Best 3D Printers for Beginners UK: 6 Picks Compared

The best 3D printers for beginners, ranked

Best first printer

Bambu Lab A1 mini

Bambu Lab

It removes the setup and calibration jobs that make people give up on 3D printing. If you’re not sure what you’ll print yet, start here.

Key highlights

Calibrates itself, so there is no manual levelling to learn
Up to 500 mm/s, with a nozzle up to 300 °C and a bed up to 80 °C
Takes the optional AMS lite for up to four colours
This bundle adds an LED lamp kit

Full specs, strengths and watch-outs

TypeOpen frame, moving bed
Build volume180 × 180 × 180 mm
SpeedUp to 500 mm/s
Nozzle / bed300 °C / 80 °C
Nozzle0.4 mm stainless steel; 0.2, 0.6 and 0.8 mm available
CalibrationAutomatic
MulticolourUp to 4 colours with the optional AMS lite

Strengths

Removes the setup jobs that put beginners off
Fast for its size
Room to grow into colour

Watch out for

Smallest bed in this list
Open frame: not for ABS or ASA

Best for multicolour

Bambu Lab A1 Combo

Bambu Lab

The easiest way into multicolour printing: the feeder comes in the box.

Key highlights

The AMS lite feeder is in the box: up to four colours in one print
256 × 256 × 256 mm build volume
Automatic Z-offset, bed levelling, vibration compensation and flow calibration
Active motor noise cancelling, according to Bambu Lab

Full specs, strengths and watch-outs

TypeOpen frame, moving bed
Build volume256 × 256 × 256 mm
SpeedUp to 500 mm/s
Nozzle / bed300 °C / 100 °C
CalibrationAutomatic, including flow
MulticolourAMS lite included, up to 4 colours

Strengths

The easiest way into colour
Full-size bed

Watch out for

Every colour change purges filament and adds time
Open frame

Best enclosed printer

Elegoo Centauri Carbon

Elegoo

The step up when PLA isn’t enough: the enclosure and hardened nozzle handle the tougher materials an open-frame printer struggles with.

Key highlights

Enclosure and hardened steel nozzle (up to 320 °C) for tougher materials
Prints PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU and carbon- or glass-fibre filaments, according to Elegoo
Arrives assembled and pre-calibrated
Built-in chamber camera for checking prints remotely

Full specs, strengths and watch-outs

TypeEnclosed CoreXY, die-cast aluminium frame
Build volume256 × 256 × 256 mm
SpeedUp to 500 mm/s
NozzleHardened steel, up to 320 °C
CameraBuilt in
Weight17.5 kg

Strengths

Opens up the materials an open frame struggles with
Little to set up

Watch out for

One colour at a time
Heavy, at 17.5 kg

Quickest to set up

Flashforge Adventurer 5M

Flashforge

A fast CoreXY machine with almost nothing to set up, sitting between the A1 mini and the A1 in bed size.

Key highlights

About 10 minutes from box to first print, according to Flashforge
Highest top speed in this list, at 600 mm/s
Quick-release nozzle swaps in about 3 seconds
Magnetic PEI build plate

Full specs, strengths and watch-outs

TypeOpen CoreXY, all-metal frame
Build volume220 × 220 × 220 mm
SpeedUp to 600 mm/s
NozzleUp to 280 °C, quick-release
LevellingOne-click automatic
MaterialsPLA, PETG, TPU

Strengths

Fast to unbox and fast to print
Easy nozzle swaps

Watch out for

No enclosure
One colour at a time

Best resin for detail

Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K

Elegoo

For miniatures and display pieces where filament layer lines would show, this is the detail end of the list.

Key highlights

10-inch 16K screen at 14 × 19 µm per pixel: the finest detail in this list
Heated vat that warms the resin to 30 °C before printing, according to Elegoo
AI camera that flags prints that come loose
211.7 × 118.4 × 220 mm build volume

Full specs, strengths and watch-outs

TypeMSLA resin
Screen10-inch 16K mono, 14 × 19 µm
Build volume211.7 × 118.4 × 220 mm
SpeedUp to 150 mm/h, according to Elegoo
Resin vatHeated, warms resin to 30 °C
MonitoringAI camera

Strengths

Detail filament can't match
Watches its own prints

Watch out for

Resin needs gloves, ventilation and a wash-and-cure step
Wash-and-cure station sold separately

Best first resin printer

Anycubic Photon Mono 4

Anycubic

A smaller, simpler first step into resin, sized for miniatures and jewellery.

