Best 3D Printer for Gaming Miniatures

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Choose The Best 3D Printer To Print Your Own Tabletop Miniatures

Updated: April 2022

The Best 3D Printer for Miniatures

Best 3D Printer for Minis - Anycubic Photon UV LCD 3D Printer
Cutting to the chase, the best 3D printer currently available for printing minis is the Anycubic Photon.

It’s a DLP printer that uses LEDs to cure the liquid resin. The level of detail you get on the Photon is unbeatable in this price range and this makes it perfect for 3D printing minis.

You can read more about the Anycubic Photon and why it’s so good, as well as lots more info on 3D printing minis in the rest of the article.

Introduction

Using a 3D printer to create your own custom miniatures can really take your tabletop miniature design and game creation to a whole new level.

Designing and making custom gaming miniatures not only gives you the freedom to print whatever figures you like it also allows you to create your own completely original figures or even your own entire game!

3D printing your own gaming miniatures is a hobby that has an ever-growing army of dedicated followers thanks to the price of 3D printers continuing to drop.

Not only have 3D printers continued to drop in price, but they’ve also dramatically increased in reliability, quality, and ease of use. There are now many different models available that can reliably print the level of detail you need to create your own miniatures at home.

In this article, I will help you choose the best 3D printer for printing gaming miniatures, as well as tabletop accessories and terrain. I will tell you where you can download CAD models of minis for free, and give you some insider tips for what you need to look out for when buying a 3D printer.

Impressive 3D Printed miniature by Dutchmogul Magic Crystal 28mm Scale
Impressive 3D Printed Miniature! Magic Crystal 28mm miniature base | Credit: Thingiverse user – dutchmogul

The Top 6 Best 3D Printers for Miniatures

Best Budget 3D Printer For Minis – Creality Ender 3

ON SALE - SAVE $63.48

The Creality Ender 3 is my favorite budget 3D printer and is a model I use again and again in my workshop. It shares its configuration with a few other popular printers but is built to a very high quality and carries some features that give it quite an edge over the competition.

Most importantly the Ender 3 is constructed using solid, sturdy materials and components that allow it to achieve the high precision printing needed for minis out of the box. If you print using small layer heights of 0.05mm and slow speeds around 25mm/sec you can achieve an impressive level of detail. If you fancy pushing the limits you can also swap out the stock 0.4mm nozzle for something smaller to further improve accuracy.

On arrival, it’s easy to set up with just a few bolts and electrical connectors to plug in and Creality includes a full spool of filament to get you started.

The latest model has recently benefited from an upgrade to the build platform which is actually a game-changer for FFF 3D printers. It’s a glass bed with a hard-wearing grippy coating that your first printing layer readily sticks to. This coating means you avoid all the hassle of failed prints due to them not sticking to conventional glass or aluminum beds. And it’s also super easy to remove your prints when they’re finished by just waiting for the bed to cool and gently snapping your prints off.

Official Creality Ender 3 3D Printer Fully Open Source with Resume Printing Function 220x220x250mm

If you don’t want to spend a fortune and are happy to sacrifice a little detail then the Creality Ender 3 is a great choice for printing minis on a tight budget. Just because it’s marketed as an entry level 3D printer doesn’t mean it isn’t up to job!

Best SLA Resin 3D Printer For Miniatures – Anycubic Photon Mono

If you want to achieve perfect quality, super-high-resolution 28mm (~1:58 scale) miniatures with lots of details then your best bet is the Anycubic Photon.

The Anycubic Photon is an LCD 3D Printer. It works by using an LCD screen as a miniature TV to project an image of UV light across an entire layer at once. This cures the resin wherever it hits it. The platform then lifts to repeat the process for the next layer, and so on.

ANYCUBIC Photon Mono 3D Printer, UV LCD Resin 3D Printer Fast Printing with 6.08'' 2K Monochrome LCD, Off-line Print 5.11"(L) x 3.14"(W) x 6.49"(H) Printing Size

The LCD screen in the Photon Mono is 2K (2560 x 1440) resolution which enables it to print down to a resolution of just 47 microns.

This means you can replicate the tiniest facial details on minis as small as 28mm or even smaller. You can even match the detail of GW or Corvus Belli.

