Table top 3d printers

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

Sold By	List Price	Price
Prusa Research	$399.00	$399.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

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.

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$199.95	$199.95	See It (Opens in a new window)
Walmart	$199.95	$199.95	See It (Opens in a new window)

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

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$299.00	$299.00	See It (Opens in a new window)
Toybox Labs	$379.00	$299.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

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

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$323.98	$323.98	See It (Opens in a new window)

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	$339. 99	$339.99	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).

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$259.90	$259.90	Check Stock (Opens in a new window)

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.

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$699.00	$699.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

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

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$299.95	$199.95	See It (Opens in a new window)
Best Buy	$449.95	$449.95	Check Stock (Opens in a new window)

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.

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$449.99	$369.26	See It (Opens in a new window)
Walmart	$429.99	$369.26	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Monoprice Voxel 3D Printer Review

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.

Recommended by Our Editors

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.

Best Way to Get Miniature 3D Printing Files (D&D, Warhammer)

So you got yourself a sweet resin printer and now you are ready to print some miniatures for Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer or your favourite skirmish game. The problem is: you do not have any files to print!

In this article, I go through how to get some good miniature 3D printing files. I explain what you should avoid and what you should look for and I tell you the best place to acquire miniature 3D printing files for your specific needs and use case.

Note: I am not sponsored or affiliated with any of the sites or creators mentioned in this post. I am merely a person that use those services and these are my opinions on what is best.

Places where you can get miniature 3D printing files

So there are quite a few options when it comes to getting your hands on miniature 3D printing files. The files are either free, something you buy on-demand, part of a subscription model, or part of a Kickstarter bulk deal.

The sites and places where you will get the files will be via the following types:

A Patreon subscription where you pay each month to receive a batch of miniature 3D printing files.
Websites where a specific company are selling their miniature 3D printing files
Platforms where you can buy files from various companies and sculptors.
Kickstarters where you buy a big bundle of 3D files.

Each method of acquiring miniature 3D printing files has various benefits and drawbacks. What works best for you depends on your use case. If you have no idea what to print, check out this page with 3D printer project ideas.

This is how I get my miniature 3D printing files:

I am a subscriber of various monthly Patreons. I have picked those subscriptions because they provide the style of sculpts that I like and because they give me a steady stream of miniatures of a qualitry I know I can trust each month. Sometimes the theme of the miniatures of the month is not to my liking – then I can either pause my sub or just stick with regardless. The amount of miniatures you get via these subscribtions is high and the cost is low. They are often very good quality.
At times I might have a specific need for a miniature for say my Dungeons and Dragons party. I will go to one of the platforms and search for the miniature I need and buy that specific file. It can also happen that I find a free one I like, but it is quite rare.
At times I will also invest in a Kickstarter what types ofr miniatures I like. As an example I have done that with the Titan Forge Miniatures Kickstarters and the Kickstarter for Hagglethorn Hollow to get some good terrain. These Kickstarters are most of the time a good bargain, but in most cases you will need to wait to recieve your files. But it can be a good way of building up a quick library of files for printing.

The type of miniature 3d printing files you need and the quality of the files

So what you are looking for are STL files that you can print on your printer (preferably a high-quality resin printer). If you do now know what else to do, our beginner’s guide to 3D printing miniatures will likely help you out a ton.

Get 3d printing files with supports ready made

If you want to make it as easy as possible on yourself, you should get miniature 3D printing files that come with “supports” already made in the file. The supports are there to make sure the print goes smoothly and nothing breaks off. If supports are not made for you, you will have to make them yourself. Not only is this time-consuming, but if something goes wrong with the print it might be the supports did you messed up (this leaves you with more things that can go wrong and more things you need to test to figure out the problem). I just hate doing supports, so I almost never buy files that are not pre-supported.