Key highlights

7-inch 10K screen with 17 × 17 µm pixels
153.4 × 87 × 165 mm build volume, sized for miniatures and jewellery
Four-point levelling, needed once, according to Anycubic
Resumes after a power cut

Full specs, strengths and watch-outs

TypeMSLA resin
Screen7-inch 10K mono, 17 × 17 µm
Build volume153.4 × 87 × 165 mm
Levelling4-point manual, needed once
Light sourceLighTurbo matrix

Strengths

Compact way into resin
Fine 17 µm pixels

Watch out for

Small platform
The same resin safety routine as any resin printer

Compare them side by side

The figures each maker publishes, in one table. Where a maker doesn’t publish a figure, the table says so.

Printer	Best for	Type	Build volume	Top speed	Calibration
Bambu Lab A1 mini	First printer	Open frame, moving bed	180 × 180 × 180 mm	500 mm/s	Automatic
Bambu Lab A1 Combo	Multicolour	Open frame, moving bed, AMS lite	256 × 256 × 256 mm	500 mm/s	Automatic, including flow
Elegoo Centauri Carbon	Tougher materials	Enclosed CoreXY	256 × 256 × 256 mm	500 mm/s	Automatic levelling
Flashforge Adventurer 5M	Quick setup	Open CoreXY	220 × 220 × 220 mm	600 mm/s	One-click automatic
Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K	Resin detail	MSLA resin	211.7 × 118.4 × 220 mm	150 mm/h	Automatic levelling
Anycubic Photon Mono 4	First resin printer	MSLA resin	153.4 × 87 × 165 mm	Not published	4-point manual, once

Filament or resin?

Filament printers (FDM) melt plastic and lay it down layer by layer: they are cleaner, cheaper to run and better for functional parts. Resin printers (MSLA) cure liquid resin with light: far finer detail, but they need gloves, ventilation and a wash-and-cure step. Most first-time buyers should start with filament; our comparison of filament and resin printers goes further.

Which one should you buy?

First printer, not sure what you’ll make? The Bambu Lab A1 mini.
Want colour? The Bambu Lab A1 Combo.
Need ABS, ASA or carbon fibre? The Elegoo Centauri Carbon.
Want speed with no setup? The Flashforge Adventurer 5M.
Printing miniatures? The Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K, or the Anycubic Photon Mono 4 for a smaller start.

How to choose a 3D printer

Our guide to choosing your first 3D printer goes through each of these in detail.

Setup and calibration decide whether a first printer gets used: all the filament printers here level themselves.
Bed size against what you want to make: 180 mm on the A1 mini, 256 mm on the A1 and the Centauri Carbon. More in A1 mini or A1.
Open frame or enclosure, which depends on the materials and on where the printer will live; see whether 3D printing is safe at home.
The mistakes buyers make, in order, are in 3D printer buying mistakes to avoid.

What to buy with it

Filament. SUNLU PLA for first prints, SUNLU PETG for tougher parts and SUNLU TPU 95A when a part has to flex. All in Printer Filament & Resin.
A filament dryer. Damp filament strings and pops: the SUNLU FilaDryer S2 dries one spool at up to 70 °C and can feed the printer while it works.
Tools. The Creality 3D Printer Tool Kit Pro covers print removal, finishing and nozzle cleaning.
For resin. A wash-and-cure station such as the Elegoo Mercury Plus V3.0 (sized for the Saturn 4 Ultra 16K) or the Anycubic Wash & Cure 3 (for 7.3-inch printers such as the Photon Mono 4). More in Accessories & Tools.

How we picked

This ranking is built from the specifications each manufacturer publishes: build volume, speed, nozzle and bed temperatures, calibration, and what you have to do before the first print. We haven’t lab-tested these printers ourselves, and we say so rather than imply otherwise, which is also why there are no scores out of ten here. Every button links to the brand’s official store on Amazon UK.

Prices move constantly on Amazon, so we don’t print them: every button goes straight to the current listing.

Common questions

Which 3D printer is best for a beginner?

The Bambu Lab A1 mini: it arrives ready to use and calibrates itself, which removes the jobs that put most beginners off. If you already know you want bigger parts or several colours, the Bambu Lab A1 Combo does the same on a 256 mm bed with the AMS lite feeder in the box.

Should my first 3D printer be filament or resin?

Filament for most people: it is cleaner, needs no protective gear and suits functional parts. Resin wins on fine detail for miniatures, but every print needs gloves, ventilation and a wash-and-cure step.

Do I need an enclosed 3D printer?

Not for PLA, PETG or TPU, which the open-frame printers here handle. An enclosure such as the one on the Elegoo Centauri Carbon matters for ABS and ASA, which are prone to warping as they cool.

Is multicolour printing worth it for a beginner?

Only if colour is the point of what you want to make, such as signs, labels or toys. Every colour change purges filament and adds time, so single-colour printing is cheaper and faster.