The Photon includes many features that make it reliable and easy to use compared to previous generations of SLA printers such as a touch screen controller,

So what can you expect from the Anycubic Photon Mono?

  • Layer thickness as low as 25 microns (0.025mm)
  • At the highest resolutions (25 microns) the print speed is comparable to FFF/filament printing (approx 2cm/0.75″ build height per hour)
  • You get a far superior part finish compared to filament printers with very little sanding or smoothing required
  • Great online community more than willing to help fellow owners

There are also other resins available that allow you to do exciting things like creating molds for investment casting, this opens up a whole other avenue of metal casting to you which could be perfect for casting metallic minis or jewelry making.

Here are some of the downsides to SLA printing:

You need to take good care of the resin. When adding resin to the tank, you have to wait for any bubbles to dissipate before starting the build. After the build has finished, you have to ‘rake’ through the resin tank to make sure no bits of cured resin are floating around that could get in the way of your next build.

When a build is finished, you have to wear latex gloves to remove your part and wash it in Isopropyl Alcohol to remove the uncured resin.

In short, you need to be a careful and methodical person to use an SLA printer. If you’re messy and likely to be spilling resin and not taking care to clean up you probably won’t be able to achieve successful prints.

Thankfully there is an ever-growing community of Anycubic Photon owners who are more than willing to offer any help they can. Lots of tips have been learned from this printer since it was first released so you can easily avoid most of the common pitfalls.

If you want top-quality miniatures that feature the minutest detail, then the Anycubic Photon Mono is the best choice.

Best Easy to Use 3D Printer For Miniatures – Sindoh 3DWOX 1

The Sindoh 3DWOX 1 is my favorite 3D printer model recommendation for anyone looking for a high-quality 3D printer that’s going to work perfectly straight out of the box and do so repeatedly for years. In fact I included it on my list of the best 3d printers.

It’s a great choice for 3D printing miniatures as the accuracy and print quality are as good as you will ever get on an FFF printer allowing it to print the detail needed for minis with ease.

The surprising thing about the 3DWOX 1 is it rarely features on best-of lists, and yet the user reviews are always unanimous in their praise, a sentiment that I wholeheartedly echo from my own experiences.

Both software and hardware of the 3DWOX 1 are perfect for beginners and anyone who doesn’t like the hassle of unreliability and diagnosing problems. There are so many features to like about this 3D printer:

Sindoh - 3D1AQ - 3DWOX 1 3D Printer - Open Source Filament, WiFi, Heatable Metal Flex Bed, HEPA Filter, Intelligent Bed Leveling Assistance, Built-in Camera, Build Size 8.2"x7.9"x7.7"

  • Heated Flexible Aluminium Teflon coated build bed.
  • 50 micron (0.05mm) resolution.
  • HEPA filter and enclosed build chamber which is perfect for printing with ABS filament.
  • Assisted bed leveling.
  • Hassle-free filament cartridge system.

If you have any worries about whether you’re buying a good printer or not the 3DWOX 1 is a perfect choice. It just works, straight out the box, and can always be relied on.

Compared to its predecessors Sindoh has also opened up this latest model to accept all filament brands so you can choose whichever brand your happiest without fear of voiding the warranty.

Check out my full review of the Sindoh 3DWOX 1 here.

Best Allrounder 3D Printer For Miniatures, Terrain, and Props – FlashForge Creator Pro

The FlashForge Creator Pro is a legend of a 3D printer! It is well respected in the 3D printing community as a workhorse 3D printer that just keeps on going.

A dual extruder 3D printer allows you to use a second dissolvable filament as a support material. This allows you to print highly complex minis with multiple overhangs without the problem of build supports leaving witness marks on your final print.

FlashForge 3D Printer Creator Pro, Metal Frame Structure, Acrylic Covers, Optimized Build Platform, Dual Extruder W/2 Spools, Works with ABS and PLA

Using dissolvable supports greatly reduces the amount of time and effort you will need to clean your minis once they are printed.

The Creator Pro will happily and reliably print minis as small as 28mm but it won’t be able to replicate the finest details, particularly facial details like eyes will have to be painted in after printing.

