 250 x 220 x 220 mm
Assembly time: Comes fully assembled	Assembly time: 6-8 hours	Assembly time: 10 minutes
Automatic leveling: Yes	Automatic leveling: Yes	Automatic leveling: Yes
Toybox Store here	Prusa here	Anycubic here
	Amazon here	Amazon here

Best for absolute beginners and kids

Toybox: 3D Printer for Kids

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.4

$299-349

Build Volume:

70 x 80 x 90 mm

Assembly time:

Comes fully assembled

Automatic leveling:

Yes

Toybox Store here

Great reliable printer

Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 3D printer (pre assembled)

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.8

$899

Build Volume:

250 x 210 x 210 mm

Assembly time:

6-8 hours

Automatic leveling:

Yes

Prusa here

Amazon here

Budget pick

Anycubic Kobra 2

3DSourced Rating:

Primary Rating:

4.7

$249

Build Volume:

250 x 220 x 220 mm

Assembly time:

10 minutes

Automatic leveling:

Yes

Anycubic here

Amazon here

The best 3D printer for beginners turns on, prints, and is never any hassle.

From the outside looking in, 3D printing can be intimidating. You just want something you press print on and it works perfectly every time.

If you have the budget and don’t mind the drop in speed compared to newer coreXY printers, a Prusa MK3S+ is a cheaper way to get a super reliable, beginner-friendly printer. Buy it now if you have the budget, but there’s always the option to buy one second-hand if the money is tight.

For the sub-$300 range, I think the Kobra 2 is your best bet. It’s fast, easy to build and use, and should require less tinkering than an Ender 3. If you have $400, the AnkerMake M5C is faster and better built – and I highly recommend it.

If you want a large-format 3D printer, I recommend the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max. It does require some tinkering and tweaking, but for the low price you get a fast and large printer.

What To Look For As A Beginner

Obviously, the basics are you want a 3D printer that is safe, reliable, and well-priced. But here are some more specific things to look out for:

• Auto-Leveling: most printers now come with auto-leveling, but I suggest avoiding the original Ender 3 as it does not have this. You can buy bed probe kits, but this still requires some technical skill to implement.
• WiFi: it’s not essential, but it’s a nice quality-of-life improvement to have, and saves you from connecting via wires to your laptop, or transferring files via SD cards.
• Direct Drive Extruder: these are better than Bowden extruders for flexible filaments as flexibles are more delicate, creating issues with the longer filament path. Direct drive extruders also have more precise retraction and less prone to clogging – which you don’t want as a newbie.
• All-Metal Hotend: PTFE hotends can’t print as high temperatures, limiting the materials you can print. Also, the PTFE material will gradually deteriorate over time, and the tube can slip and cause clogs.
• Dual Z-Axis: these are more sturdy and stable, and better support the gantry system the 3D printer prints with. Single Z-axis can sag slightly, and love stability and precision.
• High-Quality Springs: weaker springs on cheaper printers worsen bed leveling stability and need to be re-leveled constantly, which is a hassle. Better quality springs also dampen vibrations better, improving print quality. Silicone spacers are also great.

Based on these points, these are the best 3D printers for beginners we recommend:

The Best 3D Printers for Beginners

1. Best Under $500 – Ankermake M5C

• Price: Check price at AnkerMake here
• Build Volume: 220 x 220 x 250mm
• Assembly Time: 15 minutes
• Automatic leveling: Yes

The Ankermake M5C is a fantastic first printer if you’re a beginner. I built it in under 10 minutes, which you can see in my hands-on review.

Once assembled, Ankermake’s seamless ecosystem guides you through to your successful first print. A QR code mounted on the printer even links you to tutorials for feeding in filament, automatic bed leveling, changing the voltage, to firing off that first print.

Other beginner-friendly features include notches on the heated bed that guide the position of the build surface, so you’re always sure it’s in the right spot. The printer has a huge one-click button to start and pause prints as needed. And, the printer isn’t a web of wires and components thanks to its sleek and sturdy flushed metal look. Unlike many other budget printers, it would fit nicely into any home decor.

The printer is operated and prints monitored through one of the best mobile apps today. You can choose from three presets that offer a range of speeds and quality, including a fast mode that pushes up to 500 mm/s for ultra-short print times.

You also get access to Ankermake’s model library, which is full of cool starter projects, including decorative pieces and functional models like plant pots, toys, pencil holders, and more. They’ve been tested and pre-configured to work flawlessly on the Ankermake M5C, so you’re unlikely to run into failures or need to do any troubleshooting.

However, the Ankermake M5C isn’t perfect. The spool holder and specifically the mount that holds the filament tubing that runs down to the print head is a little flimsy, and the lack of a screen on the printer may bother you if you prefer this.

Fastest Low-Cost 3D Printer

AnkerMake M5C 3D Printer

4.6

$399.00

We also have an exclusive discount code: 3DSM5C.

Use this code and get $80 off!

Pros:

• Dizzyingly fast print speeds – it printed a Benchy accurately at 500mm/s
• Superb print quality, especially on my articulated dragon print
• Impressive all-round build quality
• Sophisticated, responsive, and useful mobile app
• Tinker-free bed leveling and printing
• Direct drive extruder is always nice to have

Cons:

• Missing SD Card slot
• Very loud operating noise levels. With noise-canceling headphones, I could still hear it from 20 feet away.
• No on-printer screen
• Strangely, it didn’t ship with any filament – not even a test sample
• Spool holder feels a bit flimsy to me

AnkerMake Direct here Amazon here

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

2. Best Under $300 – Anycubic Kobra 2

• Price: Check price at Anycubic here / Amazon here
• Build Volume: 250 x 220 x 220 mm
• Assembly Time: 10 minutes
• Automatic leveling: Yes

Now priced near $200, the Anycubic Kobra 2 is an affordable printer that still comes with automatic bed leveling, a sharp direct drive extruder, an easy modular assembly process, and print speeds of up to 300 mm/s. 

The LeviQ 2.0 automatic bed leveling system includes automatic smart z-offset adjustments (the distance between the nozzle and plate), removing the need to make any manual tweaks whatsoever after the leveling regime is completed.

It’s more sturdily built than the original Kobra, (which we’ve also tested), and the Ender 3, with dual z-axis rods and double metal spindles and bearings that holds it firm on your desktop. It’ll require some tinkering and ongoing maintenance – but less than the Ender 3 or original Anycubic Kobra. 

The PEI-coated, flexible bed is a pleasure to use and pop prints off of. I’m also a big fan of the responsive on-printer control screen – it has a lot of options, but isn’t overwhelming.

It’s not as polished a 3D printing experience as the Ankermake M5C, however. Though it can achieve excellent printer quality, it takes more tinkering to get there, so I recommend the Kobra 2 if you’re on a budget and can’t afford the M5C instead.

Best FDM Kit Under $300

Anycubic Kobra 2

Improved, upgraded version of the original Kobra, with much faster print speeds, good auto leveling, and a reliable direct drive extruder.

Anycubic here Amazon here

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

3. Best For Complete Beginners & Kids – Toybox 3D

• Price: Starter Bundle $299 / Deluxe Bundle $349 — Available on Toybox’s site here
• Print volume: 70 x 80 x 90 mm
• Assembly Time: Comes fully assembled
• Automatic leveling: Yes

The Toybox 3D printer impressed me a lot when I tested it, especially with how incredibly it was to use. Brand-new beginners, and even kids under 13 years old, would have absolutely zero issues setting it up and getting printed.

It’s also great if you’re an adult beginner who wants to print your first models easily, and for younger kids to learn basic engineering skills and have fun printing their toys!

In fact, when you buy a Toybox 3D printer, you also get access to their toy archive featuring thousands of fun prints. These include mini F1 cars, and officially licensed Batman and Wonderwoman models, tanks, dragons, gift boxes, and many more.

They’re all free, and you can even design your own models using their Toybox iOS and Android app. Here’s a small seal 3D print I found in their archive and printed:

When I was printing different models, I wanted to understand how easy it would be for beginners to change out the different colors of filament. This can be tricky on 3D printers and put beginners off, and Toybox send lots of colors with the printer – so I wanted to be sure it was easy to do.

A big advantage was how easy this was to change the filament colors. These filaments, which Toybox calls “3D printer food”, take less than a minute to switch out. These materials are all low-temperature PLA, so they’re safer and easier to print (they don’t warp like more challenging filaments such as ABS).

I’ve previously emailed back and forth with Ben, Toybox’s co-founder and CEO, about how important it is for 3D printers to become more accessible so that more adult newcomers are encouraged to adopt 3D printing. To us at 3DSourced, the Toybox makes 3D printing more accessible than ever, and it’s an ideal 3D printer for beginners.

However, the build volume is small at 70 x 80 x 90 mm, and you can’t print more professional materials. But, if you’re getting started and want a hassle-free, fun, and friendly introduction with an entry-level 3D printer for newcomers, the Toybox is perfect for you.

They also make great 3D printers for kids.

Best 3D Printer for Kids

Toybox: 3D Printer for Kids

4.8

$299-349

Super easy to set up, comes with different filament colors to get started, and a huge range of 3D printable files (including licensed Batman models!) that your kids will LOVE.

Pros:

• Very simple smartphone interface suitable for all ages.
• Fully enclosed design keeps hot parts away from fingers.
• Easy to switch between colors of PLA filament

Cons:

• Can only print PLA, not higher-temp materials like ABS.

Toybox Store here

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

4. Most Reliable Pick – Prusa i3 MK3S+ Pre-Assembled

• Price: Check price at Prusa here / Amazon here
• Build volume: 250 x 210 x 210 mm
• Assembly Time: 6-8 hours
• Automatic leveling: Yes

Buying tips for beginners:

• Buy the preassembled version for $200 extra and save 8 hours of building
• Consider the Multi Material Upgrade 2.0 when you’re comfortable with the printer

The preassembled Prusa combines beginner-friendly plug-and-play straight out the box with Prusa’s trademark reliability and durability for a fantastic beginner 3D printing experience.

The new MK3S+ features Prusa’s SuperPINDA probe for automatic mesh bed leveling, like the Prusa Mini, for effective first-layer calibration. There’s myriad other hassle-saving extras included, like the filament sensor, power loss recovery (it’ll save where you are if you have a power cut or other fault), and a number of effective safety features.

