Best 3d printer for home use

Best 3D Printer for 2023

In this article:

• What to consider before buying a 3D printer
• Best 3D printers
• Best 3D printers for beginners
• Midrange 3D printers
• High-end and professional 3D printers
• 3D scanners
• 3D printing FAQs 

It's a brand new year, and what better time to pick up a new hobby? In the last few years, 3D printing has become much more commonplace and accessible for hopeful hobbyists. If you like miniatures, figurines and cosplay, 3D printing is an excellent vocation to take on. And there are a ton of great 3D printers packed with the premium features you want, capable of fine detail, that you can buy and have in your home -- no trip to the library or store necessary.

Because 3D printing technology has come a long way in recent years, I've doubled down on being creative and gotten into 3D scanning and laser cutting as well, which lets you sculpt real-world designs from leather and wood. Advanced makers are also using resin machines that create amazingly detailed, high quality prints.  

Current 3D printers, which range from affordable (under $300) to high-end (over $4,000), are great gifts for a creative person in your life. Even better, they're great for you to print objects and craft your own personalized designs if you're looking to open an Etsy shop or something similar. If you're looking for some of the best 3D printer options on the market right now, I've done an in-depth analysis on 3D printers in all different price ranges from more affordable printer models to the highest cost varieties, to bring you a comprehensive scope on what makes a reliable printer and sound investment.

These models by Fotis Mint are extremely detailed.

We've taken a deep dive into many of the best 3D printers available today. This list includes both small and large 3D printers, with attention paid to print speed, the size of the build plate, the cost of PLA filament, the kind of print head included and other important details. And once you've decided to take the plunge into additive manufacturing -- that's what 3D printing essentially is -- there's an FAQ below.

What to consider before buying a 3D printer

Purchasing your first 3D printer can be nerve-wracking but don't worry; we are here to help. There are a few main areas that you should consider when choosing the best 3D printer and we have them covered here.

What am I 3D printing?

When deciding on what 3D printer to buy you first have to know what type of things you want it to print. Resin 3D printing is good for highly detailed models such as character busts, dental work or tabletop miniatures. Even jewelry can be made using a resin 3D printer. 

For almost every other application, an FDM, aka filament, 3D printer is likely the best choice. Filament 3D printing is versatile in the types of material you can use and offers much larger build volumes to work on models. Cosplay armor and helmets, practical parts and large-scale models are best printed on an FDM printer.  

Read more: What Is 3D Printing?

What is build volume?

Build volume is the amount of space a printer has to produce a model. Often calculated in millimeters cubed, it is the combination of the width, height and depth that your printer's nozzle can reach. This is not always the same as the internal volume of a 3D printer because the wiring and other mechanical parts can get in the way of the nozzle, reducing the area available. 

Most FDM printers have a build area of around 220 by 220 by 250mm, though some of the best 3D printers have larger and a few of the best budget 3D printers have smaller. I think the 220 by 220mm build plate is a good size for starting out as it has room for large, practical pieces or several smaller models at once. 

Should I wait for a deal to buy a 3D printer?

3D printers are often available throughout the year at a discount price. Special days like Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are great occasions to pick yourself up a new machine, but there are still plenty of deals to be had on a normal day. Make sure you stay fluid and choose your 3D printer deal based on the availability of the machine and what your research has told you is the best.

Best 3D printers

Dan Ackerman/CNET

Creality Ender-3 S1

Best 3D printer for beginners

I'd avoided Ender-3 printers for a long while, because they came in kit form and required many hours of assembly, setup and fine-tuning to use. For just a little more than the kit versions, the newer Ender-3 S1 comes nearly fully preassembled, and with high-end features like a direct drive extruder and self-leveling bed. 

Print quality even out-of-the-box was excellent, although a lot of that comes down to having good models to work from. I'd love it to have a touchscreen and Wi-Fi, but apart from those missing features, this is a great way to get polished results from a $400 3D printer. 

Read our Creality Ender-3 S1 review.  

$399 at Amazon

$340 at Creality3d

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Prusa Mk3S Plus

The standard candle for home 3D printing

No best 3D printer list is really complete without the Prusa MK3S Plus. For nearly a decade it has dominated the market and continues to be the go-to printer for anyone looking to make a business from 3D printing. It is fast and creates quality prints every time. I can count the number of print fails from MK3 on one hand, and I have had it for nearly seven years. If you have the $800, you should buy one of these. 

$800 at Prusa Research

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AnkerMake M5

Speed and quality combined

The AnkerMake M5 is a new breed of 3D printer. Its speed is unrivaled on this list and the quality of the end product is on par with anything I've seen. When you can get this quality level in a 3D print job in around half the time of its closest competitor, it's hard to recommend anything else for someone with the money to buy one.

Read our AnkerMake 5 review.

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Anycubic Vyper

Best for out-of-the-box printing

The Anycubic Vyper FDM printer attempts to be both an affordable 3D printer and easy to use. It's a tricky needle to thread. Plenty of 3D printers offer automatic bed leveling and calibration to make sure prints come out even and firmly anchored to the print bed. This, however, is the first time I've seen a 3D printer run its bed leveling once, with zero manual input from me, and be totally good to go. I printed a 3D test file from the included SD card within minutes of powering on, and I've never seen a first print from a 3D printer come out so perfectly.

Read our Anycubic Vyper review.

$319 at Anycubic

Anycubic

Anycubic Kobra Max

Best to make big projects easily

The Anycubic Kobra Max earned a 9 out of 10 in our recent review, in large part because it's one of the most enjoyable printers I've used in years. The build area is large enough to print entire helmets for cosplay, and the auto-bed-leveling system makes setting the machine up a breeze. The Kobra Max is the best choice for a large build area printer, bar none.

Read our Anycubic Kobra Max review. 

$529 at Anycubic

Best 3D printers for beginners

These 3D printers are excellent for anyone just starting out in 3D printing. Check out our expanded list of the best budget 3D printers for more in this category.