The FlashForge 3D Printer Creator Pro is essentially a clone of the very popular Makerbot Replica. However, it has the huge benefit of having all the user enhancements that were commonly done to the MakerBot machine already included as standard.

Enhancements like metal support arms for the build plate. These provide much better thermal stability and prevent the build plate from moving during a build. Plastic coated adjusters make leveling the build plate very easy.

You also have a CPU with the power necessary to install Sailfish firmware; this is a great enhancement that will give you a superior auto-leveling ability, more precise heater control and higher print quality due to the prioritized timing of CPU operations.

All of these small features add up to make the Creator Pro a highly accurate and reliable 3D printer that is perfect for building larger figurines.

The chassis is fully enclosed therefore printing reliably with ABS filament is not a problem. So you can take advantage of the superior finish and strength ABS can offer.

The Creator Pro is also a dual extruder printer, meaning you can print using two different types or colors of filament at the same time. Other than for aesthetics the biggest advantage of this is you can use soluble build support material in one of the extruders. This allows you to design highly complex miniatures with additional supports that can be dissolved away once the build is complete. This means the supports won’t spoil the surface of your mini as you don’t need to manually cut them away.

Finally, because the Creator Pro is based on the successful Makerbot Replica, there is a wealth of tips and info available online to help you get the most out of the printer.

Check out my full review of the Creator Pro here.

Best 3D Printer For Gaming Terrain and Props – Hictop CR-10S

The Hictop CR-10S is one of the best budget 3D printers available. It’s based on the proven Prusa i3 design. Unlike many of the other i3 clones, this Hictop uses quality components for the power supply, motherboard, and motion systems. The frame is fully metallic construction and has a sturdy design.

Because of its large build volume and good accuracy out of the box, it’s a great choice for printing terrain and other larger objects. It can also print minis as small as 28mm with a good amount of detail, but you won’t be able to replicate fine facial details like eyes, instead, you can paint these details afterward. The large print volume also makes it a great choice for 3D printing cosplay.

Although it looks like a kit printer, you only have a minimal amount of assembly to carry out when it arrives. Basically bolting the two main frames together with four bolts and connecting up the wires. In total it shouldn’t take you longer than one or maybe two hours tops before you can start your first print.

The important thing to note about the CR-10S is that ‘S’ at the end of the name. This upgraded model has two z-axis lead screws and stepper motors.

This dual-axis system improves the accuracy of the vertical movement of the extruder, giving you more accurate and consistent printing. This makes it well-suited to printing detailed miniatures where you are more likely to notice small imperfections.

The upgraded ‘S’ model also has a filament detection sensor that stops the printer and warns you if it’s about to run out of filament. This protects your prints from being spoiled if you run out of filament during a print. It’s pretty useful when you’re printing large models and can’t keep a constant eye on progress.

You can reliably print in both PLA and ABS, so if you’re looking for a super smooth finish on your minis you can use ABS and vapor treatment.

The CR-10 family of 3D printers is very well regarded and has a large enthusiastic following. If you should run into any problems you will certainly not have any trouble finding help online.

The CR-10S is also almost infinitely upgradeable, you can improve the usability almost instantly by printing yourself a new set of bed level adjusters. And there are plenty of other tweaks available, from a new extruder fan duct that you can print yourself to fully automated bed leveling.

In summary, the Hictop CR-10S is a fantastic 3D printer for the money. Right out of the box it prints reliably and accurately enough for you to create an army of miniatures and acres of terrain.

Best Quality 3D Printer For Miniatures  – Ultimaker 2+

The Ultimaker 2+ is hard to beat in terms of quality. The build plate has a Z positional precision of 5 microns. While the Extruder position is accurate to within 12.5 microns on the XY plane.

Such high accuracy can only be met because of Ultimaker’s use of high-quality materials and components in the manufacture of the Ultimaker 2+.

This makes the Ultimaker 2+ one of the best 3D Printers for printing the high levels of detail needed to 3D print miniatures.

Of course, all this quality has to come at a price, other than financially, and that cost is the time it takes to print. Thankfully, there are some quality settings in the included Cura software that allow you to dial down the quality in return for faster print speed. In fact, the standard setting gives you a significant speed increase with little compromise in quality.