If you’re looking for a dual extruder printer, the Prusa doesn’t have that. However, you can buy the Multi Material Upgrade 2.0 for $299, which when fitted turns your Prusa 3D printer into a multi-color 3D printer able to print up to 5 colors simultaneously.

Overall, by buying the preassembled version, you combine Prusa’s reputation for reliability with this easy-access 3D printer, and it’s a great choice for high-quality printing that rarely goes wrong. 

Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 3D printer (pre assembled)

Prusa here Amazon here

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

5. Best Large Printer – Elegoo Neptune 4 Max

• Price: Check price at Elegoo here / Amazon here
• Build Volume: 420 x 420 x 480 mm
• Assembly Time: 60 minutes
• Automatic leveling: Yes

The Elegoo Neptune 4 Max has a huge 420 x 420 x 480 mm build volume. There’s space here to produce large vases, towering figurines, large terrain for tabletop gaming, and plenty more – something I enjoyed during my hands-on review.

While the Neptune 4 Max’s size is its main attribute, it also has plenty other features that beginners will benefit from. It has a 121-point automatic bed leveling, which, put simply, means a beautifully leveled bed every time for perfect first layers. While I recommend sticking with PLA if you’re new, the nozzle does reach 300°C, so you can print ABS, Nylon, PC, and other higher-temp filaments.

The best bit for me is the super-fast print speeds up to 500mm/s. The dual-gear direct drive extruder helps with smooth filament extrusion, even hours deep into a massive project. 

Direct drive extruders are better than bowden extruders for beginners in my opinion, as they reduce instances of clogging and print failures and blemishes for an overall easier printing experience. Better yet, the nozzle features automatic PID parameter calibration – basically, it adapts the filament to the temperature for the best results without needing any of your input. 

The Wi-Fi connectivity is nice for remote control and monitoring, the PEI build platform pops prints off easily, and it’s fairly quiet – all great positives for beginners.

However, for all its pros, the Neptune 4 Max is harder to get working perfectly than printers like the Ankermake M5C and its seamless printing experience. 
The Neptune 4 Max requires more tinkering and troubleshooting to truly make the most of its excellent features, so if you’re tempted, be prepared to learn as you go.

Great Large-Volume 3D Printer

Elegoo Neptune 4 Max

4.4

With a large 420x420x480mm build volume, integrated auto bed leveling, and fast print speeds enabled by Klipper, the Neptune 4 Max is an affordable option for hobbyists wanting to print big.

However, some tinkering is likely needed to get the best results.

Pros:

• High potential print speeds (pre-installed Klipper + good processor)
• Huge 420 x 420 x 480 mm build volume
• 121-point mesh auto-leveling
• Direct drive print head
• Huge toggleable fan

Cons:

• Likely to need tinkering to work properly
• Difficult to swap proprietary nozzle
• Few upgrades from the cheaper Neptune Max 3

Elegoo here Amazon here

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

How Much Should You Expect To Pay?

Expect to pay around $300-$400 for a decent entry-level 3D printer. While getting one for $150 is possible, you typically pay in time for any required tweaks and replacement parts that break.

For the $300-$400 price range you can get a printer with a direct drive extruder, higher-quality hotend, auto-leveling, faster print speeds, and one that is more reliable with parts not needing to be replaced as often.

Is the Ender 3 Good For Beginners?

Yes and no. The Ender 3 is a good printer because it’s cheap, but getting the very best out of it and obtaining the best quality prints involves upgrading and tweaking the machine. So, it’s good for a low budget, but not ideal for less technical beginners who won’t know how to fix the issues you may run into.

That said, when I recently tested the Ender 3 S1 it was a major improvement, bundling in many quality-of-life upgrades, like automatic bed leveling, a direct drive extruder system, and easy assembly, that make it extremely user-friendly.

The newest Ender 3 V3 SE has been getting good reviews online, but I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t recommend it. If I do get to test it, I’ll update this review with the full information!

But as of now, I recommend the printers like the Kobra range, Prusas, over the Ender 3 for complete beginners.

Beginner-Friendly 3D Printing Projects

With your factory-fresh printer up and running, here are a few beginner-friendly 3D printing projects to spark your imagination.

• Video game Characters – Pokemon, Final Fantasy
• Toys – Fidget spinners, action figures, toy boxes, Lego-like blocks
• Board game and chess pieces
• RC Vehicles
• Piggy Banks
• Vases
• House decor

Here are a few excellent sites for finding the STL model files required for 3D printing.

• Thingiverse (free files)
• Cults3D (free and premium aid-for files)
• MyMiniFactory (free and premium paid-for files)

What’s Changed?

We consistently update our recommendations based on our latest hands-on 3D printer reviews.

Jan 2024:

• Removed the Flashforge Creator Pro 2. We now feel other printers are a better combination of ease of use and lower price.
• Removed the Voxelab Aquila. It is very cheap, but for a complete beginner I now think it’s best to spend $50 extra for something more robust.

Feb 2024:

• Added the AnkerMake, Kobra 2, and Neptune 4 Max. We now feel these are the top beginner-friendly options based on our hands-on testing.

Related posts:

• Easy 3D printer projects for beginners
• Best free 3D modeling software for beginners
• CAD software for beginners
• Should you buy a 3D printer? Pros and cons compared

We’re here to help. We continuously update this best 3D printer guide with the latest 3D printer reviews, and we’ve tested over a dozen 3D printers on this site to create this buyer’s guide.

Best Budget Resin	Best Budget FDM	Best Fast 3D Printer
Anycubic Photon M3 Resin 3D Printer	Anycubic Kobra 2	Creality K1
Primary Rating: 4.5	Primary Rating: 4.7	Primary Rating: 4.6
$209	$249	$499
Build Volume: 163.9 x 102.4 x 180 mm	Build Volume: 250 x 220 x 220 mm	Build Volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
Printing Speed: 50 mm/h	Printing Speed: 300mm/s	Printing Speed: 600mm/s
Anycubic Store here	Anycubic here	Creality here
Amazon here	Amazon here

Best Budget Resin

Anycubic Photon M3 Resin 3D Printer

Primary Rating:

4.5

$209

Build Volume:

163.9 x 102.4 x 180 mm

Printing Speed:

50 mm/h

Anycubic Store here

Amazon here

Best Budget FDM

Anycubic Kobra 2

Primary Rating:

4.7

$249

Build Volume:

250 x 220 x 220 mm

Printing Speed:

300mm/s

Anycubic here

Amazon here

Best Fast 3D Printer

Creality K1

Primary Rating:

4.6

$499

Build Volume:

220 x 220 x 250 mm

Printing Speed:

600mm/s

Creality here

We’ve split our recommended picks into different categories to help you find the best 3D printer based on your needs. Then, below are our full product reviews of each printer with the full details, and where to get the best price.

Why Trust Us?

Over the last 5 years, the 3DSourced team has tested more than 25 different 3D printers to recommend our favorites. We include images of our real reviews and real thoughts on which to buy or not buy, and we pride ourselves on being unbiased.

Formed of 3D printing fans and experts, our team has a combined 30+ years of hands-on 3D printing experience. Some 3D printers we’ve owned and used extensively that feature on this list include multiple Creality Ender 3 models (S1, V2 Neo, etc), Elegoo Mars models (2 Pro, 4 Ultra), the Toybox printer, Anycubic Kobra, Sovol SV04, Snapmaker 2.0, and many more.

You can read the full product reviews below for our in-depth reviews and recommendations.

Here’s the full list:

1. Best FDM Under $300 – Anycubic Kobra 2

• Price: Check price at Anycubic here / Amazon here
• Build Volume: 250 x 220 x 220 mm
• Speed: 300mm/s

The Anycubic Kobra 2 is a successor to the Anycubic Kobra, which launched in 2022 and wowed us with its advanced features like automatic bed leveling and a direct drive extruder. 

The Kobra 2 makes improvements where it matters, upping print speeds to 300 mm/s, an enhanced LeviQ 2.0 automatic bed leveling to auto-calibrate the 220 x 220 x 250 mm build volume, an improved extrusion system and cooling, and various improvements to the overall design such a dual z-axis rods for better stability and performance at higher speeds.

These are features that pack in a huge amount of value for under $300. Specs and hardware are one thing, but the Kobra 2 follows through with excellent print quality, especially if you’re willing to tinker and refine. 

It’s far more user-friendly and hands-off, and the path from assembly to printing a quality part is much easier than the Ender 3. However, it’s not as simple and reliable as pricier printers like the AnkerMake M5C.

Another option in this price range is the Sovol SV06, which, for around $200, offers specifications almost identical to the Anycubic Kobra 2. But, worse build quality, a less pleasant UI and user experience, and trouble printing with materials beyond PLA and ABS make the Sovol SV06 a worse choice than the Anycubic Kobra 2. Both machines have the potential to produce quality prints, but it’s easier to get there with the Kobra 2 in my opinion.

Best FDM Kit Under $300

Anycubic Kobra 2

Improved, upgraded version of the original Kobra, with much faster print speeds, good auto leveling, and a reliable direct drive extruder.

Anycubic here Amazon here

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2. Best Resin Under $300 – Anycubic Photon M3

• Price: Check price at Anycubic here
• Build Volume: 163.9 x 102.4 x 180 mm
• Speed: 50 mm/h

The Anycubic Photon M3 is sturdy and compact, and prints detailed miniatures, figurines, and other decorative models. 4K was great a year or so ago, but now even 12K is fairly common, but resolution isn’t the difference-maker companies make it out to be, and it’s difficult to see the difference.

You only need a simple manual leveling routine to get started and fire up your first print. The 102 x 164 x 180 mm build volume is on the smaller side (though bigger than previous Anycubic resin printers like the Mono 4K) and there’s no automatic vat refilling, Wi-Fi, etc. 

But, for $200… you can’t expect the world!! What you do get is a fast, reliable printer that just works. No hassle, no tinkering – just high-quality prints reliably.

The Elegoo Mars 3 is an alternative to the Photon M3, and is similarly priced. But the larger build volume Photon M3 means more space to work with, especially if you’re batch print minis. If you’re a stickler for detail then go with the Mars 3, as it has a very marginal extra 5 microns of detail – 35 microns compared to Photon M3’s 40 microns.

Best Budget Anycubic Resin Printer

Anycubic Photon M3 Resin 3D Printer

$209

This budget-friendly powerhouse delivers an extra-large 180 x 163 x 102mm build area perfect for printing batches of detailed miniatures.