Prusa Research

Prusa Mini Plus

Small but mighty

The Mini Plus is one of the best small-footprint printers you can buy. It has everything you would expect from a Prusa machine: Auto bed leveling, crash detection and great print quality, all for under $450. Building it with my son gave us a lot of good insights into how a 3D printer works, and potentially how to fix one.

$429 at Prusa Research

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Anycubic Mono

Best inexpensive resin 3D printer

Resin printers are the next step up in rapid prototyping design technology when you want your printing to look as high quality as possible. Just be warned: The liquid resin is harder to work with, and it requires both good ventilation and a portable UV light to properly cure. This model is extremely popular with board game hobbyists who want to print pro-looking miniatures, and sometimes you'll see it fall in price. 

$200 at Amazon

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Midrange 3D printers

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Elegoo Saturn 2

The best resin experience right now

The Elegoo Saturn 2 is an almost perfect upgrade from the original Saturn. It is bigger and more powerful, with better quality prints than its predecessor and my No. 1 choice for a midrange resin 3D printer. If you are looking to print serious details or a lot of tiny models, this is simply the best choice.

$665 at Amazon

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Flashforge Adventurer 4

Best 3D printer for ease of use

The Flashforge Adventurer 3 has long been one of CNET's favorite midprice 3D printers. The updated Adventurer 4 brings a handful of iterative improvements that make for a winning evolution. The Adventurer 4 is a fully enclosed unit, which helps control the temperature and block drafts. The build area is 220 by 200 by 250mm, and it has a system for easily swapping out nozzles -- all good features to have in a mid-level to high-end printer. 

$849 at Amazon

$799 at Flashforge

High-end and professional 3D printers

Creality

Creality CR-30

Best for small biz or pro cosplayers

A word of warning; the CR-30 is not for the beginners out there. It is a complicated machine, and you will need some 3D-printing knowledge to really get the hang of it. It's also a very different beast, and instead of printing on a static-sized build plate, it uses a conveyor belt to create an "endless Z-axis." That lets you print very long things or lots of things over and over again.

If you are a cosplayer looking to make weapons or large armor pieces, the CR-30 gives you a lot of room to create. I've managed to print Squall's Gunblade from Final Fantasy VIII as well as the Whisper of the Worm from Destiny 2 (both were printed in two halves and attached together). It's great for small businesses looking to mass-produce small parts, and with just two CR-30s you could create a small empire on Etsy or Shopify. --James Bricknell

$982 at Amazon

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Glowforge 3D Laser Cutter

Best for woodworkers

I can't begin to tell you how much I love the Glowforge. Laser cutters can create projects from wood, leather, lucite and other materials, making it an interesting creation alternative to filament-based 3D printers. Even better, what would take a 3D printer hours to do takes just minutes in the Glowforge.

With it, I've created laser-etched LED lights, birch wood tool caddies, and even a three-tier box for my Nespresso sleeves. There's a robust community of makers creating and sharing files, but pretty much any line drawing you can create in something like Adobe Illustrator can be turned into a project. 

The software is all cloud-based, which adds a layer of complication (you need internet service to use it), but the ability to create amazing gifts and more from simple 0.125-inch or 0.25-inch cheap plywood is pretty empowering. 

See some of my laser cutter projects (and download my SVG files) here. 

$3,995 at Glowforge (Glowforge Basic)

$4,995 at Glowforge (Glowforge Plus)

3D scanners

Revopoint

Revopoint Pop 2

Incredible details

While the software has a pretty steep learning curve, the end result is extremely detailed. I've really enjoyed using the handheld version to scan larger models while the included turntable makes scanning smaller objects a breeze. If you are looking for a professional-grade scanner and can spend some time on the software, the Pop 2 is a great choice.

$689 at Amazon

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SOL Desktop Laser 3D Scanner

Best 3D scanner for easy replicas

Recreate pretty much anything by putting it on this 3D scanner, where a rotating base and built-in camera create a 360-degree copy, which is then editable in any 3D program and printable on your 3D printer. Simply scan the object, import the scan into your slicing software for cleanup, and print. The included software alerts you of next steps in the printing process with either sound or texts. Scan quality and print resolution are great, and setup is easy, although you might want to clean up your 3D model a bit in a 3D software app after.  

$799 at Amazon

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3D printing FAQs

What material should I use to print with?

Most home 3D printers use PLA or ABS plastic. Professional printers can use all sorts of materials, from metal to organic filament. Some printers use a liquid resin, which is much more difficult to handle. As a beginner, use PLA. It's nontoxic, made mostly of cornstarch and sugarcane, handles easily and is inexpensive. However, it's more sensitive to heat, so don't leave your 3D prints on the dashboard of a car on a hot day. 

Which brand of PLA is best?

Generally speaking, Hatchbox has never let me down and runs about $25 for a full 1kg spool on Amazon. Some of the printers I tested only accommodate narrower 0.5kg spools. In those cases, I sometimes used a larger Hatchbox roll with a separate spool-holder. Other times, I had good luck with AIO Robotics 0.5kg spools, which are a little more expensive, at $14 for 0. 5kg. Amazon Basics and Monoprice can also be good, but for any brand, weird colors like metallic or glow-in-the-dark filament can be hit-or-miss. Note that a 1kg roll prints a lot of stuff. 

What settings should I use?

Most 3D printers include or link to recommended software, which can handle converting 3D STL or other files into formats supported by the printer. Stick with the suggested presets to start, with one exception. I've started adding a raft, or bottom layer of filament, to nearly everything I print. It has cut down dramatically on prints that don't adhere to the bed properly, which is a common issue. If you continue to have problems, rub a standard glue stick on the print bed right before printing.

What are supports?

Your 3D models probably need some help to print properly, as these printers don't do well with big overhangs -- for example, an arm sticking out from a figure. Your 3D printer software can usually automatically calculate and add supports, meaning little stands that hold up all those sticking-out parts of the model. After the print is done, clip the supports off with micro cutters and file down any nubs or rough edges with hobby files. 