Bought vs free 3D printing files

You might have noticed in my description above that I rarely look for free files. There are two reasons for that:

Free 3D files are often sculpted by amateurs that are just creating the 3D sculpt for fun or trying to get better. While this is cool, it also means that the finished result will most likely not look super good. With the sheer abundance of extremely good looking miniatures you can print, I think this is a bad option. For me, low quality sculpts leads to a poor painting experience.
Free files will most likely not have supports on them when you get them. So while they are free, they are more time consuming to print.
If you print big miniatures (think monsters) they are going to use up a lot of resin. If you buy premium 3D printing files they will most likely hollow the model for you, making you save quite a bit of resin and money in the long run.

There are of course exceptions to the rule. As an example, these 3D printing files for Dungeons and Dragons miniatures are free and super awesome!

Good Patreons for getting miniature 3D printing files

Patreon is my favorite way of getting my miniature files. I just love that steady stream of miniatures each month and it forces me to paint types of models I would never otherwise have touched. Below are some of my current favorite Patreons. This is by no means an exhaustive list (just go search on Patreon yourself).

All Patreons below do it in sort of the same way: each month you are a member you get access to a new batch of 3D printing files in a particular theme. If you want something from the old months, most of them sell it via Myminifactory (usually at a discount for Patreons). Most Patreons will also have some sort of welcome package with minis in it. It is possible to see, from the Patreons open posts, what the miniatures for the current month is.

Totally not a Stormcast EternalA Stormcast Eternal from age of Sigmar

I have on purpose not included any Patreons that borders way too close on any copyright infringement stuff. The images above are an example of what I would consider cutting it way close to stealing from an IP (the one is a Patreon selling his files the other is a Stormcast Eternal from GW).

If you just want a big old list of a lot of creators / studios making 3D printing files: this list is great!

Titan Forge Miniatures August 2020 release

Titan Forge Miniatures

Titan Forge Miniatures are by far my favorite Patreon for my miniature 3D files need. I recently went through my collection of files and I can see that I own every one they have made (Patreon and Kickstarter).

For me, they make a perfect combination of miniatures. I really like their style of sculpts. Some say they are bit blocky or bland, but I guess I just like them!

Titan Forge Miniatures September 2021 release

Each month they have a theme and the miniatures are made with that theme in mind. You get terrain and miniatures in that theme + a few heroes for use in say Dungeons and Dragons. I use them for making warbands for skirmish games, for DnD miniatures, and even to add units for my Warhammer armies.

For me, it is a good combination of big miniatures and smaller miniatures, monsters, and humonaids. They do not do busts, so if that is a must you are better off looking elsewhere.

Welcome package included.

Some of my favorite months of Titan Forge have been the Vampires and The Tavern (see images)

Titan Forge Miniatures May 2020 release

Titan Forge Miniatures Patreon

Titan Forge Miniatures Myminifactory shop

Artisan Guild release

Artisan Guild

Artisan Guild produces some very high-quality miniatures and their Patreon is super popular. For me, I only sub when it is something I really like. Each month is less diverse in what models you get, as it is very much the same style of the model with different weapons and loadouts.

Each release they do follow a specific pattern with 6 modular models, 4 special models (many times cavalry), 2 heroes, 1 boss or epic thing and some terrain.

They also have a welcome package.

Artisan Guild release

You can check out each month’s release via their Youtube Channel as well.

Artisan Guild Patreon

Artisan Guild Myminifactory shop

Archvillain Games

Archvillain Games is another super popular Patreon with monthly releases. These are a bit more grim dark and focus more heavily on monsters. If that is your jam, I can highly recommend them. They are perfect for a Dungeon Master trying to spruce up their collection with some nasty minis!

As is custom, they include a welcome package with minis. Also, as you can see from the images, they are very good at rendering the 3D files in a way so they look really good!

Archvillain Games Patreon

Archvillain Games Myminifactory shop

Punga Miniatures February 2021 release

Punga Miniatures

Punga Miniatures makes miniature 3D printing files designed for use in “Fantasy Football” (read: alternative teams for Blood Bowl). Some of the miniatures I really like, others are a bit off. They are more hit and miss, so this is a subscription I have on and off depending on the teams coming out. They mostly split the teams they release up in several different parts, so to get everything for a team you might need to sub for 2-3 months (but there are a lot of extra for the team you get).