Experience speedy 50mm/hr print speeds and crisp 40 micron resolution from the impressive 4K LCD screen.

Simple, reliable, and user-friendly, the Photon M3 makes resin printing more accessible than ever.

Anycubic Store here Amazon here

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3. Best For Kids – Toybox 3D

• Price: $299 – Available at Toybox Official store here
• Build volume: 70 x 80 x 90 mm
• Speed: 60mm/s

The Toybox is not a high-tech, workhorse 3D printer with which to start a business.

But, it is one of the simplest 3D printers I’ve ever used, and I highly recommend it for your kids and beginners looking for a stress-free start to 3D printing.

The build volume is small at just 70 x 80 x 90 mm, but if you just want to print miniatures and other fun characters, it’s a great option. 

Toybox have partnered with numerous big players to bring you a huge range of free models you can 3D print too, from Batman and Wonder Woman, to fun 3D printable dragons, tanks, cars, and so much more.

My first print was a cute seal I found in their repository, which you can see below:

For kids it’s super safe: it only prints low-temperature PLA, and any hot parts are kept well away from prying hands by the enclosure. However, you cannot print with ABS or other higher-temp filaments with the Toybox.

You get many small spools of different color filaments to print away with, which Toybox affectionately calls “3D printer food”. These are simple to set up and change, so your kids can easily print in different colors.

If you’re a beginner, want hassle-free fun, or want to get your kids into 3D printing cheaply, I highly recommend the Toybox. You can also read my full Toybox 3D printer review.

Best 3D Printer for Kids

Toybox: 3D Printer for Kids

4.8

$299-349

Super easy to set up, comes with different filament colors to get started, and a huge range of 3D printable files (including licensed Batman models!) that your kids will LOVE.

Pros:

• Very simple smartphone interface suitable for all ages.
• Fully enclosed design keeps hot parts away from fingers.
• Easy to switch between colors of PLA filament

Cons:

• Can only print PLA, not higher-temp materials like ABS.

Toybox Store here

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4. Best Resin Under $500 – Anycubic Photon M5s

• Price: Check price at Anycubic here / Amazon here
• Build Volume: 218 x 123 x 200 mm
• Speed: 105mm/h

The Photon M5s features a range of sensors, self-checks, and monitoring tools – resin level, pre-print diagnostics, force sensors, print separation detection and alerts, and more. 

All these work to make printing on M5s easier and faster while losing less resin to failures and botched prints. There’s no manual leveling either, as the sensors and detectors remove the need for tedious pre-print bed leveling. Resin is a messy business, so any printer that reduces the stress gets points in my book.

It’s as close to plug-and-play resin printing as I’ve seen. I also liked the compact design, the Wi-Fi connectivity, and the fact it has a 10.1” 12K LCD screen. 

There are other 12K resin printers now like the Elegoo Saturn 3 and Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K (with a 12K upgrade), but they don’t have these extra diagnostic and monitoring features like the Photon M5s has.

The Photon Mono M5s has an ACF film instead of FEP, which delivers faster print speeds (using fast resin) thanks to lesser peel force than typical resin films, although it will need replacing more often. Though, when I was testing the Elegoo Mars 4 Ultra, the ACF did cause occasional issues – though this isn’t the case with the M5s Pro.

The M5s is my recommendation under $500 for ultra-fine print quality overall.

Anycubic Photon Mono M5s

Anycubic here Amazon here

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5. Best FDM Under $500 – AnkerMake M5C

• Price: Check price at AnkerMake here
• Build Volume: 220x220x250mm
• Speed: 250mm/s

After reviewing the AnkerMake M5C, I genuinely think it’s one of the few printers that really delivers a hassle-free, set-and-forget printing experience. 

It just works, saving the frustration-inducing tinkering and fine-tuning I’ve had with so many other FDM kits.

It includes spot-on automatic bed leveling, a PEI-coated removable print bed (with positioning notches on the heated plate as well), a direct drive extruder capable of speeds up to 500 mm/s, and an accompanying app that is among the most intuitive and pleasant I’ve come across. 

It also has a one-click button to fire off, pause, and otherwise control prints, which the Bambu Lab A1 and Creality Ender 3 V3 SE don’t have.

The AnkerMake M5C is well-built, mostly made from flush metal and high-quality parts throughout, and it handles the vibration of fast print speeds well. Even at high speeds, nothing I tried to print with the AnkerMake M5C came out badly.

Fastest Low-Cost 3D Printer

AnkerMake M5C 3D Printer

4.6

$399.00

We also have an exclusive discount code: 3DSM5C.

Use this code and get $80 off!

Pros:

• Dizzyingly fast print speeds – it printed a Benchy accurately at 500mm/s
• Superb print quality, especially on my articulated dragon print
• Impressive all-round build quality
• Sophisticated, responsive, and useful mobile app
• Tinker-free bed leveling and printing
• Direct drive extruder is always nice to have

Cons:

• Missing SD Card slot
• Very loud operating noise levels. With noise-canceling headphones, I could still hear it from 20 feet away.
• No on-printer screen
• Strangely, it didn’t ship with any filament – not even a test sample
• Spool holder feels a bit flimsy to me

AnkerMake Direct here Amazon here

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6. Best Fast CoreXY 3D Printer – Creality K1

• Price: Check price at Creality here
• Build Volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
• Speed: 600mm/s

The Creality K1 is a nippy, fully enclosed CoreXY printer for makers who prioritize high print speeds and a simple, user-friendly printing experience. 

Above all else, it’s a CoreXY machine for under $500… rivaling printers like the Bambu Lab X1 in print performance, which is on the whole nothing short of excellent (though you’ll probably also know the drawbacks of Bambu printers…).

It has acceleration speeds up to 20,000 mm/s and a max print speed of 600 mm/s built on a repurposed and rebranded iteration of Klipper, meaning the Creality K1 pumps out a Benchy in roughly 13 minutes. 

A direct drive extruder with a 32 mm3/s flow rate, a ceramic heater, dual print fans, an auxiliary fan in the build chamber, and a full metal heatbreak/nozzle combo capable of 300°C prints most high-temp filaments, thanks to the enclosed chamber.

It ships pre-calibrated, has automatic leveling, and fully assembled. There’s Wi-Fi and a robust in-app software ecosystem means the K1 is very much in keeping with the push to remote print control and monitoring.

Creality K1 3D Printer

Features:

• Max Speed: 600mm/s
• Acceleration: 20000mm/s²
• Hands-free Auto Leveling
• Self-test
• with One Tap

Creality here

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7. Best Large Resin Printer – Anycubic Photon M3 Max

• Price: Check price at Anycubic here / Amazon here
• Build Volume: 298 x 164 x 300 mm
• Speed: 60 mm/h

For $850.00, you get a 298 x 164 x 300 mm, which feels more like an FDM printer size. You also get a sleek 13.6” 7K LCD, smart auto-resin refill functionality for larger extended prints, an 84 LED matrix light source that prints up to a decent (but unremarkable) 60 mm/s, and a clever dual-sided frosted FEP film – smooth where it contacts the LCD and coarse when the resin is cured to enhance adhesion. 

Combined, these produce highly detailed models and parts with an XY resolution of 46 microns, which is phenomenal for the size of the build volume.

Other options in the large resin printer space include the Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K, but at $1,500 is almost twice the price for roughly 10 cm extra of height (and a bump to 8K resolution).

All in all, the Photon M3 Max is the best large resin printer out there for a balance of affordability, print volume, and pristine resin print detail.

Large Volume Pick

ANYCUBIC Photon M3 Max Resin 3D Printer, 13.6 7K UV LCD

$959.99

Anycubic here Amazon here

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8. Best Large-Format FDM – Elegoo Neptune 4 Max

• Price: Check price at Elegoo here / Amazon here
• Build Volume: 420 x 420 x 480 mm
• Speed: 500mm/s

The Eleggo Neptune 4 Max is a great option if you want to combine a massive 420 x 420 x 480 mm build volume with Klipper-powered print speeds up to 500 mm/s, all while maintaining print quality. When reviewing the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max, I earmarked it as the best affordable large-format printer for hobbyists eyeing up big projects.

And, at under $500, with 121-point automatic bed leveling, a 300°C high temperature nozzle, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a proprietary dual-gear direct extruder, the Neptune 4 Max has all the modern features you’d want. 

It’s well-equipped to print huge PLA, PETG, ABS, and TPU models and parts but also performs well with more exotic filaments like Nylon if you have an enclosure.

However, for all its merits, the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max requires tinkering to get prints dialled in. Expect some troubleshooting and hashing out settings to get this printer to really shine. 

For that reason, it’s not the best suited for beginners (if you are a beginner, go with the Ankermake M5, Kobra 2, or Sovol SV06).

Great Large-Volume 3D Printer

Elegoo Neptune 4 Max

4.4

With a large 420x420x480mm build volume, integrated auto bed leveling, and fast print speeds enabled by Klipper, the Neptune 4 Max is an affordable option for hobbyists wanting to print big.

However, some tinkering is likely needed to get the best results.

Pros:

• High potential print speeds (pre-installed Klipper + good processor)
• Huge 420 x 420 x 480 mm build volume
• 121-point mesh auto-leveling
• Direct drive print head
• Huge toggleable fan

Cons:

• Likely to need tinkering to work properly
• Difficult to swap proprietary nozzle
• Few upgrades from the cheaper Neptune Max 3

Elegoo here Amazon here

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9. Best Low-Cost Dual Extruder – Sovol SV04

• Price: $539 — Available at Sovol here
• Build volume: 300 x 300 x 400 mm
• Speed: 200mm/sec

If you want a great dual extruder 3D printer and don’t want to pay more than a thousand bucks, then you have two main options: the Sovol SV04 or the Flashforge Creator Pro 2.

The main difference is the Sovol SV04’s much larger build volume, at 300 x 300 x 400 mm, the same as the Creality CR-10. This lets you print large objects with multi-colors, or even two fairly large models at the time using the IDEX dual extrusion features. However, the Creator Pro 2 is enclosed, whereas this is open-air, so you’ll need to buy an enclosure with it.

I’ve personally tested the Sovol SV04, and managed to print some cool multi-colored 3D prints like the frog and cube shown below:

I also printed some great plant pots for some flowers and a cactus using the Copy Mode feature, with each extruder printing a plant pot simultaneously for double the productivity. The Creator Pro 2 does not have a large enough build volume to 3D print both vases simultaneously, whereas I could with the Sovol SV04.