Where do I find things to print?

Thingiverse.com is a huge online repository of 3D files for anything and everything you can think of. Pokemon chess set? It's there. Dyson vacuum wall mount? You bet.

When you're ready to create your own designs, there are a ton of software packages to choose from, but it's easiest to start with the browser-based free TinkerCad app from Autodesk. 

Crazy things I've made on a 3D printer

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The Best Cheap 3D Printers for 2023

While we'd hesitate to call 3D printing a mature technology, you might say it has reached its teenage years. Through their first decade-and-change, 3D printers have come down in price, grown easier to set up and operate, and become more reliable. And you may pay less than you expect: Many once-high-end features have migrated down to inexpensive models.

PC Labs has been reviewing 3D printers since 2013. Today, the state of 3D printing is strong, but that wasn’t always the case. For the first several years, it was often an adventure getting one of these printers up and running, let alone successfully through our testing regimen. Issues with filament-based—aka fused filament fabrication (FFF) or fused deposition modeling (FDM)—printers were abundant.

Filament feeders had to be coaxed into delivering filament from the spool to the extruder. Print beds had to be manually aligned. The extruder or hot end had to be positioned just right to minimize the gap between the nozzle and the build plate (the flat surface on which the object is printed). Objects frequently stuck to the build plate, and required careful, sometimes unsuccessful, efforts to pry them off. These and other issues required painstaking effort to resolve, often combined with calls to tech support.

Not so much anymore. While they can still be rebellious at times, 3D printers have grown up a lot, and achieving the 3D printer basics has gotten a lot less likely to end in a shouting match over small things. And they've gotten a lot more affordable, too, for curious DIY-ers and hobbyists to try.

If you're in the market for a beginner or low-cost 3D printer, it's important to know how lower-end models differ. Read on for mini-reviews of the top budget 3D printers we've tested. After that, we go into more detail on understanding the 3D printer specs and tech relevant to beginning buyers. Ready to take the plunge? Read on.

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Original Prusa Mini

Best Overall Budget 3D Printer

4.5 Outstanding

Bottom Line:

It requires assembly and calibration care (plus shipping from the Czech Republic), but the Original Prusa Mini is a compact, open-frame 3D printer that consistently produces superb-quality output for a great price.

PROS

• Top-notch object quality
• Supports a variety of filament types
• Useful, professionally printed user guide
• Great support resources
• Versatile, user-friendly software

CONS

• First-layer calibration can be tricky
• Only includes starter packets of filament
• Requires monitoring if young children or pets are around

Read Our Original Prusa Mini Review

XYZprinting da Vinci Mini

Best Budget 3D Printer for Schools, Community Centers

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

The XYZprinting da Vinci Mini is a consumer-oriented 3D printer that provides a winning combination of low price, ease of setup and use, solid print quality, and smooth, misprint-free operation.

PROS

• Very low price.
• Reasonably priced filament.
• Good print quality.
• No misprints in testing.
• Easy setup and operation.
• Quiet.
• Prints over a USB or Wi-Fi connection.

CONS

• Occasional problems in trying to launch prints.
• Removing printed objects from the print bed is sometimes tricky.

Read Our XYZprinting da Vinci Mini Review

Toybox 3D Printer

Best Budget 3D Printer for Children

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

The Toybox 3D Printer works well as a model designed for children, offering reliable printing from a browser or mobile device and a few thousand toys to print, plus creative options to output drawings or photos. Just bear in mind the tiny build area.

PROS

• Reliable, misprint-free printing
• Easy setup
• One-touch operation
• Well-composed help resources
• Access to more than 2,000 printable toys and projects
• Lets you create your own printable designs

CONS

• Tiny build area
• Not ideal for importing 3D files created elsewhere

Read Our Toybox 3D Printer Review

Monoprice Mini Delta V2 3D Printer

Best Budget 3D Printer for Beginners, Non-Techies

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

3D printing gurus will be intrigued by the Monoprice Mini Delta V2's use of the delta rather than Cartesian coordinate system, but beginners will just enjoy its low price, ease of use, and speedy printing.

PROS

• Sub-$200 price
• Quick, nearly misprint-free printing
• Easy setup and operation
• Sturdy steel-and-aluminum frame
• Supports multiple filament types

CONS

• Tiny build area
• So-so print quality
• Mere one-year warranty

Read Our Monoprice Mini Delta V2 3D Printer Review

Anycubic i3 Mega S

Best Budget 3D Printer With an Open Design, Big Build Area

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

The Anycubic i3 Mega S, an inexpensive open-frame 3D printer, produced decent-quality prints in our testing. To get the most out of it, though, may require precise calibration.

PROS

• Modestly priced
• Large build area for an inexpensive printer
• Supports a variety of filament types
• Generally solid print quality
• Uses well-known Cura software

CONS

• Finicky print-platform alignment
• Supported coils of filament are small
• Poorly placed spool holder

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$229. 98	$229.98	Check Stock (Opens in a new window)
AnyCubic	$279.00	$279.00	Check Stock (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Anycubic i3 Mega S Review

Anycubic Vyper

Best Budget 3D Printer for the Biggest Build Area Possible

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

Anycubic's modestly priced Vyper whips up large 3D prints on its open-frame design, and provides automatic print-bed leveling. Just know that some minor assembly is required—and printed objects may require a bit of cleanup.

PROS

• Relatively large build area
• Automatic bed leveling
• Simple assembly

CONS

• Short (one-year) warranty
• Includes only a small starter filament coil
• Using Cura software with the Vyper requires tweaking a couple of settings
• Test prints showed some "hairy" filament residue

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$499. 00	$349.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
AnyCubic	$369.00	$319.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Anycubic Vyper Review

Creality Ender-3 V2

Best Budget 3D Printer for Tinkerers and DIY Types

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

Hands-on tweaking defines Creality's budget-price Ender-3 V2, an open-frame 3D printer that you build from a kit. It produces generally above-par prints, but its print bed can be tricky to keep leveled.

