Types of 3D printers: a buyer's guide from filament to resin

The 3D printers you see in homes and offices come in two main kinds: filament (FDM) printers, which melt a plastic strand and build the piece layer by layer and suit keychains, spare parts and colourful pieces, and resin (MSLA and SLA) printers, which harden a liquid with light and suit small figures with very fine detail. After the kind, printers differ in build size, multi-colour support, whether they're enclosed or open, and nozzle size.

This is a neutral guide for anyone who wants to understand printers before buying one, or before ordering a print. We don't sell printers, and we don't rank brands from best to worst: each has its people.

Filament printers (FDM or FFF)

A spool of plastic strand feeds into a hot head that melts it and pushes it out of a small nozzle, drawing the piece line by line. There are two motion designs:
- Bed slinger: the bed moves back and forth while the head moves side to side. Usually simpler and cheaper, and open-frame. Examples include the Bambu Lab A1 and A1 mini, the Prusa MK4 and Creality's Ender-3 family.
- CoreXY: the head moves across the whole plane and the bed drops with each layer. Usually faster and steadier, and many sit inside an enclosure. Examples include the Bambu Lab P1S and X1 Carbon, the Creality K1 and the Prusa Core One.

Filament printers are the most common at home because their pieces are strong and practical, the materials are many, and some can print several colours in one piece.

Resin printers (MSLA, SLA and DLP)

A tank of liquid resin sits over a screen (MSLA) or a laser (SLA) that shines light in the shape of each layer to harden it, while the piece rises layer by layer.
- Strengths: very fine detail and a smooth surface, which is why people who print small figures, statues and display characters love them.
- What to know: pieces need washing and then curing under UV light after printing, they're harder and break more easily if dropped, and manufacturers advise gloves and good ventilation when handling liquid resin.
- Examples: the Elegoo Mars and Saturn, and the Anycubic Photon. For professional use there are SLA printers such as the Formlabs Form.

Best-known home printer families (in no particular order)

• Bambu Lab: known for working from day one with simple setup and automatic calibration. Its range includes the small open A1 mini, the A1 with the same idea and a bigger build area (both take the AMS lite for four colours), the enclosed P1S, and the enclosed X1 Carbon with extra sensors and a hardened nozzle (both take the AMS). Its software is Bambu Studio and the Bambu Handy app.
• Prusa Research: a Czech company known for open source and the PrusaSlicer software. Its range includes the open MK4, the small MINI, the enclosed Core One, and the MMU3 multi-material system.
• Creality: one of the best-known names among beginners and hobbyists. The Ender-3 family is affordable and loved by people who like to tinker and learn, the K1 family is enclosed and faster, and newer models support a multi-colour system called CFS.
• Elegoo and Anycubic: known for resin printers (Mars and Saturn; Photon), and they make filament printers too, such as the Elegoo Neptune and the Anycubic Kobra.

Models change quickly, so check the maker's own page for current specs before you buy.

The differences that matter when you choose

• Build size: the biggest piece printed in one go. Small printers like the A1 mini print up to about 18 cm on each side, mid-size ones about 25 cm, and there are bigger ones. A larger piece is split into parts and joined.
• Multi-colour: systems like Bambu Lab's AMS and AMS lite, Prusa's MMU3 and Creality's CFS feed the printer from several spools and switch between them while printing. You get a coloured piece without paint, but each switch wastes a little material and adds time.
• Enclosed or open: an enclosure keeps the heat steady around the piece, which materials like ABS and ASA need, cuts dust and noise, and is safer around children. An open frame is enough for PLA and is simpler.
• Nozzle: 0.4 mm is common. A 0.2 mm nozzle prints small letters and details more clearly but much more slowly, and 0.6 mm is faster and stronger for big pieces. Materials with carbon fibre or glow-in-the-dark particles need a hardened steel nozzle.
• Calibration: newer printers level the bed and set the height themselves; older ones need manual calibration and patience.
• Software (the slicer): the program that turns an STL or 3MF file into printer instructions, such as Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer, Cura and Creality Print, and for resin Chitubox and Lychee.
• Materials: every filament printer prints PLA, but not every one prints ABS or TPU easily. Details in 3D printing materials explained.

Do you need your own printer, or should you order prints?

Buy a printer if:
- You'll print a lot, and enjoy experimenting and learning.
- You have a fixed spot for it, and ventilation if you'll print ABS or resin.
- You're ready for failed prints, nozzle and bed maintenance, and storing filament somewhere dry, because filament absorbs moisture, which shows in humid coastal cities.

Order a print if:
- You want one piece or a few.
- You want the result without learning the software and settings.
- You want a coloured piece without buying a multi-colour system.

At Kun

We print on a Bambu Lab A1 mini with an AMS lite, in PLA, with a 0.4 mm nozzle for most pieces and 0.2 mm for fine detail. If you have a file, upload it on Print your design and we send you the price on WhatsApp before you pay anything; prepare it first with How to prepare your file for 3D printing. No file? Design a keychain or clicker with your name in Print on demand. How we work, step by step, is in How Kun prints your pieces.