Punga Miniatures November 2021 release

If you are into Blood Bowl, this is definitely a way of getting good alternative models or Big Guy models that are not from games workshop.

Punga Miniatures Patreon

Punga Miniatures Myminifactory shop

Platforms / Sites where you can buy or find free miniature 3D printing files

There are a lot of platforms where various creators can sell their files or give them away for free. These are the ones you should know about if you are into miniature printing.

Myminifactory

Myminifactory is my favorite platform for buying single miniatures. Creators set up a shop and you can buy from all of them via one site and login. Most of the big Patreons are also on there selling their miniatures (and if you are a Patreon you can get a huge discount on earlier releases). The common theme here is high-quality bought miniatures. Compared to the other platforms, Myminfactory really caters for the miniature side of things (so not a lot of weird other 3D printing stuff).

It is a good place to discover new creators because you can more easily see all of the miniatures they have made. There are also frequent sales from various stores.

One of the greatest things is that the things you buy are connected with your user, so it gets easy to figure out what files you have and find the one you are looking for (or just browsing your own collection once you get a huge list of files). Some Patreons have also connected their monthly sub, so you also get access to the miniatures on Myminifactor (which is a blessing if you forget to download them before the month ends).

You can also join the “Tribe” of a particular store. Most of the time this works in the same way as joining a Patreon. Because I am used to using Patreon for other things, I have not tried the tribe method.

If you buy a lot of stuff via Myminifactory, they also have a subscription program. For me, it looks kinda weird, as it only gives access to buying 3D printing stuff cheaper.

They also have an app, but it seems worse than just using a browser (you cannot buy things in the app as an example).

Thingiverse

Thingiverse is one of those sites: you either hate or love it and most people will mention it when they talk about 3D printing. The good thing is that everything on there is free. But it has a lot of stuff and most of it is not aimed at making good-looking miniatures. But you can find some gems on there, especially if you have a plastic printer as well. Not a place I would recommend you start, but once you get the hang of things (and can do manual supports), you can get some cool free stuff here.

Gambody site (maybe a biiit close to original models?)

Gambody

Gambody is a bit like Myminifactory, but the miniatures are less me style so have not used it much. The minis are all super high quality, so if that is your jam you can find some awesome things on there. Looking over some of the minis you will definitely see some that infringe on copyright (hello Space Marines), see yeah now you are warned. Most miniatures cost quite a lot on there, so definitely not a cheap option.

Cults3D

Cults3D is yet another platform for free and paid files. There is quite a lot of trademark and IP infringement on there, so if that is your thing it is likely one of the good places for you.

Pinshape

Pinshape does not have a lot of the things I am looking for, but it has some good ones. Not super miniature focused.

3DWargaming

If you are not into fantasy or sci-fi stuff, 3DWargaming might be your jam. The historical miniature aspect is not something we spend a lot of time on here on the site, but that is mainly because none of us actually play it.

Hero Forge

Hero Forge is a slightly different beast. You make custom miniatures that they can ship to you or that you can print Hero Forge miniatures yourself.

Wargame Vault

Wargame Vault is great if you are into historic wargaming.

Thingiverse

Thingiverse is the place your grandparents know you can get free 3D printing files. Mostly for FDM printers and not a lot of mini specific things. A lot of free stuff, but beware of super crappy files.

Thangs

Thangs is an agregrated search thing, where it find files from other websites. Pretty neat.

Websites where you can buy miniature 3D printing files

Loot Studios February 2022

Loot Studios

Loot Studious do a “Patreon like” subscription service, but just through their own website. That has some pros and cons, but I tend to subscribe on the months when I think there is something good. The price is a bit higher than other subs, but the quality is also a bit higher. Can totally recommend them, really like what they do.