PROS

• Inexpensive
• Slightly above-average print quality
• Good-size build area for its price
• Supports several filament types

CONS

• Manual print-bed leveling can be tricky
• Setup instructions could be deeper, more legible
• Questionable quality control on some parts

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$299. 00	$246.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Creality Ender-3 V2 Review

Flashforge Finder 3D Printer

Best 3D Printer for the Very Tightest Budgets

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

The Flashforge Finder 3D Printer is moderately priced and offers good print quality, but it proved tricky to get up and running in our tests.

PROS

• Quiet.
• Good print quality.
• Connects via USB 2.0 cable, USB thumb drive, or Wi-Fi.
• Reasonably priced.

CONS

• Some objects pulled off the platform during testing.
• Poor documentation.
• Modest build volume.
• Limited to printing with polylactic acid filament (PLA).

Read Our Flashforge Finder 3D Printer Review

Polaroid PlaySmart 3D Printer

Best Budget 3D Printer for Dabbling in Small Objects

3. 5 Good

Bottom Line:

The Polaroid PlaySmart 3D Printer is a compact, stylish 3D printer with above-par overall print quality, but, alas, a tiny build area for the money.

PROS

• Small, lightweight for a desktop 3D printer.
• Easy to set up and use.
• Supports PLA, PETG, and wood composite filaments.
• Multiple-color support.
• Wi-Fi camera monitors print jobs.
• Prints from USB drives, SD cards, or mobile devices.

CONS

• High price for its capabilities.
• Small build area.
• Too-brief warranty.

Read Our Polaroid PlaySmart 3D Printer Review

XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro

Best Budget 3D Printer With Closed Design, Roomy Build Area

3. 5 Good

Bottom Line:

The XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro is a moderately priced closed-frame 3D printer with a large build volume and overall good performance, but a potentially balky filament-feeding system.

PROS

• Spacious build area
• Works with third-party filaments
• Self-leveling print bed

CONS

• Build plate is not heated
• Limited to PLA- and PETG-based filaments
• Guide tube is prone to detaching

Read Our XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro Review

Monoprice Voxel 3D Printer

Best Budget 3D Printer for Cheap Filament

3. 0 Average

Bottom Line:

The Monoprice Voxel is an under-$400 3D printer that's easy to set up and use. It exhibits generally good print quality, but it was unable to print two of our test objects.

PROS

• Easy to set up and use.
• Budget price for printer and filament spools.
• Supports PLA, ABS, and several composite filament types.
• Versatile software.
• Prints over Ethernet or Wi-Fi, or from a USB thumb drive.

CONS

• Frequent misprints on certain test objects.
• Slightly balky touch screen.

Read Our Monoprice Voxel 3D Printer Review

Compare SpecsThe Best Cheap 3D Printers for 2023

Buying Guide: The Best Cheap 3D Printers for 2023

How to Buy a Cheap 3D Printer

The biggest changes to 3D printers over the last few years have come to the cheaper models. Nowadays, many of those classic, ornery 3D-printing issues have been resolved (most of the time, anyway), even for consumer and bargain-priced 3D printers. Automatic print-bed leveling is the norm, and you can usually remove 3D-printed objects from heated and/or flexible build plates with a minimum of coaxing. And most 3D printer manufacturers have either developed and refined their own software, or have adapted an open-source printing platform such as Cura(Opens in a new window).

(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)

What separates more expensive 3D printers from cheap ones ("cheap" defined as $500 or less, for the purposes of this article) is often a select group of features. These include the build volume, the type of frame, the varieties of supported filament, the software, and the connectivity mix. Let's run through those in turn.

What's the Right Build Volume for a 3D Printer?

A 3D printer’s build volume is the maximum dimensions (HWD) of a part that it can print. (We say “a part” because a 3D-printed object can consist of multiple parts that are printed, then glued or otherwise pieced together.) While the smallest build volume of any 3D printer we have tested is 3.9 by 3.9 by 4.9 inches, we consider any build volume smaller than 6 by 6 by 6 inches to be small, any between that and 10 by 10 by 10 inches as medium, and any printer with at least one build dimension of more than 10 inches as having a large build volume.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

As a general rule, inexpensive 3D printers have small build volumes, while more expensive ones have larger build volumes. This depends in part on the type of printer. Closed-frame 3D printers—and most semi-open models, which have a rigid top, base, and sides but are open in front and, often, back—tend to have small build volumes, while open-frame printers, lacking as rigid a physical structure, often have relatively large build volumes for the price. You'll want to weigh the build volume against the kinds of objects you will print.

Should I Get an Open-Frame or Closed-Frame 3D Printer?

Which brings us to the frame "form factor" question: open-frame versus closed-frame. Closed-frame 3D printers are boxlike devices, with a rigid base, walls (with a see-through door in front), and top. Among their advantages? They muffle the operating noise, as well as reduce the odor from melted filament (which is potentially an issue with ABS plastic), and they provide some protection for people or pets who might inadvertently touch the hot extruder. A downside: They tend to have smaller build volumes than open-frame 3D printers, which have fewer (often, no) walls to constrict them.

(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)

Low-cost 3D printers include both open-frame and closed-frame models, as well as a few stereolithography printers. If a relatively large build volume is a priority, you’re likely to get more bang for the buck with an open-frame model. Open-frames do have some clear downsides by definition: They tend to be noisy, emit odors when certain plastics are melted, and provide little protection for someone who might touch the hot extruder.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Also, recognize some potential negatives of open frames, depending on the model. Some require assembly, being essentially kits, and most require more setup care than a closed-frame printer, plus more maintenance to keep them running smoothly. Still, these very traits should not deter—and may even appeal to—hobbyists and DIY folks.

What Should I Look for in 3D Printer Software and Connectivity?

