In the past few years, 3D printers have transitioned from mostly home-built contraptions that produce prints of dubious quality to much more sophisticated devices.
While some knowledge is still needed to get the most out of them, many printers are designed to print out of the box and don’t require constant repair or tinkering to produce consistent output.
The two basic types are those that use plastic filament in a process called FDM or Fused Deposition Modeling, and resin printers that use photosensitive resin polymers to form solid shapes in vats of uncured resin.
In this buying guide, we’ve corralled eight of the best printers, four of each filament and resin type, that deliver the best experience for those wishing to enter the world of 3D printing. We’ve included low-budget machines perfect for true beginners, more sophisticated designs aimed at artists and cosplayers, and some options suitable for print-farm deployment.
Bambu Lab P1S
Creality Ender 2 Pro
Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro
Anycubic Kobra Max
Elegoo Saturn 3
Anycubic Photon Mono 2
Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K
Anycublic Photon D2
Best filament 3D printers
Fast and flexible
A derivative of the original Bambu Labs X1 Carbon, the P1S delivers the same high-quality construction and rapid print process but at a lower cost. As an enclosed design, this machine can print all filament types, including high temperature, and is compatible with the Bambu AMS to allow for multi-color or multi-filament type printing.
When Bambu Lab first entered the market with its X1 and X1 Carbon, the 3D printing community was immediately impressed with the printing speed and output quality but less enamored by the price.
Bambu Lab responded with the cut-down P1P and now with the more sophisticated P1S. The P1S retains almost all the print functionality and speed of the X1 series, is fully enclosed, comes with a camera as standard and can connect to the multi-material AMS. What it lacks is a LIDAR filament analyzer, a 1080p camera, and a large color display. However, it can produce prints of the same quality at a cost that is nearly half that of an X1.
The core-XY architecture of the P1S allows for very rapid printing, and onboard sensors allow the printer to compensate for the high accelerations required to achieve these speeds. The enclosed print chamber can be thermally controlled, enabling the printing of materials like polycarbonate, ABS and ASA, making the P1S a workhorse for those generating durable components for resale.
Overall, the P1S and its other Bambu Lab brothers have been highly disruptive products that have moved the story of 3D printers from where Creality and others took it with their cheap bed-slingers like the Ender 3.
It might cost more than conventional designs, but this is the pinnacle of off-the-shelf filament printing for home users.
Small but effective
A small but highly effective filament printer from the same company that created the Ender 3. The Ender 2 is a simple-to-operate design with extruded aluminum construction and has a print area of just 165 x 165 x 180 mm. The small print area allows it to print at up to 100mm/s, and it’s more than adequate for printing using PLA and TPU. It’s a great starter printer for someone trying 3D printing for the first time.
After some minor assembly involving a couple of screws and fully labeled push-in cables, the Creality Ender 2 Pro is ready to be used almost out of the box. Creality created an unsophisticated bed-slinger using a single cantilevered gantry to support the print head and move left to right, with the bed sliding front to back. It’s a simple but effective structure.
The print bed is a magnetic flexible sheet that makes removing prints easy, and the hot end is much the same hardware as the CR-10 and Ender 3 used, enabling cheap parts and replacements should you need them. Its core operating system is Marlin enabling it to be used with almost any slicer, like Cura, Prusa Slicer or Slice3D. Creality also provides its own branded version of Cura with profiles created specifically for the Ender 2 Pro.
The limitations of this design mostly revolve around the size of the print volume, which is 165 x 165 x 180mm, making it one of the smallest FDM printers. There is no automated bed leveling, and without an enclosure or a direct drive extruder, it limits the materials it can print. However, it does have power recovery and thermal runaway protection, at least.
But if you make smaller items and want a simple-to-run-and-maintain device mostly for PLA printing, the Creality Ender 2 Pro is an excellent choice for first printer.
Good all-rounder
The Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro is a wonderful starting machine for anyone, packed with advanced features. These include a direct drive extruder, auto bed leveling, a filament runout sensor and a magnetic PEI print sheet. While still a classic bed-slinger design, the Neptune 3 Pro is a refined one.
It would be easy to conclude that the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro is merely a tweaked version of the popular Neptune 3 design. But the truth is that it’s a substantially different design that improves on the prior model in numerous ways.
A direct drive extruder makes it much more suitable for TPU and printing objects that require repeated retractions than printers that use a Bowden arrangement. At its heart, this is still a classic i3-style bed slinger, but it has dual leadscrews that are tied together with a belt to prevent the X-axis from sagging under the weight of the hot end assembly.
Printing is on to a flexible magnetic PEI sheet, and leveling is achieved via a conductive sensor that is used to probe the bed before every print. The X and Y print area is the same as the classic Creality Ender 3, but it has slightly more vertical capacity, allowing taller prints.
In summary, as an alternative to the Creality Ender 2 Pro as a budget printer, the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro delivers larger printing volume and excellent TPU printing together with a few enhancements like a filament runout sensor and auto bed leveling, and those can be had for a few dollars more. The downside is that it needs much more space allocated to run, and it’s more difficult to move around accordingly.