The Ultimaker 2+ also comes complete with the Olsson Block Kit which allows you to change your nozzle size quickly and easily. It comes with four nozzle options from 0.25 to0.8mm, which give you a good range of quality vs. speed choices.

If you’re interested in trying other filament types, then the Ultimaker 2+ couldn’t be a better choice. It can easily handle standard materials like PLA and ABS. But it is equally capable of printing with more exotic filaments such as blended wood and metal, Nylon, and Ultimaker’s CPE (copolyester) which has similar properties to ABS without the smelly and toxic fumes.

The build volume is a generous 8.5″ x 8.5″ x 7.9″. As with the other 3D printers in this list, if you need to print something larger than the build volume you can simply split the model into several parts and bond them together with a suitable glue afterward.

If you want the most detail you can get on your miniatures or if you’re planning on printing small-scale minis, then the Ultimaker 2+ should be at the top of your shopping list.

Not only will it print your minis in exquisite detail, but it will also do so reliably and repeatedly without you needing to get under the hood to diagnose problems. Leaving you time to do what’s important and get on with printing your army!

Check out my full review of the Ultimaker 2+ here.

Where to Buy a 3D Printer

As with all important purchases, it’s a good idea to buy your 3D printer from a reputable store so you will be able to contact customer support and in the worst case be able to easily organize a return or replacement. Here are some stores I recommend. Also, check out my 3D printer coupons page for the latest offers.

Can I Really 3D Print Miniatures On A Home 3D Printer?

Yes! But you need to have realistic expectations. If you can afford an SLA printer like the Anycubic Photon then you can easily achieve the same levels of detail as manufactured miniatures but it will take some practice to get the best results.

If however, you have a smaller budget and want to print your minis on an FFF/FDM 3D printer (these printers use a spool of filament) then the super-fine details of small (28mm) minis are not as easy to achieve, but you can still get some great results.

You will need to refine your models and printing processes to get the most detail you can, and then add what’s missing with paints and manual sculpting.

As you’ll see below, you can get fantastic results with a little effort, just don’t buy an FDM 3D printer thinking you will have instant perfectly formed 28mm figurines!

FDM printers are also perfect for printing terrain, landscapes, and scenery. Anything that has details larger than 0.1mm will look perfect printed on most well setup 3D printers.

FFF vs SLA

There are two main types of 3D Printer on the market now, FFF (also known as FDM/Filament) and SLA (also known as Resin). The most common type is FFF, but SLA printers are becoming more common as they reduce in price and increase in reliability.

FFF 3D printers use a spool of plastic filament that is passed through an extruder. A hot-end then melts the filament and deposits it onto a platform, building up your print layer by layer. FFF printers are generally cheap to buy, easy to use, and less messy than SLA printers. However, an FFF 3D printer will never replicate quite the level of detail on your minis as an SLA printer can. They can, however, print a surprisingly high level of detail if you buy the right model and are willing to put in a little work to tune the settings.

SLA Resin 3D printers start with a vat of liquid resin and solidify each layer by shining a highly accurate UV laser or UV light source. The main benefit resin printers have over FFF is that they are much more accurate and precise, enabling them to print minis with as much detail as commercially available cast figures. Resin printers are generally more expensive to run and are not able to print very large objects. The liquid resin is also quite messy to deal with, and your prints will need cleaning of the excess resin after printing.

What Specs To Look For

If you want to achieve the same level of detail you can see on these excellent minis, then there are some important criteria you should look out for when choosing a 3D printer model.

The most important specification you should look for is how much detail it will replicate. This is determined by the following factors:

Nozzle Diameter is the size of the hole that the heated plastic is extruded through to create your model. The most common size is 0.4mm, and you should ideally avoid any nozzle size above this. You should look for 3D printers that allow you to swap your nozzle for a smaller size like 0.2mm. This slows down the printing but produces finer details.

XY Precision is the precision of the printer head movements in the X and Y directions, i.e. every direction except up and down. This is determined by the quality of the bearings, belts, motors and how rigid the frame of the printer is. You should look for a 3D printer that is all-metal construction as this provides the most stable platform for achieving good precision.