Gone are the days when tinkerers had to cobble together several different programs to get a 3D printer to run. Manufacturers either include their own 3D printing program or modify an existing platform such as the open-source Cura.

3D printing software performs three main functions: processing an object file (resizing, moving, rotating, and in some cases duplicating it), slicing it (into virtual layers, based on your chosen resolution), and printing it. These are almost universally combined into a seamless process. Some high-end printers have software that supports a wider range of settings you can tweak, but even the basic suites work at least reasonably well.

More likely to vary among the cheaper set is the array of connection options from model to model. Nearly all have a USB Type-A port to fit a thumb drive for printing from document files. Most also have a USB Type-B port for connecting directly to a computer, and some offer Wi-Fi, too (or as an alternative), while a handful let you connect via Ethernet to share the printer across a local network.

Some printers support storing 3D files on an SD or microSD card (which may also contain the printer’s system files). Most 3D printer manufacturers (even the discount ones) have a mobile app to launch and monitor print jobs, and a few provide access to cloud services from which you can print.

While high-end 3D printers tend to have an abundance of connection choices, discount models vary widely in their choices. Some are generous and some are basic, so it pays to assess what a given model offers.

What Should I Look for in Filament Support?

Filament support tends to be a key area that separates the cheaper models from the higher-end ones. (See our guide to understanding 3D printing filaments for more particulars.) Inexpensive 3D printers tend to support a limited number of plastic filament types, some of them only PLA and/or ABS.

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3D Printing: What You Need to Know

3D Printer Filaments Explained

(Credit: Molly Flores)

PLA (polylactic acid) is a biodegradable, plant-based polymer, while ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is the same tough plastic that Legos are made from. Objects printed from ABS are durable and nontoxic, though the material can be tricky to work with. ABS can emit an acrid, unpleasant odor during printing, and the bottom corners of objects being printed with it have a tendency to curl upward a bit, especially if you are using a non-heated print bed. This can lead to unsightly prints, and/or prints prematurely pulling off the build plate, ruining them.

Many entry-level and low-price 3D printers stick exclusively to PLA. If you want to experiment with a larger variety of filaments—which include water-soluble filament, wood- and metal-laced composites, and both tough and flexible varieties—you may have to pay more, although a few discount models support a wide range of materials.

Should I Consider a 3D Printing Pen Instead?

Although they aren’t printers per se, inexpensive 3D pens are close kin to 3D printers—using the same filament types and a similar extrusion system—and we include them in the 3D printing category. Rather than tracing out a programmed pattern, you use the 3D pen much like a normal pen, except that you draw with molten plastic. You can trace a pattern or draw freehand, and even draw in three dimensions as the plastic quickly solidifies and hardens once extruded.

(Credit: 3Doodler)

Most 3D pens cost less than $100, and some cost $50 or less. At a glance, 3D pens may appear to be toys, but some artists and craftspeople have taken to them, as it is possible to make quite complicated and beautiful objects with them. If your aim in 3D printing is something closer to freehand design and free expression than computer-centric, structured, and repeatable output, you might give one a try.

So, What Is the Best Cheap 3D Printer to Buy?

Buying a budget 3D printer needn’t mean a world of sacrifice. Plenty of capable and reliable models sell at less than $500, and while they may not be as feature-rich as their more expensive cousins, there's no sense in paying for things you don’t need.

Many casual 3D-printing experimenters will be fine with printing over a USB cable or from a thumb drive, and sticking to PLA may be the best choice for a starter 3D printer. If you focus just on the features you want, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find. Below, check out a spec breakdown of the best under-$500 3D printers we have reviewed, paralleling our picks above. Also, for a look at the broader market, see our guide to our favorite 3D printers overall.

Which 3D printer to choose for home and hobby use

A few years ago, 3D printers were bulky industrial machines, but now 3D printing is becoming more accessible for home use. When buying their first printer, many are disappointed. This may be due to the unsatisfactory quality of the resulting models or the complex setup and maintenance of the 3D printer.

In the reviews that are found on the Internet, printers are often shown after a lot of upgrades or a long selection of settings for printing. This is not at all the result that a beginner who first got acquainted with 3D printing will get.

In order not to be disappointed, before buying, you need to understand which model is suitable for your tasks. First of all, it is worth deciding what the printer will be used for. What is the main property that finished products should have? What is more important, the physical properties of the model or the ideal surface and detail? Not only the model depends on this, but also the technology by which the 3D printer will work.

Which technology to choose? FDM or LCD?

If you need to make a small detailed figurine with a perfectly smooth surface, you should pay attention to models that work on LCD technology (LCD works on a principle similar to DLP - Digital Light Processing or “digital light processing”).

LCD prints using a photopolymer resin that cures under UV light. This makes it possible to produce without deformation, even small and thin products that cannot be manufactured using FDM technology.

Resin model

Now on sale there are many photopolymer resins with different properties. A few years ago the choice was not great. Basically, finished products were not strong enough for use in functional models. Now engineering resins have begun to appear on sale. Products from them are not inferior in strength to models made using FDM technology from ABS or even nylon.

If it is necessary to produce large products with different properties, or the tasks will be very diverse, then the choice is with FDM technology. But it is important to understand that finished products will not have a perfectly smooth surface. Of course, you can polish the model, but this is additional time and labor costs.

FDM technology builds a model using molten plastic filament, which is fed from the print head. The print head (extruder) “grows” the model layer by layer on the printing table.

FDM Models

FDM technology became widespread much earlier than DLP. Thanks to this, a wide variety of 3D printers and consumables for them has appeared. You can find many decorative plastics that mimic various materials, or engineering plastics for making functional models or mock-ups.

Choosing an LCD printer

Photopolymer printers work on one of 3 technologies - DLP, LCD or SLA.

As home printers, devices based on LCD technology are usually used due to their availability and low price.

Printer design

SLA technology appeared the very first among photopolymer printers. With the help of a point-focused beam, the desired areas of the resin are gradually illuminated. This is repeated layer by layer.