To summarize: if you want a large-format, reliable dual extruder printer, go for the Sovol SV04. The IDEX is a really handy addition (the Sovol SV02 isn’t IDEX) for quickly making multiple parts.

But, if you don’t mind having the smaller build volume, and instead prefer the enclosed build chamber to better print materials like ABS and Nylon, then go for the Flashforge.

Sovol SV04 IDEX 3D Printer

Sovol here

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10. Best 3-in-1 3D Printer – Snapmaker 2.0 AT

• Price: Check price at Snapmaker here / Also Available on Amazon here
• Build volumes: up to 320 x 350 x 330 mm
• Speed: 60 mm/s

Snapmaker manufactures the best 3-in-1 3D printers, and you can easily switch the extruder module out and switch in the CNC carver or the laser engraver module in just a few minutes and get working.

The 3D printer module would be a standalone high quality printer. I was surprised by just how reliable, accurate, and effective it was when I used it, even when printing thin-walled vases. The metal structure and linear rails are sturdy, retaining precision even on the largest A350T we tested.

You can 3D print all major hobbyist filaments like PLA, TPU, and ABS. The smartphone-shaped touchscreen makes it really easy to operate, and the WiFi connectivity saves you the hassle of constantly plugging in SD cards or USBs.

You get a range of premium features — auto-leveling, filament run-out detection, dynamic print speeds via the intelligent software — generally making your 3D printing experience more pleasant and productive.

By default you get the weaker 1.6W cutting module which we still managed to laser engrave with nicely, as well as cutting through thin and soft wood (though it takes a lot longer than specialized lasers).

However, you can purchase the 10W high-power laser for an extra few hundred bucks, which can engrave anodized aluminum (check out our wolf engraving below) and comfortably cut through acrylic and wood – we cut out a rhino puzzle from black acrylic in under 13 minutes.

You can carve soft and hard woods, carbon fiber sheets and acrylics. We also used the 4-axis CNC module to carve chess pieces from epoxy blocks, proving the bit can comfortably carve most woods and similar materials.

We cut chess pieces using the V-bit carver and the 4-axis rotary module add-on (this costs an extra few hundred bucks, though), which lets you carve into cylindrical blocks like a lathe to create detailed characters. Snapmaker Luban software handles the four axes well, and it’s a very well-designed software and slicer generally – it was easier to use the rotary than on specialized software like Lightburn.

If you want to engrave contrasting images, you can use the laser engraver. It can engrave on woods, leather, fabrics and acrylic. We engraved a few cylinder-shaped blocks to test the 4-axis engraving module and used the laser cutter to cut through a thin piece of wood to make this gift box.

We recommend also purchasing the enclosure to improve your printing experience and keep you safer — and you may also want to pick up some extras for CNC. Their wide range of extras and goodies are on their site, which you can visit here.

If you’re considering the more expensive Snapmaker Artisan, then yes the Artisan is better at almost everything. But it’s significantly more expensive, and for the price, the Snapmaker 2.0 AT is still a great deal for all three swappable heads.

You can see more Snapmaker models in our article comparing Snapmaker 2.0, Snapmaker J1, and Snapmaker Artisan.

Top 3-in-1 Pick For 3D Printing, CNC & Laser Cutting

Snapmaker 2.0 Modular 3 in 1 3D Printer A350T/A250T

$1169 ($600 off!)

Switch the toolheads within minutes to 3D print, CNC cut, and laser cut and engrave in one machine. You can even buy the higher-power 10W laser attachment, a 4-axis rotary add-on for cutting or engraving round objects, and more!

Snapmaker here

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11. Best Professional FDM – Raise3D Pro3 Plus

• Price: Check price at Matterhackers here
• Build Volume: 300x300x605mm
• Speed: 200-350 mm/s

The Raise3D Pro3 Plus is a reliable, easy-to-operate, and extremely well-built machine to power a small additive manufacturing business, in an architect’s office, or as a rapid prototyping tool in the R&D wing of an automotive, aerospace, or electronics business.

The Raise3D Pro3 Plus offers print speeds up to 350 mm/s at an accuracy of 5 microns, and across a dual extruder setup to jump between filament types and colors. 

This is powered by the Raise3D’s proprietary Hyper FFF® technology, essentially an active vibration cancellation algorithm that absorbs excess jerks and judders at high print speeds to safeguard print quality. 

It also features a fully enclosed chamber to tackle everything from nylon to carbon fiber by way of ABS, TPU, glass fiber, and everything in between.

The Raise3D Pro3 Plus is built around a large 300 x 300 x 605 mm, with a clear emphasis on verticality to take on tall or elongated models and parts.

To round off the features list, the printer has automatic bed leveling, 300°C hotend that are modular and interchangeable, a built-in Eve smart assistant that suggests solutions for common problems and schedules maintenance, in-chamber spool holders, an HD camera for remote monitoring, and a HEPA filter-equipped airflow manager for impactful heat dissipation and air circulation.

It’s more expensive than other printers with similar specs, but you pay for repeatability and reliability.

Raise3D Pro3 Plus 3D Printer

MatterHackers here

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Factors to Consider When Buying a 3D Printer

Resin or FDM?

For accurate minis for D&D, go for a resin 3D printer – they can print with much finer resolutions and smoother surface areas.

But for a simpler setup and generally more relaxed experience (no curing, no chemicals) with stronger prints, go for an FDM printer. Functional prints work better with FDM, and if you’re a D&D fan, you’ll still want an FDM printer for the terrain, even if you’re printing the mini characters themselves with a resin printer.

For FDM, PLA filament is easiest as it doesn’t really warp, doesn’t require a heated bed or enclosure (still use it if you have them), and comes in a wide variety of colors and blends (even conductive or glow-in-the-dark!), and it’s cheap.

ABS is tougher despite being just as cheap, and still comes in a wide range of colors. But, it can warp and crack if you don’t use a heated bed and, ideally, an enclosed chamber. Some consider PETG a happy medium: it’s great for adhesion and super tough – but its stickiness makes it difficult to print overhangs and supports.

For resins, you don’t have the same range of material or color options.

What size models do you want to print?

Don’t waste your money on an enormous 3D printer if you want to print miniatures, but also don’t skimp on a smaller machine if you want to print huge cosplay swords.

Think about what you want to print right now – and what you might want to print in the future. It’s an expensive decision to get wrong. Also, consider the size of your workspace – 3D printers are deceptively big, so make sure it fits.

Also, resin 3D printers typically have smaller build volumes than FDM printers.

What do you want to 3D print generally?

Beyond size, think about exactly what you want to 3D print for your projects. If you’re not as fussed about perfect quality, go for a printer with high top speeds (delta 3D printers are generally better for this, as are coreXY printers) – especially if you’re printing cubes and similar shapes that don’t have details. 

But, if you want high-resolution, pick printers that can handle lower layer heights and take smaller nozzle sizes – or resin printers with the most precise XY resolutions. 

For high-temperature filaments, get an enclosed 3D printer like the Creator Pro 2, or buy an enclosure for your printer. Creality sells their own enclosures, and there are popular DIY projects for the Prusa and other best-selling printers.

If you want to print PC, Nylon, carbon-fiber mixes, and other abrasive blends, you’ll need a printer with a hot end and nozzle to handle these temperatures.

And if you want to print flexible filaments like TPU, opt for a direct drive 3D printer.

Beginner or expert?

While you shouldn’t be discouraged if you’re a beginner, we recommend you pick 3D printers with features such as auto-leveling, WiFi connectivity, filament run-out sensors and print resume functions, and easy-to-use software and touchscreens to save you hassle if you’re newer or less technical.

WiFi connectivity saves you from taking SD cards back and forth from your laptop to your 3D printer for every print, and is generally a nice addition to boost productivity.

Filament run-out sensors and print resume features (in case of a power cut or similar) are fairly ubiquitous now – even most entry-level 3D printers have them. But they can be a lifesaver, especially if you lose power during the latter stages of a 24-hour or longer print of a large prototype or cosplay costume piece.

Cura should have you covered for the slicer, but some 3D printers have more intuitive interfaces than others. Most now have touchscreens (though turnable knobs on printers like the Enders and Prusas are fine), and we particularly liked the Snapmaker’s easy-to-use touchscreen interface and design. 

Go for a trusted brand and model if buying on the cheap side

There are hordes of low-cost 3D printers in the $160-$300 range. Most aren’t that reliable, and we recommend sticking with FDM kits like the Ender 3 range, Anycubic entry-level printers, and Elegoo or Anycubic resin printers.

The last thing you want to do is get burned and left with an expensive brick. Opt for a highly-reputed printer with large communities and active forums.

For more information on picking a 3D printer, this Reddit thread has an excellent breakdown of some other factors.

What’s Changed?

We consistently update our reviews based on our latest hands-on tests of new 3D printers. We wrote the first edition of this article back in 2018 and have maintained it to recommend the best 3D printers in 2024.

Jan 2024 updates:

• Removed the Prusa Mini and MK3S+, Flashforge Creator Pro 2, Anycubic Vyper, Elegoo Saturn S, Ultimaker S3, and Ultimaker S5.
• Either better technology has made these obsolete, or they just haven’t kept up with the pace of innovation, especially with CoreXY advances in FDM print speeds.

Feb 2024 updates:

• I added the Creality K1, AnkerMake M5C, Elegoo Neptune 4 Max, and Anycubic Kobra 2 as our top recommendation in each of their categories.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy:

• Our guide to the best 3D pens
• Our ranking of the best 3D scanners
• Our ranking of the best 3D printers for beginners
• Our ranking of the best SLS 3D printers
• Our ranking of the best FDM 3D printers
• Our ranking of the best resin 3D printers
• 3D printer deals

Quick Overview

Here are the main types of FDM 3D printers, and the main differences between them:

1. Cartesian 3D printers: The most common and reliable type, using X, Y, and Z coordinates to move the print head or bed. Good for print quality and flexible filaments.
2. Delta 3D printers: A faster and taller type, using a circular print bed and a triangular print head that can move in any direction. Good for speed and large parts.
3. CoreXY 3D printers: A much faster version of standard Cartesian builds using belts and pulleys with the two X and Y motors working together.
4. Polar 3D printers: A more efficient and compact type, using a polar coordinate system and a circular print bed that rotates and lifts. Good for saving space and energy.
5. Belt 3D printers: Use a conveyor belt to offer unlimited-length 3D printing.
6. Scara 3D printers: Use a robotic arm that can print in any direction and location, mostly used for complex geometries and industrial projects like concrete house building.

