Take advantage of the best 3d printers for beginners to explore the world of 3d printing, and do ensure you read the 3d printer buying guide before you start 3d printing.
The 3d printers for beginners are popularly refer to as entry level printers, which means, printers that a newbie can start with, and from there you can move to the more advanced ones.
The disadvantage of starting with the advanced ones without prior experience to 3d printing is that a new user can find it difficult to use the advanced ones, or even damage it due to lack of experience.
Hence, start with the entry level of printers, and as you advance in the world of 3d printing you can begin to consider the advanced 3d printers to help handle the prints that the entry level printers can’t handle.
The entry level printers are user friendly, safe to use, nice build volume, good buy for the money and depending on the brand you select, according to your budget, you can get a 3d printer suitable for a beginner that is high in efficiency and efficacy due to the additional features that comes with it.
The 3d printers for beginners are suitable for home, school use, and they can likewise be used to introduce kids to 3d printing. They are also suitable for students to use for any of their project. They are easy to use, have excellent print quality and are relatively affordable.
But, there is one more hurdle to overcome, and that is selecting the best 3d printers for beginners. Due to the numbers of 3d printers in the market it will take experience and deep research to identify the best 3d printers for beginners. To ease the stress we have done the research, and we present to you the best 3d printers for beginners, with detailed reviews to choose the most suitable for you.
| Product name | Unique feature | Build volume (inches) | Dimension (inches) | Product link |
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| QIDI TECH 3D Printer X-Smart Intelligent Printer with 3.5 Inch Touch screen | Full metal support | 6.3x5.9x5.9 | Weighs 33.1 pounds | View on Amazon |
| FlashForge Finder 3D Printers | Quiet operation | 140 x 140 x 140 mm | 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 | View on Amazon |
| Dremel Digilab 3D20 3D Printer | Home/hobbyists | 9.0 x 5.5x 5.9 | 17.7 x 18.1 x 15.8 | View on Amazon |
| Official Creality 3D Ender 3 Printer | Full open source/ resume printing tech | 220x220x250 mm | 15.8 x 15.8 x 23.6 | View on Amazon |
| Foxnovo 3D Printer, Ender 3 3D Printer Kit with High Precision | Safety power supply/resume printing tech | 8.7 x 8.7 x 9.8 | 17.3 x 18.3 x 16.1 | View on Amazon |
| ANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D Printer | SLA/DLP printing tech | 4.53 x 2.56 x 6.1 | 7.9 x 8.7 x 15.8 | View on Amazon |
QIDI TECH 3D Printer, X-Smart Intelligent Printer with 3.5 Inch Touchscreen
The QIDI TECH 3D printer is well packaged for someone developing interest in 3d printing. It is easy to use also provides convenience in its operation, thanks to the excellent features that comes with. Besides its easy operation, it comes fully assembled to begin printing within few minutes of taking it out from the box.
It has an aluminum frame which ensures durability also strong print. It has full metal support to provide more stability compared to plastic support. It is compatible with Wi-Fi connectivity and it features a touch screen with intuitive menus to make 3d printing easy and convenient.
The 3.5 inch touch screen interface also provides real time printing status. It has a removable build plate that allows you to conveniently remove the model after printing. Moreover, this helps to reduce the risk of damage to the build plate.
It uses a single extruder equipped with a cooling fan to add to the cooling effect. And the unit ensures safety with the fully enclosed frame, which is safer than the open frame 3d printer.
In addition, it is dust proof and provides quiet operation, thanks to the transparent window. And it supports the PLA, ABS, TPU filaments.
Apart from being a typical 3d printer for beginner, it is also suitable for child use, home use, education, and institutions that want 3d prints with good print quality yet affordable. It is back up by excellent customer service for any questions and queries.
Features include:
- Weighs 33.1 pounds
- Build volume: 6.3×5.9×5.9 inches
- Supported filament types- PLA,ABS,TPU, PETG
- Filament diameter: 1.75 mm
- Single extruder
- 6-month warranty with excellent customer support
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FlashForge Finder 3D Printers with Cloud, Wi-Fi, USB cable and Flash drive
The FlashForge 3D printer comes with all that is good to make 3d printing enjoyable. With the slide in build plate you can conveniently remove the prints, it also helps to reduce the risk of damages and offsets to the build plate.
The touch full screen coupled with the intuitive menus makes it easy to operate. Besides this, it is compatible with the WI-FI connectivity, USB, flash drive as well as cloud connectivity.
The cloud connectivity allows you to edit, store, share and likewise check the printing status online. The cloud connectivity also allows you to have a large database for your print models.
And with the WI-FI network you can transfer your 3D files from the computer to the FlashForge 3d printer 8 GB memory.
It features a non-heated bed, so the user can use with safety, and the durable, alloy construction ensures stable prints. To further ensure safety, the 3d printer uses non-toxic PLA filament and the 3d printer is also fully enclosed. And it provides assistance with leveling to provide easy calibration.