The minis come in a small scale and a big scale and the big miniatures are hollowed out beforehand (saving you resin).

Printable Scenery

I have bought a few things in the past from Printable Scenery on backed some of their Kickstarters. I think the sculpts are awesome and they have a host of different designs. I think the price is a bit on step site, so I always buy from them in bulk or via a discount.

Waylayer

Waylayers sells sci-fi wargaming terrain. Not my thing right now, so I have not tried them

Storing and managing your 3D printing miniature files

So I just took a look at my folder with all 3D printing files. At is closing in on 300GB and I actually think I have quite a small collection. 3D printing files can be huge and once you get a lot it can be hard to manage. So from the start, you need some sort of system or else you can quickly get in trouble ( I know i messed up and lost a lot of files).

You need a system my friend!

A way of storing all your files

So most places will just let you download the files and store them however you want. While that is cool, it also means that they are not storing them for you. This is the case with most Patreons – which also means that you need to make sure you download the files for the month or they might be lost to you forever. Also, if you lose your files they are lost.

At first, I just uploaded my files to google drive or whatever. It quickly become clear that I needed way more space than any clod service could provide for a good price.

So right now I have settled for the following option (which works out great):

Store it on a big hard drive (speed is not that important here, but size is) on my pc. I have a solid folder structure with a lot sub-folders for each Patreon, the month and so on. Should be easy to find what you need when you need it.
Do a backup of computer with Backblaze (as I also create content it is the best way to backup A LOT of data). Backing up unlimited amounts of data is the key here.
Do manual backup once in a while and store it on a big external harddrive and store that drive somewhere safe.

A way of knowing what miniatures you have acces to via files

So one thing is to have a good system in place for storing the files, another thing is to browse the files. I find it best to have images of all the files I own, preferably rendered in a nice way (the ones you get from the Patreon subs are very ideal). Right now I store mine in Google Photos, just because it is easy to browse every miniature I can print and I can easily send a link to the images if I need to share it with someone else.

Other great resources:

3D printing miniatures guide
Best 3D printer for miniatures
Mars 3 Pro Review

Desktop 3D printers for the home

Anet Anycubic Creality3D CreatBot Dremel Elegoo Felix FlashForge FLSUN Flying Bear Formlabs IBRIDGER imprinta MakerBot Mingda Peopoly Phrozen PICASO 3D QIDI Raise3D Tiertime Ultimaker Uniz Voxelab wanhao XYZPrinting ZENIT Zortrax

Availability

In stock

Manufacturer

Phrozen Raise3D Creality wanhao FlashForge

PICASO 3D Anycubic Formlabs Tiertime Flyingbear QIDI Uniz CreatBot Dremel DigiLab Felix Zortrax XYZprinting Ultimaker imprinta Elegoo MakerBot Anet FLSUN iBridger MINGDA Peopoly snapmaker Voltera Voxelab ZENIT

Delivery

Assembled printer Assembly kit

Application

Architecture For large objects For beginners Medicine Education

Orthopedics Production prototyping Reverse engineering Advertising, exhibitions Sculpture Dentistry Hobby jewelry

Print technology

DLP/LCD/SLA FDM/FFF LFS

Thread diameter

1. 75 mm 2.85 mm 3.00 mm

Material type

ABS PLA PETG Photopolymers Flex

Nylon (Nylon) ASA Carbon HIPS PC PEEK PP TPU other Metal (Ultrafuse 316L, Ultrafuse 17-4PH)

Number of extruders (print heads)

Heating table

Yes No

Wi-Fi or other wireless network

Yes No

Country of origin

China Russia USA Taiwan Hong Kong

Netherlands Poland

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Manufacturer	Creality
Construction area size	220x220x250 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Creality
Construction area size	220 x 220 x 250 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1

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Manufacturer	Creality
Construction area size	200x200x200 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	102x57x165 mm
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Creality
Construction area size	250x250x400 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	FLSUN
On order/Transit	Goods in transit
Construction area size	260 x 330 mm (D x H)
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Phrozen
Construction area size	165x72x180 mm
Country of origin	Taiwan