1. Cartesian 3D Printers

Cartesian 3D printers, named after the Cartesian coordinate system they use, are the most common FDM printer type. They operate by moving the print head or bed along the X, Y, and Z axes to deposit the plastic filament.

Usually, the print head moves on the X- and Y-axes, whilst the print head or bed moves up and down on the Z-axis. Some 3D printers move the extruder up and down for each layer, whereas some Cartesian 3D printers have the print bed move up and down instead.

They are simple, reliable and can be easily disassembled and upgraded, leading to a number of excellent 3D printer kits being developed, such as the popular Ender 3 range, as well as kits by Prusa, Anycubic, Sovol, and Elegoo. Prosumer 3D printer companies have also built Cartesian FDM 3D printers, including UltiMaker, Raise3D, Intamsys, Markforged, Voron, Bambu Labs, and many more. 

Notable Printers

• Creality Ender 3
• Anycubic Kobra
• UltiMaker S3
• Raise3D Pro3 Plus
• Prusa MK4

Advantages

• Simplicity and Reliability: Cartesian 3D printers have a straightforward design, making them reliable and easy to use, especially for beginners.
• Wide Availability of Parts and Knowledge: Given their popularity, there is a wealth of knowledge, community support, and readily available parts for Cartesian printers.
• Consistent Print Quality: These printers generally provide consistent print quality across the entire build area due to the uniform movement on the X, Y, and Z axes.
• Versatility in Material Use: Cartesian printers are capable of printing with a wide range of materials, including flexible filaments, due to their stable extruder design.

Disadvantages

• Limited Print Speed: Unless they have a CoreXY system, they’re slower to print than Delta printers, due to the weight of the moving parts, especially on the X and Y axes. When operating at higher speeds, Cartesian printers can also suffer from vibrations due to the heavier print head or bed.
• Larger Footprint: The rectangular or square frame of Cartesian printers can take up more space compared to more compact designs like Polar or Delta printers.
• Potential for Reduced Accuracy Over Time: The belts and linear bearings in Cartesian printers can wear over time, potentially reducing accuracy if not properly maintained.

2. Delta FDM 3D printers

Delta 3D printers have a circular print bed with a 3D printer extruder featuring three fixed triangular points. Each of these three points can move both upwards and downwards within the cylinder print structure, to place the print head where it needs to be to print.

The main reason to use a Delta 3D printer is speed. They can 3D print much faster than most Cartesian printers (except newer CoreXY variants, which we’ll cover further in this article).

The major difference between Delta and Cartesian printers is where they can print compared to where the print bed is. For example, in a Cartesian 3D printer each part can only move in one direction — a certain distance down each axis. However, within a Delta 3D printer, the print head is more flexible and can move in any direction. 

Delta printers are generally slim and tall, making them useful for some architectural prints, and tall figurines. 

However, they can lose accuracy towards the edges of the print area, and Cartesian printers are considered slightly more accurate and stable. Because Delta printers use a bowden extruder, they’re considered worse for printing flexibles like TPU.

Notable Printers:

• Flsun Super Racer
• Flsun V400
• WASP Delta 2040 Pro

Advantages

• Speed: Delta printers are known for their high speed, capable of moving and printing faster than most Cartesian printers.
• Height Advantage: With their tall and slim design, Delta printers can handle taller prints, which is beneficial for specific applications like architectural models or tall figurines. They’re also generally good for handling larger parts for use in prototyping and art installations. 

Disadvantages

• Complex Calibration: Setting up and calibrating a Delta printer can be more complex than with Cartesian printers.
• Accuracy Issues at Edges: While Delta printers are generally accurate, they can lose some precision towards the edges of the print area, which could be a concern for projects requiring uniform precision.
• Flexibility Limitations: The use of a bowden extruder in many Delta printers makes them less ideal for printing with flexible materials like TPU compared to direct drive systems.

3. CoreXY 3D Printers

CoreXY 3D printers use a belt-driven control system to precisely move the print head or build plate along the X and Y axes. They’ve been around since 2012, but only recently came to dominate desktop 3D printing with the releases of Bambu Labs 3D printers, and the Creality K1.

Unlike traditional Cartesian systems where each motor is responsible for moving one axis independently, CoreXY employs two motors working together to control both the X and Y axes simultaneously.

These two motors are mounted at different locations, typically at opposite corners of the 3D printer frame. These motors are connected via a system of belts and pulleys to the moving parts of the printer. The belts allow for precise and synchronized movement, maintaining print quality at faster print speeds.

This YouTube video from Vector 3D demonstrates CoreXY motion using two pieces of paper and a real CoreXY printer:

Notable 3D Printers:

• Creality K1
• Qidi Tech X-Plus 3
• Tronxy X5SA
• Voron 3D printer range

You can read more about these in our guide to the top CoreXY printers available.

Advantages

• High Speeds: CoreXY systems can achieve faster print speeds due to the coordinated movement of two motors, reducing the overall weight of the moving components. Quicker directional changes also lead to smoother printing.
• Precision and Accuracy: The precise control over the print head or build plate that the synchronized movement of motors in CoreXY systems leads to improved print accuracy and quality.

Disadvantages

• Complex Design & Maintenance: The CoreXY system involves a more intricate mechanical setup with belts and pulleys, making the printer design more complex compared to some other motion systems. This can make them more difficult to maintain, with more components that need replacing or adjustment.
• Calibration Challenges: Achieving optimal performance requires precise calibration of the belts and motors, which can be challenging for beginners.
• Cost: CoreXY 3D printers can be more expensive due to the additional hardware and components required for the dual-motor, synchronized movement system.

4. Polar 3D Printers

Polar 3D printers use a polar coordinate system, where the print head moves in a radial and angular direction, rather than the linear motion used in Cartesian systems.

In a polar system, every other point on the print bed is determined by its position compared to the central point in the middle of the print bed. Each point is not a nominal place, but is relative to this central point. Polar 3D printers use circular print beds that rotate and lift up and down.

Polar 3D, a polar 3D printer that debuted at CES a few years back.

Polar 3D printers require just two motors to print, working with just angle and length in calculating print areas, whereas Cartesian and Delta printers typically require 3 motors to power each axis. Because Polar printers are simpler, with fewer moving parts, this can lead to lower maintenance.

Notable Printers

• Polar 3D
• Sculpto PRO2

Advantages

• Compact: The unique L-shaped design of Polar 3D printers offers a compact footprint, making them ideal for limited spaces.
• Fewer Moving Parts: With typically just two motors needed, Polar 3D printers have fewer moving parts compared to Cartesian and Delta printers. This can result in less wear and tear and lower maintenance needs.
• Ideal for Certain Shapes and Designs: The polar coordinate system is especially efficient for certain designs, like circular or radial parts, allowing for smooth and continuous printing without the stop-and-start movements common in other FDM printer types.

Disadvantages

• Limited Build Volume: The circular print bed restricts the build volume to its diameter, which can be a limitation for projects requiring larger, square printing areas.
• Varying Print Speed and Quality: The print quality can vary at different points on the print bed due to changes in the extruder’s speed, potentially affecting the consistency of prints.

5. Belt 3D Printers

Belt 3D printers, also known as continuous or infinite 3D printers, use a conveyor belt or continuous motion system instead of having a static build platform. 

They use a moving belt to continuously feed the printed object away from the print head. This allows for the printing of objects with unlimited lengths, or the continuous production of multiple objects. 

Belt 3D printers print at an angle, allowing you to print overhangs greater than 45°, which traditional FDM printers are limited to. This is because the belt keeps moving during printing while the print head is angled at 45°, allowing it to add steep layers diagonally. However, these overhangs have to be in the direction of the Y-axis. 

Notable 3D Printers:

• Creality CR-30 3DPrintMill
• PowerBelt3D

For a full list of these belt printers, I recommend reading our full round-up of the top belt 3D printers.

Advantages:

• Continuous Printing: Belt 3D printers enable continuous printing of objects with unlimited lengths, at least in theory. They have a detachable bracket that extends outside the build, preventing a long print from falling off the printer during printing. This makes them suitable for creating long objects such as swords for cosplays. 
• Batch Printing: The continuous motion system allows for the simultaneous printing of multiple objects on the same belt, without needing to keep removing prints from the print bed to start the next project.
• Reduced Need for Supports: Objects with overhangs and complex geometries may benefit, reducing the need for supports compared to traditional FDM printing.

Disadvantages:

• Limited Z-Axis Resolution: Belt 3D printers aren’t ideal for high prints on the Z-axis, but this can be overcome by printing the object on its side to take advantage of the unlimited-length printing.
• Material Compatibility: The belt material affects compatible filaments you can print with, as not all filaments will adhere to the belt material.
• Complex Mechanics: The more complex continuous motion system makes these printers more challenging to build and maintain, and the slicers are different.

6. SCARA / Robotic Arm 3D Printer

SCARA 3D printers (Selective Compliance Assembly Robotic Arm) use a robotic arm to 3D print. 

Most Scara 3D printer applications are in the 3D printing of houses and other industrial projects. This is because for printing huge structures, like houses, you need to be able to move the house 3D printer to the location. 

Cartesian and delta 3D printers have structures around them, making them more difficult to transport, robotic arm printers are not fixed to a print plate, and therefore are more versatile and mobile. This also makes it easier to print geometrically complex parts with Scara printers, as they move in the most similar way to human hands.

Notable 3D Printers:

• RepRap Morgan
• Dobot 3D printer
• Most construction house-building 3D printers, such as those by Apis Cor

Advantages

• High Precision and Flexibility: SCARA robotic arms offer a greater range of motion compared to traditional 3D printers, making them ideal for complex geometries and intricate designs.
• Efficient for Large-Scale Projects: These printers excel in large-scale projects, such as building components or large sculptures. Their mobility and ability to print at various angles make them suitable for projects that are beyond the capability of stationary printers.
• Can Use in Different Print Environments: SCARA printers can operate in various environments and on different scales, from small, detailed items to large construction projects.

Disadvantages

• High Cost: SCARA 3D printers are generally more expensive than other types of FDM printers.
• Complex Operation and Maintenance: Operating and maintaining a robotic arm printer requires significant technical expertise. These printers often require more space due to their size and the range of motion of the robotic arm.
• Limited to Specific Applications: While excellent for certain tasks, SCARA printers are not as versatile for general 3D printing needs.