Layer Thickness is the height of each individual layer of heated plastic that is laid down to create your model. The lower the thickness, the more detail will be seen, but the build will be slower. To achieve the accuracy needed for printing miniatures I would only recommend printers with a layer thickness of 100 microns (0.1mm) or less.

Material Type

If you choose an FFF printer this will mostly be ABS, PLA+, or PLA. To get the highest quality surface finish you will want to carry out some post-processing once the part is built.

With ABS plastic, cleaning up your figurine after you’ve printed it is a little easier as it can be sanded and vapor bathed in Acetone to give a super smooth finish.

If you use PLA+ then its extra toughness allows you to remove support material easier without damaging the mini itself.

SLA 3D printers use a liquid resin material. There are fewer material choices available for SLA printers because the resin has to translucent to enable UV curing to work. However, there are some other exciting possibilities with SLA printing, such as the ability to print using castable resins which enable you to create molds and then cast your own fully metal figurines.

What Do You Want To Print?

Terrain, landscapes, props – This is the easy option! There are lots of FFF 3D printers that can achieve this. The CR-10 family is a perfect fit for this type of printing as they can replicate details of 0.1mm and up perfectly and have build volumes from 200mm x 300mm and up so you can print large bits of terrain easily and cheaply.

Tabletop miniature figurines 54mm and up – A good quality and well setup FFF 3D printer can print objects like this perfectly well. You will need to do some post-processing of your prints to make them look their best. And you will need to add some of the finer details on by hand, either by paint or sculpting. You could also invest in an SLA printer for these types of minis, but you should be aware that larger objects will use a lot of expensive resin.

Small detailed tabletop miniature figurines 28mm to 54mm – This is the hardest type of mini to 3D print. An SLA printer will print these easily with great details, but you should realize that it will take some patience and practice to get the best out of an SLA printer. The best quality FFF printers will do a great job at replicating these fine details too, they just come at a price and will still have some print lines that you will need to manually remove to make your minis look their best.

I would always recommend that where possible, you prioritize the quality of the print, over the build size as it’s always possible to split up larger models into small parts and then simply bond them together once built. It’s actually quite a fun challenge working out the best way to split up your terrains and orient the parts in the build to get the best possible finished part.

If you want some more tips on how to 3D print miniatures then check out my guide to 3D printing miniatures.

Where To Download Tabletop Miniatures To 3D Print

If designing custom miniatures from scratch seems like too much of a challenge there are thousands of readily downloadable models available from sites such as Thingiverse that you can simply download and print. All you need is a 3D printer slicer program, I like to use Cura because it’s free, easy to use, and gives great results.

You should check out some of my favorite tabletop mini designers to see what designs are available for you to download:

In Summary

I hope this article has helped you make a decision. From D&D through LOTR to Warmachine & Hordes, 3D printing and gaming miniatures are a perfect combo. Any of the 3D printers on this page will give you a successful start in a very rewarding hobby.

If you’re still not sure which 3D Printer is best for you to print miniatures, and you have the budget, then I would recommend the Ultimaker 2+. It’s a real workhorse of a 3D Printer that won’t let you down in terms of reliability or quality. Its ability to print successfully in so many material types means you’re unlikely to find it limiting your creativity.

If you’re on a tight budget then you should seriously consider the Creality Ender 3. It’s a very capable printer, it won’t replicate the finest details on small minis but you’ll be pleased with just how much it can achieve.

If you know you don’t mind putting some effort and hours into achieving the finest detailed minis then you have no better option than the Anycubic Photon.

Frequently Asked Questions about 3D Printing Miniatures

I get asked tons of questions about 3D printing gaming minis. Here are some of the most common questions I get asked and my answers. If you have any questions then please use the contact me link above and I’ll be happy to help!

How much does it cost to 3D print miniatures?

The cost of 3D printing materials comes down to the volume of material used. As minis are small you won’t use much material at all.

For an FFF 3D printer like the Ender 3, you will use just a few grams of filament so depending on the material used, about a maximum of 20c per mini.