In addition, it works silently with the sound level less than 50 decibel, which makes it perfect for home use and for use around kids.
And you should constantly update the device to the latest firmware to have a better experience, which you can easily do through the WI-FI connection.
Features include:
- Product dimensions: 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches
- Printing technology: FFF (Fused, Filament Fabrication)
- Weighs 24.2 pounds
- Build volume: 140 L x 140 W x 140 H mm
- Compatible with windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10
- Supported file type: STL, OBJ
- Printing material: PLA
- Layer resolution: 100-400 microns, adjustable
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Dremel Digilab 3 D 20 3D Printers, Idea Builder for Brand New Hobbyists and Tinkerers
Dremel Digilab 3D printer is complete pre-assembled printer with enclosure, and it offers long hours of use without bridge in print quality and safety.
It provides all around safety with full enclosure, uses non-heated plate with the extruder temperature up to 230 degree Celsius coupled with non-toxic PLA filament, and it is certified by UL.
The non-toxic PLA filament makes it safe to be use in the home and around children. And the simple design extruder is easy to maintain
It is designed to provide excellent, stable and strong print. This an out of the box starts printing printer, you can start printing with the free models, which you can access due to the open system of the 3d printer, and you can likewise create your own models with the CAD software.
You can easily operate the printer with the full color touch screen integrated with intuitive icons. The interface allows you to change the printer settings with ease, and likewise makes operation easy. The touch screen interface also ensures printing without hassle.
In addition, the 3d printer has excellent customer support, provides free could-based slicing software, and it ensures high quality printing at 100 microns, though it involves manual leveling. It is a perfect 3d printer for beginner, hobbyists, and tinkerers.
Features include:
- Product Dimensions: 18.5 x 13.4 x 13.8 inches
- Weighs 15.43 pounds
- Build volume: 5.5×5.9×9 inches
- USB connectivity technology
- Filament: PLA only
- Manual bed plate leveling
- 1-year limited warranty with excellent technical support
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Official Creality 3D Ender 3 Printer Fully Open Source
The beginner’s skill and user experience from the wide range of users in the ender 3 community was put into full consideration before the official creality3D printer was designed, so for beginners to use the product without hassle. That the product comes partially assembled is a confirmation to this claim.
It comes with the lower base coupled with the included kits to make it a complete 3d printer. To make it a whole 3d printer with the included kits is a child’s play- it is relatively easy.
But, if you encounter any issue you can contact the responsive customer support for help. But as this seems like a con, it is also beneficial to understand the rudiments of the design of 3d printers, and what makes them work.
The 3d printer comes with a safe power supply to prevent the printer from damage due to an unexpected power surge, and the printer is built in such a way that the printer resumes from where it stops due to power failure.
You need to be careful with it because it lacks enclosure. The advanced extruder it uses lowers the risk of inconsistent intrusion and clogging.
It feature a POM wheel, which are made of engineering thermoplastic to provide stability, low friction and high stiffness coupled with quiet operation as they glide the printer moving parts along the aluminum extrusion filament.
It has an efficient open source coupled with excellent customer support to answer your queries. In addition it has a growing community, just search for ender3 on Thingiverse to begin connecting.
Features include:
- Product Dimensions: 15.8 x 15.8 x 23.6 inches
- Weighs 15.43 pounds
- Build volume: 220x220x250 mm
- Coated print bed
- Large, easy to adjust bed leveling knobs
- 1-year limited warranty with full customer service
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Foxnovo 3D Printer, Ender 3 3D Printer Kit with High Precision
The foxnovo 3D printer allows you to create more complex models with the large build volume it provides, and you can use for a long time with assurance of safety, thanks to the cooling fan it provides, as well as the safety power supply that protect the machine from voltage spikes as it provides continuous and stable printing.
It uses an upgraded MK-10 extruder, which reduces the risk of clogging, and uneven extrusion for high resolution and perfect models.
The 3d printer provides assist to the user in leveling with the four big twist nuts as well as the V-slot POV wheels which makes the nozzle glides smoothly and quietly. And the machine also ensures high precision of the nozzles.
It can resume printing from where it stops, whether due to power outage or the occurrence of lapse.
The 3d printer is sturdy, easy to carry, space saving, and it is compatible with various types of filament yet economical.
Though the 3d printer does not come fully assembled, it comes with semi-assembled parts which is easy to set up whether you are engineering inclined or not.
Moreover, this is an opportunity to understand the basics of the engineering of 3d printers, however, if you encounter any issue in the installation or you have queries you can contact the customer support immediately, and get a response in a moment.
It is great for beginners, and to teach students, but, you have to be a little careful with the machine, because is not enclosed.