Monster printer volume
The Anycubic Kobra Max is a large-scale FDM printer with a stiffened frame assembly and dual leadscrews that can print at 100mm/s. But the big selling point here is the 400m square print bed and 450mm print height, allowing the one-piece printing of helmets and other cosplay items.
It is possible to cut up large objects in some slicers and then reassemble them, but if you want to print cosplay helmets or props, a printer like the Anycubic Kobra Max makes more sense.
The 400 x 400 x 450 print volume is enough to print large objects, though it might take days to complete a complicated print. The quoted speed of 80-100mm/s isn’t slow, the issue here is more the scale of the problem. In this respect, switching the default 0.4mm nozzle for a larger one might be worthwhile.
Anycubic says that the Kobra Max can print ABS plastic, but with only a maximum of 90C on the bed and no heated enclosure, which might require some experimentation to achieve successfully.
Where the Max is substantially better than cheaper designs is in the number of enhancements Anycubic added to it. These include a large 4.3-inch touchscreen to control operations, filament runout detection, 25-point automated leveling, and a synchronized double thread Z-axis.
Overall, this is a sturdy and full-featured design with a print area big enough for the biggest projects, but it’s mainly for PLA and PETG printing and only for those with patience. For the asking price, this is the most impressive printer.
Best resin 3D printers
Quality and volume in one printer
A mid-sized resin printer with a 10-inch 12K mono screen that allows a resolution of 19×24μm for remarkably crisp prints and short exposure times. Based on the original Elegoo Saturn and Saturn 2s, the Saturn 3 is the perfect companion for artists, sculptors, jewellery makers and modellers.
As the latest incarnation of the Elegoo Saturn, this model offers an expanded print volume, faster printing and shorter exposure times than its predecessors.
With a print volume of 218.88 x 122.88 x 260mm that’s enough capacity to print some substantial sculptures, and with a vertical print speed of 70mm per hour, print is rapid. For larger prints, the consistency of exposure is important, and the Saturn 3 uses a COB light source and Fresnel collimating lens to deliver 90% uniformity over the vat, resulting in predictable prints.
While it comes with an integrated USB-powered air purification system, it can be upgraded to the new Elegoo Mars MATE air purifier, which is quoted as removing 95% of VOCs from the air.
With a highly competitive price for a resin printer of this scale, the only caveat to the Saturn 3 is that, like many in its class, the 12K LCD only has a working life of 2,000 hours before it needs replacing. The replacement is $150, unfortunately. Despite that issue, the quality of printed output and the speed of delivery make the Saturn 3 an excellent choice for those wanting to take resin printing to the next level.
Affordable and easy to use
The Anycubic Photon Mono 2 is perfect for anyone venturing into resin printing to dip a toe before diving headlong into a bigger resin vat. Using a 4K resolution 6.6-inch LCD and with LightTurbo matrix for illumination, the output is detailed, and this option is highly affordable.
Because resin printing isn’t for everyone, it’s helpful to have a starting point where the outlay isn’t excessive, and this equipment remains useful if the owner moves on to something bigger. The Anycubic Photon Mono 2 represents the ideal first rung on the resin printing ladder and can produce some excellent results from its modest 165 x 89 x 143mm (HWD) print volume.
you’re able to find even cheaper printers, but these generally don’t have a 4K resolution TFT and can’t match the 34-micron pixel size in the X and Y directions. A good feature is that the build plate is attached with four screws making levelling much easier and more accurate than printers that use a ball-joint connection.
Print removal is easy due to a laser-etched build plate, and the top side of the plate is shaped to help resin drip back off rather than pool after submersion in the resin vat.
Unlike more expensive designs, the material of choice here is plastic in the case construction, but this doesn’t negatively impact print quality or speed. While the printer ships with its own branded slicer, Photon Workshop V3, it also works with Lychee Slicer and the latest release of Chitubox.
For those wondering, a replacement 6.6-inch panel for this machine is only $40 and should last 2,000 hours of printing.
The king of high resolution
Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K is a small resin printer with a remarkably high 22µm X and Y resolution that’s well suited to printing small figures and jewellery for casting. The 7.1-inch projection display has a huge 8K resolution, and the print volume is workable for small and detailed objects.
The Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K uses a 7.1-inch panel, allowing it to fill an unusual niche between the smaller 6-inch resin printers and the larger designs that use 8-inch or larger panels. This extra inch or so appears to double the cost, but with an 8K resolution panel at this relatively small size, the X and Y resolution of the output is a stunning 22 microns, one of the best available. That makes Sonic Mini 8K an ideal option for those generating jewelry for casting, as the surface details of the models can be exquisitely reproduced with minimal artifacts.
The detail level is so high that it is hard to separate figures printed on the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K and injection molded commercial products without a magnifying glass. Other positives include being reasonably power efficient, coming pre-calibrated, and with a vertical print speed of 80mm/hour, it’s quick.
If owners have a complaint about this design, it often relates to the surface texture of the build plate, which tends to exert a vice-like grip on prints, making them a challenge to remove. This issue can be addressed by purchasing a magnetic build plate, and Wham Bam Systems has one of the perfect size for $40.