For a resin printer like the Anycubic Photon, you should be able to print at the very least one hundred 28mm minifigs from a 1L bottle of resin. That means each mini will cost less than 60c in materials.

What is Hero Forge?

Hero Forge is a website where you can design your own gaming miniatures and have them printed by Hero Forge and then delivered to your door.

You design your minis in Hero Forge’s own web-based designer, which allows you to customize every aspect of your mini, from facial features to clothes and armor.

It’s a great way to get in involved in 3D printing minis without investing in a 3D printer.

Can you really 3D print minis?

Yes, of course! You can easily 3D print minis by investing in a 3D printer like the Ender 3, downloading a mini model from Thingiverse, and then print it.

3D printing takes some time and practice to get right, so you shouldn’t expect everything to be easy, but most problems you may encounter are easily solved and the challenge is what makes it so addictive!

How long does it take to 3D print a gaming miniature?

The speed of 3D printing is dependent on two things; the size of the object you’re printing and the quality of the finish. Small objects like a 28mm tabletop miniature figurine will print in around one hour on average settings. If you want to get the best surface finish and highest level of detail, then you should set your 3D printer to print slower, this may double the print time.

Happy 3D Printing!

Dylan Miller

Last update on 2024-02-21 at 16:59

26 thoughts on “Best 3D Printer for Gaming Miniatures”

  1. Nice article.

    im starting at fantasy games and im looking for the best way to get the entire experience, now iknow that if a printer is what i need, it would be a 0.1mm layer and 0.2mm nozzle.

    1. Thanks Metryx!

      It’s amazing what you can achieve with a fine nozzle and a bit of patience. I’ve been experimenting with 0.2mm nozzles on my CR-10 recently, I put some pics up soon.

      -Dylan

    1. Hi Chip!

      The MakerBot Replicator+ will print the fine detail on minis as well as the Ultimaker 2+ and Sindoh DP200 printers but no better. For quality it has the edge over the CR-10 but the build volume is a little small at 11.6″x7.6″x6.5″ so the CR-10 is a better choice if you specifically want to print larger items of terrain.

      Hope that helps!
      -Dylan

  2. Could you comment on which of these printers would give detail results similar to the mini’s from websites like Hero Forge?

  3. Hi Dylan,
    I’m looking at getting into designing, printing and casting my own miniatures. I want quality prints with a minimum of fuss and printing multiple parts is no problem, all the best mini’s seem to be at least a minimum of 3 parts and I need to consider casting in resin as well. So my question is if money was no real obstacle ( I have a loose budget of up to AU$3500, about US$2700) what would be, in your opinion the best bang for my buck, the Ultimaker 2+ or the WANHAO duplicator D7 Plus? Or something else?

    1. Hi Troy,

      If you definitely want to cast in resin then the Wanhao Duplicator D7 is definitely the best option and this will give you the best detail in your minis.

      The Ultimaker 2+ is a fantastic machine and is arguably more versatile but it will never quite reach the same level of detail as a resin printer.

      If you wanted to experiment there are other options for metal casting using the Ultimaker 2+, you can try Bismuth Alloy casting in ABS (toxic fumes alert!) or Pewter casting directly into a PLA mold.

      Hope that helps you make a decision and let me know how your minis turn out!

      -Dylan

  4. Nice article, but you mention only up to 28mm mimiatures. What if I want to print 6mm scale components like Warhammer EPIC or the units found in Forbidden Stars? Is this completely out of the realm of possibility for FDM printers, or can you get results that look decent?

    1. Hi Tom,

      It’s definitely possible but it is pushing at the limits. With a well setup printer you could get some good results on minis with less detail. Something like the Transport Vehicles in Epic 40K would be good. Where you will struggle at that scale is getting separation between limbs on figures. You will most likely need to stick to the bulkier figures like the Space Marines. Check out r/PrintedMinis and you’ll see how people are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Here’s a good attempt at 6mm MWO models that came out quite well. You can see there’s still quite a lot of detail captured.

      Good luck!
      -Dylan

    1. Hi Aleksandros!

      There are so many great people in the 3D printed minis community who give away their designs, you just have to download the files and import them into your chosen slicer software (I recommend CURA, it’s free).