How SLA 9 works0018

Since the surface of the model is perfectly smooth, SLA has become used in the jewelry and dental industries.

Pros:

Cons:

DLP technology appeared later than SLA, but it is very similar to it. The main difference is that the light source is not a focused beam, but a projector. This made it possible to illuminate the entire layer at once, which significantly accelerated the production of models. The quality of the surface was slightly inferior to SLA, but modern DLP printers, in terms of the quality of models, are almost as good as SLA technology.

How DLP works

Pros:

• Faster production of models due to the illumination of the entire layer

• Consumables are slightly cheaper than SLA

• High surface quality (although may be inferior to SLA)

Cons:

LCD technology is the youngest of all. The DLP principle is taken as a basis, but an LCD display is used as a matrix or illumination pattern. LEDs are used as a source of UV light in LCD technology. Thanks to inexpensive components, we managed to get a simple, but high-quality and affordable photopolymer printer.

How the LCD printer works

Pros:

• small cost

• Cheap parts

Cons:

• Low accuracy compared to SLA and DLP (for jewelers and dentists, the quality of LSD prints may not be enough, although more and more accurate models appear with the development of technology)

• Possible stray light

• The quality of models may decrease at the edges of the printable area (this can be corrected programmatically)

Resins that are used as a consumable for photopolymer printing can smell strongly and unpleasantly during operation. Try to use the printer in a well-ventilated area, or choose a printer with a sealed cabinet and filter.

When choosing an LCD printer, pay special attention to the rigidity and positioning accuracy of the platform along the Z axis. If there are poor quality guides along the Z axis or even a slight play, then the surface quality of the finished model may turn out to be sloppy or the model will turn out to be unevenly striped.

Rating of the best LCD 3D printers for home

Anycubic Photon Mono

This is an LCD printer with a matrix that allows you to increase the speed and accuracy of printing. Anycubic Photon Mono will be a good helper for hobbyists and modellers.

Anycubic Photon Mono SE

Anycubic Photon Mono SE has an unusual parallel light source. This minimizes distortion at the edges of the printable area. You can effectively use the entire working area of ​​the machine and produce many small models at a time.

Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K

Model with high resolution LCD display and large print area. The monochrome display transmits UV rays better and allows you to print much faster than similar devices with a conventional display. The manufacturer claims a screen life of more than 2000 hours. Phrozen Sonic mini 4k is suitable for almost any task.

Wanhao GR1

Wanhao GR1 has high precision and large print area (140x78x200mm). The manufacturer tried to reduce distortion at the edges of the display, this allows you to make the most of the entire work area. High precision and large print area make Wanhao GR1 not only for hobby use, but also for production.

Anycubic Photon Zero

Small and very budgetary LCD device. Its resolution and small working area (total 97x54x150 mm) is enough for printing small miniatures, figurines or small engineering models. Anycubic Photon Zero is a good choice for beginners who want to get into photopolymer printing without spending a lot of money.

Choosing an FDM printer

If you plan to produce large and diverse functional models or experiment, a 3D printer that prints using FDM technology is an excellent choice.

First, decide on the size of the printable area and the properties that the finished model should have. After all, some materials require a closed chamber or good airflow to work.

Some printer models can be “upgraded” in the future. For example, if necessary, purchase spare parts for a closed case, put a nozzle of a different diameter, or change the thermal barrier to an all-metal one. But not all manufacturers provide for the possibility of such upgrades.

Printer design

Despite the same principle of operation, there are several different mechanics, which have their pros and cons.

Kinematics “Prusa” (Prusa)

Perhaps the most popular kinematics among home FDM devices. Mainly due to its simplicity and low cost. The main feature is the table that moves along the Y axis, while the extruder moves along the rest of the axes. Because of this, such kinematics was nicknamed “dragstol”.

Prusa kinematics

Pros:

Cons:

• Slow print speeds. A massive table with a model is forced to constantly move along the Y axis, because of this, print quality will be worse at high speeds.

• Some models have design flaws (for example, insufficient frame rigidity), they can be fixed, but for this you have to be a little inventor. Or find a ready-made solution on the Internet.

This category also includes 3D printers with console kinematics. The same prusa, only halved. Because of this, the frame is less rigid, but the printer itself is more compact.

Kinematics Ultimaker

The extruder moves along the X-Y axes, and the table only along the Z axis. All motors are trying to be fixed on the body to lighten the weight of the moving mechanisms, thanks to which it is possible to achieve high print quality at high speeds.

Ultimaker kinematic diagram

Pros:

Cons:

H-BOT or Core-XY

These are 2 similar but more complex kinematics - the table moves only along the Z axis, and the extruder along the X-Y. But to move the extruder, 1 or 2 long belts and 2 stepper motors work in concert.

Example Core-XY kinematics

Pros:

• High print quality

• High print speeds without loss of quality.

• Can be easily closed completely

Cons:

MakerBot Kinematics

Similar to Ultimaker kinematics, but one of the motors is located on the Y or X axis carriage.

Pros:

Cons:

Delta

Deltas do not have the usual XYZ axes. There are 3 columns in the deltas, along which the carriages move, and the position of the extruder in space is calculated using a complex formula. The table is usually statically fixed to the body.

Delta printer example

Pros:

Cons:

Nuances of choosing an FDM 3D printer

In addition to kinematics, when choosing a printer, it is important to take into account some design features.

One or two extruders?

Two extruders can be used for dual color printing, but most commonly the second extruder is used for solvent support printing. If you need to print complex parts with internal cavities, then you should choose a dual extruder printer.

Closed or open printer?

Printing of functional models and parts uses plastic, which usually requires a closed chamber. If you plan to print functional prototypes or various models, you should look at printers with a closed chamber.

Bowden or direct?

There are 2 types of material supply to the print head of the printer - bowden and direct.

In a bowden, the feed mechanism motor is located on the printer body. This allows you to reduce the weight of the extruder and print at higher speeds without losing quality. But because of the long tube, printing with very soft plastics can be problematic.