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	219 x 123 x 250 mm (6. 7 l)
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Flash Forge
Construction area size	200x148x150 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	2
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	QIDI
On order/Transit	Goods in transit
Construction area size	270 x 200 x 200 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Flyingbear
Construction area size	325325350 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	FLSUN
On order/Transit	Goods in transit
Construction area size	300x410 mm (diameter x height)
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Phrozen
Construction area size	218 x 123 x 235 mm
Country of origin	Taiwan

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	300 x 298 x 164 mm (print volume 14. 7 l)
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	PICASO 3D
Construction area size	200x200x210 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	Russia

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Manufacturer	QIDI
Construction area size	300x250x300 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

3D printing is one of the most promising areas of technological development in the 21st century. Having gone a long way from bulky and heavy boxes to compact desktop devices, 3D printers have ceased to be something inaccessible to a wide range of users. The era of mass additive manufacturing has already arrived, and every home can now house a real desktop factory.

You can buy a 3D printer capable of printing small models and prototyping of medium complexity today at the price of an entry-level laptop. The price of PLA or ABS plastic, which acts as a consumable, also no longer seems exorbitant. In a word, if you have long dreamed of getting to know the world of 3D printing and joining the ranks of makers, the right moment has come!

To save you time and make it easier to select equipment, we have collected in one section all desktop 3D printers optimized for home and office use. These are the real "workhorses" with the perfect balance of functionality, quality and price. Even a beginner can understand the settings, mount and calibrate a 3D printer, and as he gains experience, he will be able to print more and more complex three-dimensional models.

Anycubic desktop 3D printers - catalog of equipment for 3D printing in Moscow

Availability

In stock

Manufacturer

Anycubic

Delivery

Assembled printer Assembly kit

Application

For large objects For beginners Medicine Education Production

prototyping Reverse engineering Advertising, exhibitions Dentistry Hobby jewelry

Print technology

DLP/LCD/SLA FDM/FFF

Thread diameter

1. 75 mm

Material type

ABS PLA PETG Photopolymers Flex

HIPS TPU other

Number of extruders (print heads)

Heating table

Yes No

Wi-Fi or other wireless network

Yes No

Country of origin

Free Shipping

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	102x57x165 mm
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	219 x 123 x 250 mm (6.7 l)
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	300 x 298 x 164 mm (print volume 14. 7 l)
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	2019.612.2 mm
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	130x80x165 mm
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	210 x 210 x 205 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	220x220x250 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	220x220x250 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	210 x 210 x 205 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	165x132x80 mm
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	180 x 163 x 102 mm
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	220 x 220 x 250 mm (capacity 12. 10 l)
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	130x78x160 mm
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	245×245×260 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	210×210×205 mm
Number of extruders (print heads)	1
Country of origin	China

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Manufacturer	Anycubic
Construction area size	115 x 65 x 155 mm
Country of origin	China

Thanks to the balanced combination of price and quality, desktop 3D printers from Anycubic quickly gained popularity in the maker community. Timely updating of the product line allows the company to quickly fix the shortcomings of previous models and improve functionality based on the feedback received from users.

In 2017, Anycubic was awarded three prestigious awards as one of the most innovative and fastest growing companies. Since then, it has repeatedly confirmed its status by releasing new models of desktop 3D printers that can boast excellent functionality, well-thought-out design and high-quality software. Separately, I would like to note the high level of customer support: consulting is carried out very quickly both in the form of letters and online.

Direct supply from the manufacturer

Our company is the official distributor of leading manufacturers of desktop and industrial 3D equipment (3D printers, 3D scanners, 3D manipulators) - Raise3D, FlashForge, Anycubic, Formlabs, Creality3D, PICASO 3D, Phrozen, Wanhao, CreatBot, QIDI, etc.

Own warranty service

We provide professional services for the selection, configuration, training, warranty and post-warranty maintenance of 3D equipment.