If you’re still not completely sure, we have a bunch of other great guides and rankings to help you choose, including:

• Every different type of 3D printer
• Best FDM 3D printer
• Best dual extruder 3D printer
• Our favorite 3D printers overall.
• The best online 3D printing services

3DSourced is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

So, to save you time researching and comparing between sites, we’ve categorized every brand and store’s best 3D printer discounts, including for filament and resin, and we keep this updated whenever new 3D printers go on sale.

3D Printer Deals & Discounts

Amazon

Creality Ender 3

• Price: $232 Now $169
• Available on Amazon here

This popular model, known for its reliable performance, is now available at a reduced price. Its 220x220x250mm build volume is ideal for a range of projects.

Flashforge Adventurer

• Price: $499 Now $399
• Available on Amazon here

A compact and user-friendly printer with high-speed printing capabilities. A great choice for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Elegoo Neptune 4 Plus

• Price: $419 Now $349
• Available on Amazon here

Features advanced leveling and an extruder capable of handling high-temperature printing. Ideal for more advanced 3D printing projects.

Creality

Ender 5 S1

• Price: $529 Now $335
• Available at Creality here

Creality’s Ender 5 S1 stands out with its precision and stability. A solid choice for both hobbyists and professionals.

UW-02 Washing & Curing Machine

A perfect companion for resin 3D printers, this machine streamlines the post-processing of prints.

Anycubic

Photon Mono M5S Pro

• Price: $579 Now $459
• Available at Anycubic here

An advanced resin 3D printer offering high-resolution prints at impressive speeds

Anycubic Kobra Max

• Price: $569 Now $379
• Available at Anycubic here

Ideal for larger projects, this printer offers a generous build volume and ease of use.

MatterHackers

Ankermake M5 3D Printer

• Price: $699 Now $599
• Available at MatterHackers here

A high-performance printer known for its speed and reliability.

Creality K1 Max

• Price: $967 Now $764
• Available at MatterHackers here

A large, high-speed 3D printer, perfect for ambitious printing projects.

MakerBot Method X

• Price: $5499 Now $4124
• Available at MatterHackers here

A professional-grade printer suitable for complex and precise prints.

Phrozen

Sonic Mighty 4K

• Price: $499 Now $399
• Available at Phrozen here

Offers high resolution in a user-friendly package, ideal for detailed projects.

Flashforge

Adventurer 4

• Price: $799 Now $499
• Available at Flashforge here

A faster, more advanced version of the popular Adventurer series.

Sovol

Large Filament Dryer Box

• Price: $59.99 Now $45.99
• Available at Sovol here

An essential accessory for maintaining filament quality and preventing printing issues.

How to Choose The Best 3D Printer For Sale

What is your skill level: are you a beginner to 3D printers, or an experienced maker?

Depending on how comfortable you feel with 3D printing, you may opt for a more beginner-friendly 3D printer, such as an enclosed FDM printer like the Monoprice Voxel or Flashforge Adventurer series. 

But, if you’re experienced and capable of tweaking and tailoring 3D slicer settings for voxel-perfect prints, then you might want to max out print quality with a resin 3D printer such as those by Anycubic or Elegoo – or even a professional Formlabs printer.

If you’re a beginner and want an easy start, go for a 3D printer with auto-leveling – it’ll save you loads of hassle. They cost a bit extra, but you won’t have to manually level a 3D printer you don’t fully understand yet, and over time you’ll be glad you paid the extra $30 over the best cheap 3D printer deals for a lower-quality printer.

Trust popular 3D printers for hobbyist printing

We’re lucky to have tested over a dozen 3D printers by brands big and small, and know which to go for (check out our best 3D printer article for more details!). But if you’re new, generally the best low-cost 3D printers on sale rise to the top of the best-seller lists, and word-of-mouth travels fast online via YouTube, Reddit and platforms such as ours – usually the best rise to the top.

So if you see printers such as the Creality Ender 3, or an Anycubic printer, topping best-selling lists, it’s because they’re some of the best 3D printer deals around. We recommend Creality Ender models, Anycubic FDM and resin models, Elegoo resin printers, and a few others as the top low-cost options, but you can read our full review in our cheap 3D printer ranking.

Do your research

We’ve published a large number of 3D printer reviews to try and get the key info you need to pick the best 3D printer for sale for you. Especially if you’re dropping over $300, the last thing you want to do is spend all your money and be left with buyer’s regret.

Check out our reviews, as well as other experienced makers’ thoughts online, in the forums, on YouTube, to help decide which is best for your particular main use. For example, if you want to make high-quality figurines and characters, go for a high-quality resin 3D printer like the Anycubic Mono range or Elegoo range.

Factor in all the other costs involved in 3D printing

Unfortunately, 3D printers don’t just run on air and good vibes. Filament, while actually very cheap relative to what you can make (and sell prints for), starts at $20/kg minimum. Tougher filaments will break down softer brass nozzles quickly, and you may want to upgrade your build surface, hot end, or clog your nozzles. 

The same goes for resin 3D printing: FEP films need replacing, as well as vats and other parts.

Most sellers readily sell these parts, so you don’t need to worry about being able to source them, but they’ll add to the ongoing total cost of your 3D printer. Electricity is cheap, but replacing a hot end isn’t.

• For more info: How much does a 3D printer cost to buy and maintain?

Think about your 3D printing goals

If you want to make detailed characters or figurines, go resin. If you want to print tough functional parts that can survive wear-and-tear, go FDM and pick a tougher filament. 

Only you know what you want to get out of 3D printing, and planning ahead for what best suits you will save you regretting one purchase rather than another. 

At the same time, think about what specs and power you need to achieve those goals. While it’s tempting to save $100 upfront, if your ambitions heighten and you can’t reach the extruder temperatures you want to print Polycarbonate, for example, you may be left frustrated.

Other articles you may be interested in:

• Best Black Friday 3D printer deals
• Best resin 3D printers
• Best auto-leveling 3D printers
• Best places to buy 3D printers

1. In 1984, Bill Masters patented the first 3D printer. 
2. 3D printing is one of the most disruptive technologies and is estimated to lead the 4th industrial revolution. [4]
3. The global 3D printing market size was valued at USD 16.75 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.3% from 2023 to 2030. [6]
4. Modern 3D printers cost between $200 and $10,000 depending on the quality and requirements. [8]

Stats About the History of 3D Printing

For its relatively short history, 3D printing has garnered some impressive feats. It seemed almost immediately in its young life it began revolutionizing the medical field, with prosthetics and organ transplants receiving the brunt of the attention. 

But it wasn’t until 2009 that it started transforming into the consumer product we see today.

5. In 1974, David Jones published the first 3D printing concept. [7]
6. Dr. Hideo Kodama developed the first 3D printing experiments in the 1980s. It used a photosensitive resin that was polymerized by a UV light. [1]
7. The first bladder was successfully printed in 1999. 
8. The first kidney was printed in 2022. 
9.  ZCorp launched the Spectrum Z510 in 2005, which was the first high-definition color 3D printer. [1]
10. The first 3D-printed prosthetic limb was created in 2008. [1]
11. The FDM patent landed in the public domain in 2009, leading to an innovative wave of 3D printers and increased access to desktop 3D printers. This sparked the consumer 3D market. [1]
12. In the 2010s, manufacturers started to create metal end-use parts with 3D printing. [7]
13. In 2014, Manos M. Tentzeris and Benjamin S. Cook created a method to use 3D printing to make complex electronics. [7]

3D Printing Use Cases & Users

Who is using 3D printing and how are they using it? Companies (and now everyday people) for endless reasons. Let’s break it down. 

14. Desktop 3D printers are increasingly used for domestic and household purposes [6]
15. Healthcare’s 3D printing market size was valued at $1,036.58 million in 2020 and is predicted to reach $5,846.74 million by 2030 at a registered CAGR of 20.10%.  [13]
16. Schools, universities, and educational institutes are also leveraging desktop 3D printers for training and research. 
17. The 3D-printed prosthetics, orthotics, and audiology market will gain $509 million in revenue by 2026 and grow to $996 million by 2030. [14]
18. Adidas has developed 3D-printed midsoles for its new 4DFWD shoes. [12]

14. Small businesses are beginning to offer 3D printing services to meet customer needs. 
15. Prototyping was the most common 3D printing application in 2022, accounting for over 54% of global revenue. [6]
16. Accounting for 23% of global revenue share in 2022, the automotive segment led the market in 2022. 
17. With over 33% of revenue share, North America led the market in 2022. 

Hardware Industry Facts & Stats

Hardware is the biggest sector of the 3D printing market. It includes applications (prototyping and functional parts), vertices (specific industries), and materials used for printing. Here’s what you need to know: 

Compared to other industries – like the drone industry– 3D printing boasts relatively high CAGR percentages and has expected revenue operating in the billions over the next few years.

23. Prototyping is the top hardware application market segment, capturing over 55% of revenue worldwide in 2020. 
24. The functional parts segment of the application market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.5% from 2021 to 2028, along with an increased demand for designing and building functional parts. [6]
25. The automotive vertical holds the largest share of the industrial 3D printing market accounting for over 23% of the segment’s global revenue. [6]

3D Printing Cost & ROI

Let’s face it, a 3D printer and materials are going to cost a bit more than your standard inkjet and paper. But you may be surprised by how much money this technology can save companies as well. 

26. Entry-level printers for beginners can cost between $400 and $1000. [8]
27. $10,000 is the standard cost for an industrial printer. [8]
28. By using 3D printing for titanium parts, Boeing saved $3 million. [7] 
29. General Electric predicts they will save up to $5 million over the next decade by changing to 3D printing for manufacturing.  [7]
30. In less than 4 months, The Center for Advanced Design achieved an ROI on a Stratasys F370 3D printer. [9]

3D Printing Materials

Early 3D printers used only plastics, but now they can use many different materials, expanding their capabilities. 

31. In 2022, metal was the largest material segment for 3D printing, accounting for 52% of global revenue. [6]
32. The fastest-growing materials in 3D printing are metals and metal alloys. This segment is expected to grow by over 28.2% between now and 2030.  [6]
33. Polymer had the second-largest share of revenue in 2022. [6]
34. Ceramic is a newer material segment, but it’s expected to grow rapidly at a high CAGR of over 25% over the forecast period. [6] 
35. Discrete manufacturing is the top industry for 3D printing. [3]

Technology and Software

Moving forward, streamlining user-friendliness and ready-made part designs will be paramount to the growth of 3D printing software. 

