3D Resin Printing : Best Standard Range Printer
Once upon a time, there was only the one size budget 3D resin printer, which some call “Standard” now and others call “Small.” Companies in fact seem to be putting more effort into developing Midrange printers, which explains why there are so few printers listed below. Here I’ve listed the Standard sized budget resin printers that I’ve personally owned and thoroughly tested, and even ranked them in order of recommendation. Prices aren’t included as these change too frequently, but I have included convenient price links so you can check the money side of things out for yourself. But remember, Standard is a size, not a price, so you'll also see DLPs in this sections.
VogMan’s Standard (Small) 3D Resin Printer Picks
| RANK | PRINTER | XY RES'N | PPI | SIZE | W x D x H | REVIEW | PRICE | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elegoo Mars 4 Ultra 9K | 18 µm | 1411.1 | S | 153 x 78 x 165 mm |  |
8520 x 4320 pixels. This is the Mars on steroids. An incredible printer with amazing fine detail quality. The Mars 5 Ultra may have newer toys, but for the experienced user this is my preferred option. | |
| 2 | Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra 9K | 18 µm | 1411.1 | S | 153 x 78 x 165 mm | |
8520 x 4320 pixels. Every bit as good as the Mars 4 Ultra but with a fancy tilt mechanism and auto-plate levelling features. Ideal for a newbie to the hobby. | |
| 3 | Elegoo Mars 4 9K | 18 µm | 1411.1 | S | 153 x 78 x 175 mm | |
8520 x 4320 pixels. The Mars 4K is a formidable printer topped only by the Mars 4 Ultra, capable of very fine printing. | |
| 4 | Anycubic Photon Mono 4 10K | 17 µm | 1493.0 | S | 153 x 87 x 165 mm | |
9024 x 5120 pixels. Anycubic took their Mono 2 printer and squeezed in a 10K screen to produce fantastic results. At this price it's a budget champion. | |
| 5 | Elegoo Mars 4 DLP | 52 µm | 489.6 | S | 133 x 75 x 150 mm | |
2560 x 1440 pixels. This DLP prints as well as the Anycubic D2 but has slightly better build quality. Details are excellent. | |
| 6 | Anycubic Photon D2 DLP | 52 µm | 498.0 | S | 131 x 73 x 165 mm | |
2560 x 1440 pixels. This DLP has the amazing sharp pixel print quality we expect from this technology. | |
| 7 | Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K | 22 µm | 1152.7 | S | 165 x 72 x 180 mm | |
7500 x 3240 pixels. The first 8K and 22 micron. Incredible quality. | |
| 8 | Phrozen Sonic Mini 8KS | 22 µm | 1154.5 | S | 165 x 72 x 170 mm | |
7536 x 3240 pixels. A cheapened down version of the Mini 8K, but still packing a mighty punch. | |
| 9 | Elegoo Mars 3 Pro 4K | 35 µm | 725.7 | S | 143 x 90 x 175 mm | |
4098 x 2560 pixels. The Mars is just a great all rounder printer, loved by many. Me included. | |
| 10 | Anycubic Photon Mono 2 4K | 35 µm | 726.8 | S | 143 x 89 x 165 mm | |
4096 x 2560 pixels. The best budget 35 micron printer in my opinion. Great all-rounder. | |
| 11 | Elegoo Mars 5 4K | 35 µm | 725.7 | S | 143 x 89 x 150 mm | |
4098 x 2560 pixels. Elegoo's clever attempt to make an easy to use, low cost resin printer aimed at newcomers. I was very impressed. | |
| 12 | Anycubic Photon Ultra | 80 µm | 317.5 | S | 102 x 58 x 165 mm | |
1280 x 720 pixels. The original DLP, it still produces great quality prints but is probably closer in quality to a 4K 35 micron printer. | |
| 13 | Anycubic Photon M3 4K | 40 µm | 634.7 | S | 164 x 102 x 180 mm | |
4096 x 2560 pixels. Why the M3 exists I don´t know. It fills the same hole as the Mono 2, but costs a bit more and prints slightly less well. Good it´s still a good printer. | |
| 14 | Creality Halot One Plus 4K | 40 µm | 635.0 | S | 172 x 102 x 160 mm | |
4320 x 2560 pixels. Creality has their fans and this is a gorgeous looking printer, with a UI that takes a bit of getting used to. |
| The reasoning behind my ranking decisions has nothing to do with price. My ranking is based purely on ability and how well each printer impressed me. To understand the table headings properly, visit the listing at the bottom of the page. |
Newbies
If you’re a newbie to Resin based 3D printing, I’d encourage you firstly to ask is resin printing really for you? If you can assure yourself of this, then ask yourself how much money you want to gamble on that assessment being true.
I’ve come across a lot of people who’ve thrown themselves into the hobby only to find the smells and the mess just aren’t for them. As I hate to see people waste money, I tend to be cautious when advising first timers, recommending that they buy small and cheap initially. If they then discover that they enjoy the hobby, then great! There are plenty of upgrade options. But if they hate it, then they haven’t wasted too much money. In such situations the Standard range above is the ideal choice, but remember I tend to list according to ability, which obviously has a usual price increase knock-on. However, I have a Budget option which I'd strongly urge newbies to consider.
About the Price Links
Prices change so often I simply can't list them. So instead, I provide links to the Official Stores and Amazon. Some of these are affiliate links and clicking them will generate a few pennies for me if you make a purchase, but importantly this will not cost you any extra and it does not affect how I rank these printers. I don't play that game!
Resin
And don't forget you're going to need a lot of resin for these Large 3D printers. Check out my recommended resins!
Understanding the Table Headings
The headings on the Printers table are abreviated to save on space and that may lead to confusion. So below I list the headings and their full meaning.
| RANK | This is shortened from "My Ranking" and refers to how I personally list them, with 1 being the best, 2 the second best, etc | |
| PRINTER | The name of the printer, often incorporating the K value of the screen (e.g. 9K, etc). | |
| XY RES'N | Short for "XY Resolution" this refers to the calculated micron value usually quoted in sales gumph. The smaller the number, the better. To understand how this is calculated and what it really means, watch the video below. | |
| PPI | Short for "Pixels Per Inch" this figure generally isn't provided but essentially describes image clarity, wherein the greater the density of pixels, the greater the image definition will be. To understand how this is calculated and what it really means, watch the video below. | |
| SIZE | Refers to the overall size of the printer, i.e. S (Standard or Small), M (Medium) and L (Large). The bigger the printer, the bigger the prints that can be created. | |
| W x D x H | Width x Depth x Height measured in millimetres, and describing the maximum print area available. | |
| REVIEW | This is a link to my YouTube review. These are generally worth watching. | |
| PRICE | Prices change so often I simply can't list them. So instead, I provide links to the Official Stores and Amazon. Some of these are affiliate links and clicking them will generate a few pennies for me, but importantly this will not cost you any extra and it does not affect how I rank these printers. I don't play that game! | |
| COMMENTS | This is a very brief summary of my thoughts about the printer. There's not enough room for a full report, but watching the video should provide the rest. | |
| * | Note : "tba" is an abbreviation of To Be Advised, meaning the information should turn up eventually. |