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Several years ago, the idea of having a printer that could create intricately detailed models in 3D seemed like something more appropriate in a sci-fi movie or a high-tech industrial lab than in your home office. Even now, for many searching for the best 3D printer, it might still seem kind of strange. Fortunately, though, dozens of these machines are on the market, and many resin printers are aimed at consumers, hobbyists, educators, and designers.
Entry-level printers that produce quality prints are becoming increasingly commonplace, meaning you can find a budget 3D printer that produces for a reasonable price. And the uses for these cool devices are almost limitless. A resin-based printer is great for both fun and work, ensuring you’ll create interesting objects that may spark unique ideas or provide you with a whole new way of performing a task.
Of course, no matter how awesome 3D printers are, they can’t handle the basic tasks of printing project specs or order confirmations. As such, you might also need the best printers for your 2D printing projects. A top-quality home printer or a great office printer can ensure your paperwork gets done on time, while an all-in-one printer gives you additional fax, copy, and scan functionality. Having both a 3D and 2D printer in your creative work area ensures you have all your bases covered.
Award: Editor’s Choice/Best Home 3D Printer
Price: $1,990 | Best Resolution: 90 microns | Type of Frame: Open/Closed | Read Full Review: Zortrax M200
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Provides impressive versatility as an open or closed frame unit.
The Zortrax M200 3D printer is a very reliable unit, offering a sturdy build quality in a heavy unit, weighing nearly 30 pounds. It offers a large printing area of nearly an eight-inch cube, which is one of the largest print areas in the consumer market. Zortrax started its company with a Kickstarter campaign a few years ago, promising the reliability of a professional/industrial 3D printer with the ease of use of a consumer-level 3D printer. However, Zortrax’s unit is not an open-source device, meaning you won’t be able to make changes to its operational process, as some hobbyists like to do with 3D printers. Check out our best duplex printer if you need printing done on both sides of the paper.
The accuracy of the M200 is very good, and it offers above-average printing speeds. It’s a unit that can be used as an open-frame 3D printer, but you also can purchase panels that will turn the M200 into a closed-frame printer. Having this type of flexibility as a consumer-level printer is nice. It also can use a few different types of plastic material for printing, but it works best with ABS. This is our editor’s pick for the best 3D printer.
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Award: Best 3D Printer for the Money
Price: $1,250 | Best Resolution: 50 microns | Type of Frame: Open | Read Full Review: Lulzbot Mini 3D Printer
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Consumer-level 3D printers are very easy to use.
Aleph Objects manufactures the LulzBot Mini, which is a 3D printer aimed more at hobbyists than those seeking professional-level performance. Still, among these types of consumer-level printers, the LulzBot Mini is a strong unit, offering good accuracy in its 3D print jobs at a reasonable price. It’s also extremely easy to use, requiring very little maintenance, thanks to a self-cleaning nozzle and a print bed that automatically levels itself. It’s an open-source unit, so you can make tweaks to its operation as desired. You’ll need to connect to the LulzBot Mini with a computer throughout the print job, which is a bit of a downside.
Award: Best Affordable 3D Printer
Price: $1,145 | Best Resolution: 25 microns | Type of Frame: Closed | Read Full Review: XYZprinting Nobel 3D
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Rarely found stereolithographic printing option highlights this unit’s feature set.
The print quality of the XYZprinting Nobel 1.0 is extremely high for a consumer-level 3D printer. It has a smaller footprint than many of the units on our best 3D printer for the home list, but it is nearly two feet tall, which can cause some problems with storing this unit on a desk if you have overhanging shelves. The Nobel 1.0 is a stereolithographic 3D printer, which is a different print type than the others on this list of the best 3D printers. While stereolithographic printing is more precise than some other options, it also will cost a bit more for materials to run the XYZprinting Nobel 1.0 than some other 3D printers. This is our pick for best 3d printer for your home.
Award: Best 3D Printer Under $2000
Price: $1,999 | Read Full Review: Ultimaker 2 Review | Best Resolution: 20 microns | Type of Frame: Closed
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Sharp design and interior lighting set this 3D printer apart.