36. Stereolithography (one of the oldest printing techniques) was the largest segment in the market, capturing over 10% of global revenue in 2022. [6]
37. The design software segment accounted for 36.7% of global revenue, making it the largest software segment. [6]
38. Scanning software demand is predicted to grow due to a demand to store scanned images of objects to use when needed. 
39. Between 2023 and 2030, scanning software is expected to have the highest CAGR of 24%. [6] 
40. Hardware is predicted to continue holding the largest revenue share, but software is expected to have the fastest CAGR over the next several years. [6]
41. The market for on-demand parts services and CAD software is expected to triple by 2026. [4]

3D Printing Devices

Who’s making 3D printers? HP and GE have the most additive printing patents, but here’s what you need to know:

42. By 2030, there are expected to be 2.8 million additive manufacturing and 3D printing devices worldwide. 
43. In 2022, GE had the most 3D printing patents in the United States. [5]
44. The top 5 leading 3D printing companies are AutoDesk, HP Inc., 3D Systems, Desktop Metal, and Proto Labs.
45. The world’s largest 3D printer manufacturer is AutoDesk, with a market capitalization of $68.22 billion. [10]
46. After going public in December 2020, Desktop Metal’s market capitalization exceeded $7.5 billion in 2021, and received $575 million as part of a merger with special acquisitions company Trine Acquisition Corp.

3D Market Size & Growth 

3D printing has already made its mark, and the future looks bright. Here’s a breakdown of the market:

47. Between 2018 and 2026, the market for 3D printing materials is expected to grow by 12 percent annually to reach just under four billion U.S. dollars by 2026. [3]
48. The 3D printing market is expected to grow by nearly 24% between 2020 and 2026. [4]
49. By 2026, the global 3D printing market is expected to reach $37.2 billion dollars. [4]
50. Hardware (including applications, materials, and vertices) is the leads global 3D printing market share. [6]
51. In 2022, the industrial printer segment led the market, accounting for over 76% of global revenue because of the adoption of industrial 3D printers in the electronics, healthcare, automotive, and aerospace industries. [6]

Market Outlook for 3D Printing

According to Forbes, the future of 3D printing lies heavily in prototyping for both desktop and industrial printers. 

It seems 3D printers are on the last stretch of the home run as the industry works towards developing this technology to satisfy diverse needs. 

52. Over the next decade, we expect the majority of manufacturing spending to shift to functional end-use parts as the technology becomes more affordable and widely adopted.  [15]
53. We expect to see additive manufacturing playing a bigger role in sustainability and conservation efforts as 3D printing has proven to reduce waste and energy consumption. [16]
54. 3D printing will adopt the use of more specialized materials to meet the criteria in specialized fields. [16]
55. The next frontier of 3D printing will be to move from small models and fixtures to functional end-use parts in mass production.  [6]

Since the beginning, additive manufacturing has pushed the limits on creativity and production, and now it promises to do the same on a larger scale.

For 3D printing to achieve the monumental tasks ahead, speed and design capabilities need to be at the forefront of manufacturers’ goals to accommodate the growing need for this technology.

Sources:

[1] https://www.sculpteo.com/en/3d-learning-hub/basics-of-3d-printing/the-history-of-3d-printing/ 

[2] https://cloudtweaks.com/2015/03/3d-printing-history-organs/ 

[3] https://www.statista.com/statistics/590113/worldwide-market-for-3d-printing/

[4] https://www.statista.com/topics/1969/additive-manufacturing-and-3d-printing/#topicOverview 

[5] https://www.statista.com/statistics/315386/global-market-for-3d-printers/ 

[6] https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/3d-printing-industry-analysis 

[7] https://facts.net/3d-printing-facts/

[8] https://www.3dsourced.com/3d-printers/how-much-does-a-3d-printer-cost-price/#h-3d-printer-price-guide 

[9]https://www.stratasys.com/contentassets/1bcbb899100b4f0db586d1daa9489f27/stratasys-case-study-cad-oct19.pdf?v=48fa53 

[10] https://investingnews.com/daily/tech-investing/emerging-tech-investing/top-3d-printing-companies/ 

[11] https://wohlersassociates.com/press-releases/new-wohlers-report-2021-finds-7-5-growth-in-additive/ 

[12] https://news.adidas.com/running/4dfwd–data-driven-3d-printed-performance-technology-designed-to-move-you-forward/s/514baddb-1029-4686-abd5-5ee3985a304a 

[13] https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/3d-printing-healthcare-market 

[14] https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2021/07/06/2258303/0/en/Revenues-from-3D-Printed-Prosthetics-Orthotics-and-Audiology-to-Reach-Almost-1-Billion-by-2030-According-to-New-SmarTech-Report.html 

[15] https://www.designnews.com/automation/predictions-future-3d-printing 

[16] https://www.jabil.com/blog/future-of-3d-printing-additive-manufacturing-looks-bright.html

The answer is not really. While every 3D printer produces fumes that aren’t good for your lungs and body, the amount of these air-born contaminants is far too low to harm you most of the time.

However, you shouldn’t leave your health up to chance, so it’s still a good idea to ventilate your 3D printer. Ventilating a 3D printer involves enclosing it and adding an air vent, air filter, or air purifier to ensure none of the fumes end up in your lungs.

Of course, you can ventilate your 3D printer in a few ways, from using a HEPA filter to installing a vent tube to a window. In this article, we’ll go over all of the best ways you can ventilate your enclosed 3D printer, along with a ton of other information concerning the safety of 3D printing.

What Type of Fumes Does a 3D Printer Emit?

The majority of the “fumes” that a 3D printer emits fall into either:

1. Ultrafine particles
2. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

1. Ultrafine Particles

Ultrafine particles are tiny physical particles that float around in the air after being released as a byproduct of the 3D printer melting filament material or curing resin. Typical 3D printer ultrafine particles are smaller than 0.1 microns – for reference, a single spot of dust is 25 microns.

Despite their small size, ultrafine particles can be very dangerous, and can cause irritation and inflammation in your lungs, as well as other health problems.

2. VOCs

Volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs, are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure, and can easily turn into a gas or vapor to turn airborne. VOCs are what can make 3D printers smell and, if you noticed actual fumes coming from your 3D printer, it probably was a collection of VOCs in the air.

Just like ultrafine particles, VOCs are tiny, and are typically released when your 3D printer heats filament (or resin). When the nozzle melts the plastic, it releases various gases (VOCs in airborne form).

Examples of the specific VOCs released into the air from a 3D printer include benzene, acrolein, formaldehyde, and many others.

It is important to recognize that these VOCs can cause health issues. Long-term exposure to high levels of VOCs can cause headaches, dizziness, and irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat.

It’s also worth noting that different 3D printing technologies and materials have varying levels of VOC emissions. For example, FDM 3D printing tends to emit more VOCs than resin 3D printing. PLA also releases fewer VOCs than ABS, mostly because ABS requires higher print temperatures.

With all of this in mind, it’s important that you properly ventilate your 3D printer and avoid the risks, even if they are small.

Risks and Effects from Poorly Ventilated 3D Printer

So what happens if you don’t ventilate your 3D printer and you simply inhale all of the fumes it produces? 

Realistically, nothing.

If you’re a healthy human with a functional respiratory system, then it’s very unlikely that occasionally inhaling low levels of toxic fumes from a 3D printer will cause any long-term health problems. For most people, the worst thing that can happen from not ventilating their 3D printer is a headache every now and then.

However, researchers from the EPA and the Georgia Institute of Technology have found that 3D printers can produce some more dangerous airborne contaminants that have been linked to severe, long-term health problems, like organ damage and lung cancer.

As such, it’s better to be safe than sorry, and take the time to properly ventilate your 3D printer. 

How to Properly Ventilate Your 3D Printer

To ensure that your 3D printer is properly ventilated, first, make sure the machine is in an enclosure. Then, consider adding an air vent or an air filter to the enclosure so that any fumes from the machine are moved outside or absorbed properly.

Here’s my six recommendations more detail:

1. Use an enclosure

Firstly, you should make sure you have an enclosure for your 3D printer.

An enclosure encompasses your 3D printer, helping to trap heat around the build area, while also preventing air drafts from ruining your prints. Enclosures enable you to print high-temperature filament materials, like ABS and ASA, while also improving the overall quality of your prints (regardless of material).

On top of the printing benefits, enclosures also help prevent harmful fumes from entering your lungs. While enclosures don’t rid an area of airborne contaminants, it traps them in a contained space so they don’t travel to every nook and cranny of your house or workspace.

There are many great options for 3D printer enclosures, including both DIY projects and purchasable products. We have an in-depth article all about the best 3D printer enclosures which I recommend reading, as well as our article on the best enclosed 3D printers.

2. Add a vent to the enclosure

Once you have an enclosure, I strongly recommend adding a 3D printer vent to the inside of the chamber. One side of the vent should be connected to the inside of your (sealed) 3D printer enclosure, while the other side should connect either to a purification system or an outdoor window.

By making a DIY 3D printer ventilation system, you’re allowing the air inside the enclosure to flow out, so there will be a constant circulation of fresh, uncontaminated air. Adding a low-power fan to the vent is also a good idea, so you can circulate the air after every print.

3. Place your printer in a well-ventilated room

Of course, even the best 3D printer enclosure might still leak some fumes. Placing your printer (and its enclosure) in a well-ventilated room ensures that any leftover fumes are cleared out quickly, reducing the amount of contaminants that enter your lungs.

So how can you achieve proper ventilation in a room? Well, the easiest way is simply to turn on the air conditioning and leave the door open.

However, to be even safer, you can purchase a standalone air purifier device and leave it running in whatever room you’ve placed your printer. I’ll recommend some air purifiers later in this article.

4. Use an air filter

Air filters are stationary sponge-like devices, made up of layers of special fibers that absorb airborne contaminants so you don’t breathe them in.

There are a handful of different types of air filters, but for 3D printers, the two best types are HEPA filters and activated carbon filters. HEPA filters are great at removing ultrafine particles from the air, while carbon-activated filters work their magic on VOCs.