Bowden feed pattern

In direct feeding, the motor and feed mechanism are located on the extruder. This increases the weight of the print head, but allows you to print with any kind of plastics.

Direct feeding scheme

Heated table or not?

The heating of the table improves the adhesion of the first layer of the model. And engineering plastics cannot be printed without a heated table.

Many manufacturers add useful additional features. They do not affect the quality of the print, but save time and nerves. The most useful additional functions are the filament presence sensor and remembering the print location after a power outage.

Filament sensor.

It will automatically pause printing if the plastic runs out. When there is a little plastic left on the spool, this feature will allow you not to stand over the guard printer until the old spool runs out in order to have time to push in a new bar “on the go”.

Power outage protection.

Remembering where to print when the power goes out can save you a lot of nerves when printing large models. You won't have to worry that after a power outage, you will have to run the model again for many hours or cut and reprint a piece of the model. It is especially disappointing to throw away a complex underprinted model with supports due to a one-minute outage.

There are also many extras. features that make using the printer more comfortable. For example, automatic calibration, touch screen, Wi-Fi and others.

Rating of the best FDM 3D printers for home

Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0

Inexpensive model with Pryusha kinematics. Good for getting started with 3D printing without a big investment. Despite the low cost, Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 has a heated table and a resume function after a power outage. Thanks to direct feed, printing with soft materials should not be difficult.

Creality3D Ender 3 Pro

A very popular device due to its low price. But despite this, the Ender 3 Pro has a heated table and a decent print area. Can be sold assembled or as a DIY kit.

Flash Forge Finder

Small home appliance intended for children or educational institutions. The Finder doesn't have a heated table, but it does have a calibration assistant, a Wi-Fi module, and other extras that make getting to know it a lot easier. All moving and heated elements are hidden as much as possible in the case so that the child cannot get burned.

Wanhao Duplicator 6 Plus

Wanhao Duplicator 6 Plus was based on Ultimaker kinematics, but instead of bowden feed, they made direct. Because of this, it will not be possible to print super fast, without quality loss, but there will be no problems with printing with soft types of plastics. There are 2 trim levels - with a closed case and without.

Flashforge Dreamer

The Dreamer is a closed body dual extruder printer with MakerBot kinematics. Thanks to this, he can cope with printing models of any complexity. Using a second extruder for soluble support, models with complex geometries can be produced. A good choice for engineers and those who like to experiment with different materials.

FlyingBear Ghost 5

Most commonly sold as a kit (assembly kit). Assembly usually does not cause any great difficulties, even for people far from electronics or mechanics. Flying Bear is equipped with a filament sensor, a function to resume printing after a power outage and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Flying Bear makes a great first printer for the novice user who is ready to build their own printer.

Totals

In order for the printer not to become a useless toy, you should clearly understand what it is for.

For a fan of miniatures or detailed figurines, a photopolymer printer is a good choice. A small work area is more than offset by the detail that cannot be obtained using other technologies.

For an engineer or a fan of experiments, an FDM machine with a closed chamber and two extruders is well suited. This will allow you not to limit yourself in the choice of plastics and comfortably experiment with any materials.

For a beginner who has not yet decided whether he needs 3D printing, you can opt for inexpensive machines with slick kinematics. Due to their great popularity, you can find a lot of upgrades and reviews on them. In the future, it will be possible to modify the printer for specific tasks or change it to a more suitable model.

For a child, safety is paramount. As the first children's printer, models without a heated bed are suitable, in which the main emphasis is on printing with safe PLA plastic. Or models in which all moving and heating mechanisms are hidden in the case.

A 3D printer is a handy tool, and whether it brings joy or frustration depends on the user.

top 10 rating according to the KP version

A 3D printer opens up incredible opportunities for a person. The first prototype of such a device was born back in 1984. The idea of ​​​​the invention belongs to the American Charles Hull, he received a patent for it only two years after development. The printer was a rather massive industrial installation and, despite many inaccuracies and shortcomings in operation, the technology was used.

Hal co-founded 3dsystems, a leader in industrial 3D printers. However, this material is not dedicated to these large machines. 3D printing is becoming more and more part of everyday life. Thus, the technology is used to create unique toys, various models, figurines, packaging, clothes, shoes and jewelry. For these purposes, it is not at all necessary to purchase a large-sized printer. You can get by with a small device. It has a compact size, and its technology is completely identical to the industrial one. Heated plastic is fed through the nozzle (spout) of the device, which is laid out on the surface in accordance with the drawing specified in the program. And if earlier such a device was a luxury that only a few can afford, today a 3D printer is available to everyone.

Top-10 rating according to KP

1. Creality3D Ender 3

Creality3D Ender 3. Photo: market-yandex.ru

Our rating opens with a model from the world's largest manufacturer of 3D printers. The Ender 3 features an elegant and thoughtful design, excellent print quality and a wide build area. Manufacturers have provided a good arrangement of wires that do not get confused during operation. The small control unit of the device is located to the right of the work surface. The gadget prints perfectly with various types of plastic. In particular, we are talking about varieties of ABS, PLA, TPU and PETG. The scope of this printer is quite wide. It can be used to produce minifigures, do artistic modeling, and make small prototypes of parts and functional elements. 9 Working space depth 220 mm Features heated table, display, active cooling, no -change, Micro SD Press speed (extruder speed) 904L Number of extruders 1

Pros and cons

Ability to use different types of plastics, high quality parts, reliable design

A small display that displays only basic information

2.

FlashForge Adventurer 3 FlashForge Adventurer 3. Photo: market-yandex.ru

The model from the Chinese developer FlashForge took the second position in our rating. The device is equipped with a Wi-Fi receiver, a removable heated pad for printing. In addition, manufacturers have provided a built-in webcam, a closed case and a color touch-screen display. The latter, although it does not support the Russian language, is intuitively understandable. The ergonomics of the device is provided by the filament sensor: if the printer runs out of plastic, it automatically goes into standby mode and does not idle.