Features include:
- Product dimensions: 17.3 x 18.3 x 16.1 inches
- Weighs 17.6 pounds
- Build volume: 8.7 x 8.7 x 9.8 inches
- Modeling technology: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)
- Max Speed: 180mm/s
- Filament Diameter: 1.75mm
- Layer Thickness: 0.1-0.4mm
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ANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D Printer Assembled Innovation
If you want to have a feel of the SLA (Stereolithography)/ DLP (Digital light processing) printing technology that offers more printing details than the FDM or FFF technology, then consider the ANYCUBIC PHOTO UV LCD 3D printer.
The Photon 3d printer uses a VET Resin for photo-polymerization, and it features a 2K LCD masking screen which gives very fine printing details down to few micrometers.
The colorful touch screen not only offer an intuitive operation, but also allows you to preview the models on the SD-card in real-time display printing, in the same manner you preview pictures on the PC operating system before printing.
It uses a photon slicer which provides speedy operation on 30M stl file. And with the ANYCUBIC integrated board you can print directly from the USB without any additional hardware or tethering.
You can use this 3d printer to print toys, garden tools, and small scale jewelry prototyping, and it also has applications in the dental sector to print the denture.
The 3d printer is compact, case is top-grade, it has good adjustable feet, and it offers simple bed leveling.
However, you have to deal with the post-processing cleaning, which is typical of most resin based 3d printers, and ideally a beginner should not start with the SLA or DLP technology, but if that is what you want based on your project, you can go for it!
Features include:
- Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 8.7 x 15.8 inches
- Printing technology: SLA/DLP
- Weighs 20.9 pounds
- Smart touch screen
- Print size: 4.53 x 2.56 x 6.1 inches 7.9 x 8.7 x 15.8
- 2K LCD masking screen
- Resin Vat FEP film
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Factors to consider before choosing the best 3d printers for beginner
Budget: budget is everything, and you shouldn’t spend much on a 3d printer since you are just starting, so pick based on your budget and, moreover, the best 3d printers for beginners are budget friendly!
Customer support: another factor to watch out before selecting the best 3d printer for beginner is the customer support of that unit. 3d printers are not straight forward especially for a beginner. There is a 99% probability you would need a technical support, a responsive technical support at that to respond to your answers and queries in the shortest time possible.
Ease of use: easy to use 3d printer allow quick grasp of 3d printing. Besides, it allows you to finish up the 3d printing in a jiffy, so you can have ample of time for other things.
Assembly: a hard to assemble can discourage the interest in 3d printing, but an easy to assemble 3d printer will make you fall in love with 3d printing.
User community: a 3d printer with good user community makes life easy for the user, you have people of like minds to interact with, they can share with you some tips on how to get the best from the machine due to experience.
In addition, the community has files you can download to build with your 3d printer. It is all fun when a 3d printer as a good users community. You can check for the 3d printer user community via thingivere and reddit.
Frequently asked questions on 3d printers
What is 3d printing?
3D printing is the action or process of transforming a 3 dimensional model file into a physical object. The process involves the laying down of thin layers of a material in succession.
The 3D models can be created on the CAD (computer aided design) packages. You can as well download digital files from the company’s website or from the user community such as thingiverse.com
The digital files are available in different formats such as stl, obj, AMF, but, the stl and obj file format are more popular and it is easy to get their free models compared to the arising file format such as AMF, and 3MF, you can read more here
The CAD packages are the software to design the model and they include blender, auto desk, and sketch up.
Process of 3d printing with FDM or FFF
Step 1: Design or acquire the model
You can design a 3D model with design packages such as blender, solid works, and Autodesk or sketch up, which you can save in stl, obj, or any other file format depending on the compatibility.
And better still you can acquire models via the user community such as thingiverse.com and some 3d printers have open system to freely download models via the web mostly in the file format stl.
Step 2: slice the file
Use the popular slicing software, cura, or other slicing software to slice the model into thin horizonatal layers. Then after, the slicing software creates a file called g-code file that the computer can read and understand.
Then save the digital file the computer creates as g-code file in the micro-SD card or flash drive, depending on the connectivity the printer is compatible with.
Step 3: Upload the file to the printer
Before you upload the digital file to the printer via the USB or other media, ensure that the build platform is level with the nozzle. Some 3d printers provide leveling system to provide assist with the bed leveling.
After you ensure that the build platform is on the same level with the nozzle then upload the file to the printer, the printer will automatically read the file and begin to extrude the filament into the printing surface.
Then the 3d printer will begin to prints layer upon layer until the physical the object is formed.
Step 4: remove the print
After the physical 3D object is formed, remove the print from the build surface.
Conclusion
Get into 3D printing with these affordable, user friendly 3d printers. They also ensure safety, easy to use, and easy to assemble- for those that comes semi-assembled.
If you haven’t yet, we recommend you read the 3d printer buying guide to help you understand the nitty-gritty of 3d printer, to kick start your journey into 3d printing. Happy 3d printing!