      Here are some of my favorites:

      Dutchmogul
      Valandar
      mz4250

      I’ll add these and some more to the article.

      Good luck printing!
      -Dylan

  5. Hello any great deals on the full color 3D printers,I still do not like to paint my own, when I write the larger companies. They do not reply happily whit how to make them myself.

    1. Hi Ramona,

      There are two main types of color 3D printing available currently:

      1. Using different colored filaments simultaneously
      2. Using ink to color over a single filament.

      The first type is reliable and there are a few 3d printers that can do this. The best is probably the Original Prusa i3 with a multi-material upgrade kit added.

      The second type gives you much more color accuracy and freedom but at the moment is quite unreliable. The most popular option is the XZYPrinting da Vinci Color but it doesn’t get very good reviews from owners. There is a new version due out this month, the da Vinci Color Mini, so it might be worth looking out for that and seeing how much of an improvement it is on the old model. I hope to get my hands on one too!

      Good luck and let me know what you decide!

      -Dylan

    1. Hi Elaine,
      See my comment above to Ramona. It is possible to 3D print in color. The Prusa i3 Multi-Material Upgrade allows you to use up to 5 different colors filaments in one print and is currently the best option for color printing. It won’t ever be as detailed as a skilled model maker painting by hand but if you want something quick and easy that’s your best bet.

      Hope that helps?
      -Dylan

  6. Fantastic article. I am looking at a 3D printer to print minis. Thus was the perfect article to help me make my choice.

  7. I’m new to this myself and looking to print terrain, custom bases, and parts for mini customization.

    I suppose my biggest question after reading all of this is, “What kind of mileage are you getting on the resin? When looking at 1L bottles of resin they are around $80… so how many items, minis, walls, platforms, etc. am I going to get out of a 1L bottle? Just trying to calculate where a price point for a return on investment would be between the cost of the printer and the print material vs buying commercial terrain, hirst arts, etc. as well as bases vs rollers/green stuff or pre-made bases.

    1. Hi Corey,

      I generally get well over 100 28mm mini figures from a 1L bottle of resin, so your cost should be quite a bit less than 1$ per mini.

      You can save a lot of resin by printing the bases of your minis hollow and then bonding a penny into them, or just print them without bases and buy cheap bases from eBay – you can get 80 bases for $18.

      There’s a couple of threads on Reddit where this question is asked and you can see some real-world answers that might help you make a decision:

      https://www.reddit.com/r/PrintedMinis/comments/9f0uj1/how_many_minis_do_you_get_out_of_a_bottle_of_resin/

      https://www.reddit.com/r/PrintedMinis/comments/8cjfhk/so_what_does_a_250ml_bottle_or_resin_get_you/

      For things like castles, fortresses etc you can download a free SLA slicer software like B9Creator, import your model, and it will show an estimate of the volume of resin used. You just need to bear in mind you will have some failures and a small amount of waste on top of what it calculates. Generally, failures happen in the first few layers of printing, so you don’t waste too much.

      Hope this helps!
      -Dylan

  8. Saw a very detailed and quite negative review of the Wanhao. Wondering if you’d seen it and if you had any comments? Was it just a bad experience or have you had similar?

  9. Christina Kline

    We have fdm and sla printers in our studio but rarely use the resin. With technology advancing rapidly, we find the best prints come off of our cheapest printer (the Ender 3 for $199)

    I’m happy to help anyone with questions! We are professional 3D modelers in the industry for decades with three patreons for Dnd, Dark Fantasy, and Sci-Fi miniatures.
    https://tinyurl.com/yywubq5w

  10. LANDON GOODMAN

    Do you have an article on more of the software needed to print minis. I have almost no understanding of how you make a 3d model for the printer to print… I am new to the 3D print idea but I am interested in this route, I love quality and you don’t get that over the counter in minis. Hero forge would cost me thousands if I made everything there.

  11. Hello!
    Great discussion about 3D Printers. I want you to buy a 3d printer to create 3d models for action figures. Can you please guide me on which one is the best from the following?

    Sindoh 3D WOX
    QIDI Tech X One

    Or, if there are any other better options then please guide me here. Thank you!

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