This machine isn’t ideal for those wanting to generate larger sculptures, and the price compared to larger volume printers is on the high side. But the investment is evident in the quality of output this machine can generate.
A DLP printer for long projector life
A DLP printer, the Anycubic Photo D2 offers some unique advantages over traditional SLA designs in the projector’s lifespan and power efficiency. That makes it ideal for high occupancy, as part of a print farm, and for prolonged use. However, it doesn’t offer the highest-resolution printing.
Where most resin printers use SLA technology, where light is projected through an LCD panel to expose each layer to the resin in the vat, the Anycubic Photo D2 uses an entirely different method called DLP (Digital Light Processing).
There is one compelling advantage to DLP, and that’s the lifespan of the projector. Where SLA printers often quote a 2,000 or 3,000-hour life for the LCD panel, the Texas Instruments DLP projector of the Anycubic Photo D2 is rated for ten times a long.
It also uses much less power, as a machine of the same size using an LCD would typically use 50W, while this uses only 15W.
The flip side to these economic advantages is that the resolution is what resin printers were offering three years ago, not what they generally do today, making the output appear less crisp. It uses a special aliasing method to help with the 2560 x 1440, but that is below other resin printers covered here.
Therefore, the Anycubic Photo D2 is best suited to simple output that doesn’t need lots of detail, and buyers should know that it doesn’t come with some of the newer technologies, like resin feed or integrated air scrubbers.
With so few DLP printers around we felt duty-bound to include one, but this is a resin printer for a very particular market, and not for everyone.
What’s the best 3D printer for you?
Any choice you make about a 3D printer needs to start with what you expect to create using it, because no one printer is ideal for every use case.
Filament or resin?
In general, filament printers are best suited to constructional objects and, using the right material, are ideal for generating highly durable parts like brackets, ducting and cosplay props.
The ones we’ve picked here mostly come pre-assembled and should be operational quickly, and compared to resin, filament isn’t expensive. Prints come off the bed ready to use unless excessive supports are used, with relatively little post-processing.
Bigger printers generally cost more and need more space to operate. Depending on the type of filament used, some require more ventilation or air filters. Therefore, it’s a better idea to place it in a garage or workshop than in the living space of a home.
Resin printers generally print much smaller and less robust objects, such as sculptures or prototypes, but provide much higher levels of detail. With specialist resins, it is possible to print jewelry designs that form the source objects for casting precious metals or prototypes for injection molded plastic.
The size of the vat generally dictates the cost of 3D printers that use resin, along with the quality of the prints and the speed at which the process can operate. This is a messy operation compared with filament printing, where parts need to be washed clean of uncured resin and then exposed to additional ultraviolet light to finalize the curing process.
One caveat to many resin printers is that the LCD display used to project each layer typically has a lifespan of around 2,000 hours of total use. When the panel becomes degraded, it will need to be replaced, and most printer makers sell replacement screens.
But what often puts people off this style of 3D printing is that the resin is toxic, the printer needs to be in a well-ventilated but warm (70°F or 25°C) environment, and the cleaning process requires chemicals and residue you can’t pour down the sink. However, the end results can be remarkable for those wishing to put up with a more complicated process.
Our top filament and resin 3D printers
Our pick of the best overall 3D printer for filament is the Bambu Lab P1S, a design that can print almost any material. With a 256mm cubed print volume, it can produce some substantial objects.
As a good alternative, the Anycubic Kobra Max is cheaper, but its bed-slinger design and the open nature of that type reduce the filament types it can print, and the Bowden extruder isn’t ideal for flexibles like TPU. However, with a massive print bed, there are fewer restrictions on the scale of parts it can handle.
For those new to 3D printing, the Creality Ender 2 Pro provides an excellent starting point. It comes ready to print, it’s easy to use, and with a relatively small build plate, the parts generated won’t take long. It has a reputation for being great for PLA and TPU printing, and it is easy to pick up and move if you are space-limited.
Our best overall 3D printer for resin is the Elegoo Saturn 3, a medium format printer with a 12K resolution mono display that can produce exceptionally high-quality prints rapidly for an affordable investment. There are larger resin printers and more sophisticated designs, but the size of the print volume, print quality and low cost make the Saturn 3 hard to beat.
What if you only want to print a few tabletop armies and the odd small sculpture, is something as big as the Saturn 3 required? Those looking to save money can produce high-quality figures using an inexpensive resin printer like the Anycubic Photon Mono 2.
It only has a 165 x 89 x 143mm print area, but that’s big enough for producing role-playing characters, and the printing speed is only around 2.5 seconds per layer. For a beginner, handling smaller vats with less resin is easier, and the end product is hard to discern from that produced on much more expensive printers or even mass-produced figures.
Feature-rich filament printer
A derivative of the original Bambu Lab X1 Carbon, the P1S delivers the same high-quality construction and rapid print process but at a lower cost. As an enclosed design, this machine can print all filament types, including high temperature, and is compatible with the Bambu AMS to allow for multi-color or multi-filament type printing.