Despite the rather wide functionality, this model is hardly suitable for an experienced printer or a small production due to the small area of ​​​​the working space, high price

3. FlyingBear Ghost 5

FlyingBear Ghost 5. Photo: market-yandex.ru from FlyingBear is ideal for semi-professional use. Uniform supply of filament (plastic) provides good opportunities for creating three-dimensional figures with a fairly high resolution. High productivity is achieved thanks to the transparent Dual Drive extruder with BMG double drive. The gadget has a body closed on three sides. Its walls are made of heat-resistant non-toxic ABS plastic. This protection prevents the accumulation of dust on the working parts of the device, which greatly facilitates the maintenance of the printer. The device is controlled using a 3.5-inch color TFT display. X, Y 0.01 mm Positioning accuracy Z 0.002 mm

Pros and cons

Short power cord, inaccuracies in the Russian-language menu, weak airflow system.

4. Anet N4

Anet N4. Photo: market-yandex.ru

The budget model from the Chinese manufacturer Anet N4 is equipped with all the necessary functions for a small domestic production. The base of the device is made of cast aluminum alloy. The weight of the gadget does not exceed 9kg. A transparent tinted hood protects the work surface from external sources of ultraviolet radiation. It can be removed to remove the finished product and clean the printer. Also, manufacturers have provided a removable resin bath and a working platform, which greatly facilitates the use of the device.

Key Features

Print Technology	LCD
Applications	Home/DIY Professional	30 mm/h

Pros and cons

Ability to use photopolymer resins from any manufacturer, high polymer curing speed

Small work surface, slightly inferior to competitors in some parameters

Photon Scu0bic4 Anycubic4 Anycu043 5. S. Photo: market-yandex.ru

In the middle of our rating is the Anycubic Photon S model. It is equipped with an advanced optical system and a large working camera. The device has a matrix light source that provides a uniform luminous flux over the entire plane of the desktop. This allows a very high curing speed of the layers to be achieved. In addition, the printer has an original function that allows you to simultaneously print eight identical models. According to the developers, the target audience for this device are orthodontists and jewelers. Most parts of the device are made of plastic. This factor significantly reduces the weight of the device and makes it convenient to transport.

Pros and cons

Low price, easy and convenient to use

Lack of protection for the work surface, poor quality of spare parts

8. Wanhao Duplicator i3 Mini

Duplicator Mini i3. Photo: market-yandex.ru

Miniature 3D printer does not look like other devices. However, this feature does not affect its technical characteristics. The plastic spool is located on the right side of the bracket. Wanhao branded coating is pasted over the table. There is no platform heating, so it is recommended to use PLA plastic for printing. The manufacturer clearly states in the manual that the printer is designed to work only with PLA material and nothing else. The body of the gadget is made of sheet steel. The memory card slot and all printer control elements - a monochrome liquid crystal display, a universal knob-button and a Reset micro-button - are placed on the front panel of the printer. Positioning accuracy Z 0.004 mm

PLASS AND MINSS

Good price

LOOD WITTURE and Protection of the working surface, high probability of problems with a working peasant

9. Arntiller.

Artillery Genius. Photo: market-yandex.ru

The base of the device consists of an aluminum case, in which all the electronics are hidden. An aluminum portal is also attached to it. The latter is also a guide for the moving parts of the printer. At the top of the portal is a plastic jumper to which the spool holder and filament sensor are attached. As for the control screen, its functionality is seriously curtailed. However, it is sufficient for simple tasks, but it is impossible to configure the printer. 1

Pros and cons

Spacious work surface, robust housing

Little functionality for a rather high price, no work surface protection, few functions on the control screen.

10. Tianfour Sparkmaker

Tianfour Sparkmaker. Photo: market-yandex.ru

This model is ideal for beginners, as it does not require additional settings at all before starting work. Externally, the printer has the shape of a cylinder with a height of 27.5 cm and a diameter of 17 cm. The realistic contours and smooth curves of the figures are ensured by LCD technology. The printer works with any photopolymer resins for 3D printing with a flash length of 405nm.

How to choose a 3D printer

Choosing a 3D printer is not such a difficult task as it might seem at first glance. Despite the relentless interest in 3D printing and the incredible number of devices on the market, the basic requirements for models remain unchanged. Komsomolskaya Pravda turned to Svyatoslav Vulf, a blogger and host of a YouTube channel about modern technologies and experiments, for help in this matter. He regularly monitors new products on the 3D technology market and tests them at home.

Product size

Initially, you should decide what size of products you expect to receive in the end. The required area of ​​​​the working surface depends on this. Note that the price of the device also depends on the size of the latter. For work at home, there will be enough indicators: 200 × 250 × 200 (WxHxD).

Technology

Today, there are several technologies for printing on a 3D printer. They differ significantly from each other. Let's consider some of them.

SLA-technology — works on the basis of liquid photopolymer, which under the influence of laser light changes its physical properties and hardens. It allows you to create figurines with the highest precision of microforms.

DLP technology is an alternative SLA method. However, instead of laser systems, LED projectors are used here, which significantly reduce the cost of 3D printers. When using this technology, the future prototype is formed layer by layer.

The FDM method is ideal when prototypes are required that will be actively used, not just sitting on a shelf. Here, high-strength industrial plastics will be used for production. Please note that there are other technologies, but they are very similar to the above.

Material

Before buying a printer, you should also pay attention to what materials it works with, as they have significant differences from each other. For example, ABS can take many different polymeric forms. This is a very durable plastic. It is easily sanded and processed. PLA plastic is considered more environmentally friendly. It is made from agricultural products - corn, potatoes, beets and others. In its original form, it is transparent and can be colored. PLA is just as strong but tougher than ABS. The ductility and heat resistance of SBS make it the material of choice in engineering and mechanical applications.

Noise level and drivers

An important factor when choosing a 3D printer are drivers - device engines (not to be confused with software).

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