Ultimaker has been one of the strongest 3D printer manufacturers in the short time this industry has been around, and its Ultimaker 2 continues that trend. This is a sharp-looking closed-frame 3D printer that is well-lit on the interior, making it easy to see your print job in progress. While the Ultimaker 2 is one of the more expensive units aimed at hobbyists and designers, it’s extremely accurate, offering tolerances of up to 20 microns, which is very impressive. It has a large print bed, too, measuring almost a nine-inch cube. The Ultimaker 2 is easy to use, and it will work well for both those new to 3D printing, as well as more advanced users.
Award: Best 3D Printer Under $1000
Price: $599 | Best Resolution: 50 microns | Type of Frame: Open | Read Full Review: Pinrtrbot Simple Metal
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Industrial look gives this 3D printer a cool design edge.
The Printrbot Simple Metal 3D printer is a simple-looking device, but it’s far from a toy. It’s sturdily built with a steel frame, yet it’s small enough to be easily moved from location to location. The wide open frame printer bed might not appeal to hobbyists that have small children or curious pets in the home, but it gives the Printrbot Simple Metal an industrial look and feel. You will be limited in the types of materials you can use with this unit, and it runs noisy, but it offers strong reliability, reasonably good print quality, and a great overall value. This Printrbot model easily would make any best 3D printer for under $1,000 list and is our pick for best 3D printer under $1000.
Accuracy: Depending on the type of work you want to do with a 3D printer, you’ll need to pay attention to its ability to create a print within certain tolerances. If you’re more of a hobbyist interested in creating cool objects with liquid resin, you probably can live with a printing process that has less detailed printing capabilities. Or if you need extremely high-quality prints, a 3D printer designed for at-home use might not work for you; you may need more of an industrial-type model, especially if you generally need to produce a huge print volume.
Type of Frame: Picking between closed and open frame machines is a personal preference, but it’s an important choice to make when shopping for the best 3D printers for use at home. Why? Because there is a wide range of 3D models to choose from. A closed-frame machine is safer around children and pets and will reduce noise, but an open-frame printer gives you easier access to the print bed and may be easier to clean and use.
Frame Size: The size of the frame will also determine the available print area. Larger printers have a larger print bed, which means they can produce bigger creations. If you’re just printing small items, such as paintable game pieces or custom action figures, a home 3D printer should work just fine. However, large sculptures will require a large printer that can accommodate the size.
Build Area: Think about the types of objects you want to create with your 3D printer, and make sure the unit you purchase has the print bed size to handle them. Most consumer-level units offer a print bed area that’s at least 5 inches cubic, although some can be as large as 10 inches cubic. That’s because larger models can handle larger objects. Larger build areas in your 3D printer will give you greater flexibility in the types of objects you can create.
Not Thinking About the Extra Costs: There’s more to the cost of operating a 3D printer than the initial purchase price. You have to think about the print head, range of materials, and print volume. So, make sure your budget includes these extra costs. For example, you’ll have to purchase plastic material to create the printed objects, and you may need a lot of material for a single print job. Also, keep in mind that many consumer-level 3D printers have a failure rate on any individual print job of 10% to 20%, so you could end up having quite a bit of wasted material. And you’ll have to keep the shipping costs in mind for these heavy devices when you make a purchase. Software may cost extra as well.
Picking a First Unit That’s Too Complex: If you’re new to the world of 3D printing, you probably will want to stick with a less expensive, beginner-level model. Then if you decide you enjoy 3D printing, you can pick a more complex model as your next 3D printer down the road, once you have a better idea of what features you need in a 3D printing unit.
Build Area
Printing Technology
Best Resolution
Material Options
Port Options
Display Screen
Type of Frame
Printing Speed
Dimensions
Weight
3D printing can be a cool hobby, it can be an important way for designers to create precise models with exacting tolerances, or it can be something in between. This includes printers for crafting, too. When it comes to finding the best 3D printer option, you really need to understand how you’re going to want to use the unit. For example, if you don’t have exacting tolerances, you can save some money with more of a beginner model. Either way, 3D printing is an expensive process, as you’re typically going to spend well over $1,000 for the printer itself, plus you’ll have plenty of extra costs in materials. So it’ll pay to take your time and understand exactly what features you need before making this major purchase! The Prusa i3 is a popular model, as is the Prusa i3 mk3s kit and the Da Vinci and Mini 2. They have great build volume. You can also check out the Formlabs Form.
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