It’s important to note that, while using only one type of filter will still help, the best way to reduce health risks is to use both HEPA and carbon-activated filters.

As for where to put them, anywhere inside your 3D printer’s enclosure is a good spot. Just make sure it doesn’t interfere with the machine’s moving parts!

5. Use materials that produce less fumes

Another thing you can do to limit your 3D printer’s toxic emissions is to select your filament material (or resin material) wisely, as different filaments emit different levels of fumes.

For example, PLA plastic emits significantly lower levels of toxic fumes when melted than ABS, hence the noticeable smell when printing ABS filament. For more information, you can read our guide to the best PLA filaments.

6. Use protective equipment

Lastly, if you’re really adamant about avoiding inhaling toxic fumes, then you can also use protective equipment, such as a filtered air mask. Of course, you could use a disposable COVID mask, but a reusable mask, equipped with air filters, is a better option. You can find one of these types of masks at basically any hardware store or online.

Compared to the other solutions listed, using personal protective equipment is a bit of a hassle. But, if you get headaches around your 3D printer, this can help a lot.

Use These Air Purifiers To Prevent Toxic 3D Printer Fumes

Air purifiers, not to be confused with an air filter, actively purify the air in a room. Air purifiers are a good way to ensure that, even if some toxic fumes leak out of your printer’s enclosure, you can still safely live and breathe in whatever room you’ve placed your printer.

Here’s two I recommend:

Levoit LV-H133 Air Purifier

Levoit’s LV-H133 Air Purifier is a household air purifier perfect for removing your 3D printer’s emissions from the air.

Equipped with a built-in HEPA filter, the LV-H133 will remove any ultrafine particles from the air. There are two other filters inside the purifier, including an activated carbon filter (for the VOCs) and a nylon filter for any other contaminants.

While the Levoit LV-H133 is a bit pricy, costing just over $200, it’s super reliable and fast. Levoit claims the LV-H133 clears out ~99.7% of the contaminants in the air within 30 minutes.

So, if you’re committed to ensuring that no one in your household is breathing in bad air, I strongly recommend the Levoit LV-H133. Its three filters are more than capable of handling the emissions from multiple 3D printers, and it’s super fast.

Blueair’s Blue Pure 211+

The Blue Pure 211+ is another terrific air purifier that’s more than capable of handling a 3D printer’s emissions. It’s a bit more expensive than the Levoit LV-H133, but it has some additional features that make the higher price tag worth it.

It’s very quiet, with a maximum noise level of just 35 dB, so it will be like a faint whisper even when it’s working its hardest.

On another note, the Blue Pure 211+ has multiple filters built-in. On top of its special HEPA filter which removes ultrafine particles from the air, the Blue Pure 211+ has pre-filters that can handle VOCs and pollen.

So, if you want the purest, cleanest air in your 3D printer workspace, check out Blueair’s Blue Pure 211+.

FAQs:

Key Takeaways

• Cost Comparison: 3D printing miniatures is cheaper than buying them, saving up to $14.80 per mini.
• Quality Comparison: Resin printers produce high-detail and precision minis, while FDM printers are better for terrain and props.
• Break-even Point: Depending on the printer and the mini, you can start saving money after printing 15 to 488 minis.
• Optional Extras: You may need to consider the cost of cleaning and curing stations, primer, paint, and other supplies.

Nowadays, even $200 3D printers produce quality miniatures, an intriguing proposition for tabletop gamers and D&D fans wanting to expand their collection from the comfort of their own homes. 

But does 3D printing miniatures work out cheaper than buying them at retail?

In this article, I’ll cover the exact cost to 3D print a miniature, factoring in the price of the printer, filament or resin, and electricity to determine an average cost per model.

Then, use our calculator further down in this article to calculate how many minis you’d need to 3D print to make back the investment in a 3D printer based on the number of minis you plan to 3D print.

Then, you’ll know exactly whether 3D printing minis is cheaper for you, or whether you’re better off just buying minis at retail price.

Our findings present exact figures and cost comparisons – for those wondering whether it’s worth buying a 3D printing, FDM or resin, to print miniatures.

And if you’re looking to buy a 3D printer to print minis, we have thoroughly evaluated all of the top picks in our guide to buying a 3D printer for D&D/Warhammer miniatures and terrain.

Is It Cheaper To 3D Print Miniatures?

Yes, it is cheaper to 3D print a model of a miniature than to pay the retail price in a store.

An officially licensed, unpainted, and unassembled Warhammer, D&D, or other popular franchise mini generally costs $10 to $15. 3D printing an equivalent miniature can cost as little as $0.20.

That’s almost 100x cheaper than buying them.

You can buy off-brand bulk packs of miniatures for as low as $40 for around 70 pieces, which works out to around $0.60 per mini, but printing them yourself still comes out cheaper.

These off-brand bulk packs also tend to contain low-quality models with fewer details than if you were to 3D print them yourself at home. So you can actually improve quality by 3D printing them.

How Much Does it Cost To 3D Print a Miniature?

The average cost to 3D print a 28mm miniature is around $0.20 with FDM, and around $0.27 with resin.

We created this calculation estimate based on the cost of resin or filament, electricity cost, and factoring in a small extra charge to account for any failed prints.

Several factors can affect the cost of 3D printing minis – the size of the mini, the cost of resin/filament, the cost of electricity, and wasted resin/filament from inevitable failed prints. 

This cost estimate is based on an average-sized 28 mm mini, using mid-range filament or resin and typical 3D printing kWH electricity costs.

Here’s how the cost to 3D print a miniature breaks down first for an FDM printer and second for a resin printer:

Resin miniature 3D printing cost:

FDM miniature cost:

We have also written a more in-depth article explaining the differences and benefits of resin vs FDM in 3D printing miniatures.

Optional Extra Costs

Beyond this, there are also optional extras that add to the overall cost of 3D printing minis. 

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Clean and curing station (for example, Elegoo Mercury X): $170
• Isopropyl alcohol 1 liter bottle: $10
• Pack of Nitrile Gloves: $5-$10
• Resin Funnel Kit: $6-$7
• Miniature starter paint kit with an assortment of colors: $25-$30
• Primer 60ml: $8-$10

A wash and cure machine saves time, though you can do this by hand with Isopropyl alcohol and natural sunlight for cheap. Also add the cost of primer and paint.

Remember: FDM 3D printing only requires the 3D printer, filament, and possibly a few tools, most of which are bundled with the printer.

The mileage you get out of paint and primer depends on many factors, so it’s difficult to provide a per mini cost. Though, since most purchased miniatures ship unpainted, you’d have to spend this regardless.

So, is 3D Printing Miniatures Worth it?

3D printing miniatures is indeed worth it for the cost saving compared to buying miniatures. The per mini cost is between $0.20 to $0.27, which compared with $15 store-bought minis, only takes 15 printed miniatures to earn back the price of a $210 desktop resin printer.

Even 3D printing a 95 mm (or 3.75’’) figurine only costs around $0.70 with an FDM printer, while a resin printer pushes costs up to a slightly higher $0.90 per figurine.

For a more precise answer for whether it’s worth it for you, I’ve built you a calculator to work out your exact payback period.

Just put in your resin 3D printer cost, the approximate cost of resin, and how much the equivalent minis would be to purchase, and it’ll tell you exactly how many minis you’d need to 3D print to break even on the printer purchase price:

There are additional costs involved in processing printed miniatures such as cleaning and curing, but over the long run the savings speak for themself.

The elephant is the room is, of course, the initial cost of the printer itself. An entry-level resin or FDM printer costs $200 to $300.

Miniature 3D Print Savings on a Resin 3D Printer

Let’s calculate the payback period for a resin printer, like the budget-conscious Elegoo Mars 3, priced at $210. 

Based on an estimated $0.27 to print each miniature, it would take this many miniatures to break even on the $210 purchase price:

• $15 official licensed mini price: 15 miniatures to break even
• $0.60 bulk-buy non-branded mini price: 488 minis to break even

So, yes, it’s definitely worth buying a resin 3D printer if you plan to print more than 15 miniatures and typically pay the high branded price. I recommend reading our guide to the best resin 3D printers for our latest recommendations.

Another benefit of printing minis with resin printers is the high-detail, precision results, which are close to the quality you get with injection-modeled official miniatures.

A 1L bottle of resin can print around 250 28mm miniatures, so you won’t run out any time soon.

Miniature 3D Print Savings on an FDM 3D Printer

Let’s run the same test on an FDM printer.

If you buy for example a $210 Anycubic Kobra 2, you can print a miniature for $0.20 a 28 mm piece, factoring in filament, electricity, and other variables. 

That means a saving of $14.80 per miniature, so once you print your 15th miniature, you are already saving money.

These numbers can vary, especially if you’re used to buying bulk, non-official miniatures, which can cost as little as $0.60. In that case, you’ll start saving after you’ve produced 488 miniatures.

For more information on getting the best quality miniatures with an FDM printer, I recommend you read my in-depth guide to 3D printing miniatures with an FDM 3D printer.

But…Are 3D Printed Miniatures Good Quality?

When talking about the quality of 3D printed miniatures, we have to draw a clear line between FDM and resin printers.

Resin printed miniatures have better details, better overall finish, and better quality features. Especially on the latest 8K and 12K printers like the Mars 4 range and Anycubic Photon M5 range.

Resin miniatures are competitive with injection molded official miniatures. You’d need a magnifying glass to a mini to notice any real difference between the two.

As for FDM printers, there’s a drop in overall quality and precision compared to store-bought pieces. FDM printed miniatures may not suit you if you want the best quality results. 

That said, if you’re just looking to pump out batches of minis on the cheap for your weekly tabletop session, or want to give a starter set of minis to a younger sibling, the quality is decent, especially with low layer heights and lower print speeds.

However, remember: FDM printers are better than resin printers for 3D printing terrain for your miniatures and Warhammer models. The large build volumes allow you to create large backdrops, props, and such than on resin printers.

If you liked this, here’s some more miniatures articles you’ll enjoy:

• The best 3D printers for miniatures
• Best Resins for Miniatures
• FDM vs Resin printers for miniature 3D printing
• How to Design and 3D Print Miniatures
• Can you sell 3D printed miniatures legally? We investigated
• Is 3D printing miniatures cheaper than buying? We calculated every detail
• The best resin 3D printers for all prices
• Best Large Resin 3D Printers For All Budgets
• Ranking The Strongest 3D Printer Resins