Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So I’m looking at dipping my toe into 3D printing to print minis

I have seen that there are 4k 6k and 8k printers which I assume is the level of detail and smoothness you f the print the printer can produce?

Is 4k acceptable for printing minis? As that’s my price range

A few thoughts

1) Keep in mind that the resolution that gets marketed the most is the resolution of the screen being used. 2K, 4K, 6K, 8K etc...

What you have to also take into account is the build plate size. A 2K resolution on a 6inch build plate is going to give you a greater printing resolution than one on a 12 inch build plate.

The best value to look at is the X Y resolution (the Z - height, is broadly the same on most and in practical terms maxes out at 0.02mm for most consumer printers). The XY tells you what the actual printing resolution of the models you get will be.

2) Increasing resolution of the print will mean less layer line evidence on curved surfaces, smoother transitions and sharper edges.

3) Note that resolution of the printer is only part of the process, there's also the light array which influences the quality of light and also the resin being used itself. Light arrays are a bit of a "you get what you get" and most are good.

Resins though are a huge area of variety. Some are tough, some are fragile, some hold super fine detail, some are muddy, some are rubbishy and some are fantastic.

Of course in general terms better performance costs more.


One BIG thing ot be aware of is that 4K, 8K on resin means NOTHING. It's purely a marketing term. Yes those resins marked as such will generally be good at fine detail, but you don't have to match resolutions of printers to resins. You can use an 8K resin on any printer.

4) Now for the big one - how much is enough? From my personal experience I got a Sonic Mini 4K, which is a 4K screen on a 6inch build plate and it creates 0.35um resolution and its amazing.

Right now if you were getting started the Mars 3 has a 4K screen and a good build quality and is a very affordable printer. The 2K printers (eg Mars 2) were more than enough for good quality. The 4K make it better and the new 8K even better, though the jumps are slight not night and day differences.

In short any 4K printer is going to give you very good performance.


5) Buildplate size and models. In practical terms a 6inch build plate can print most things as creators often cut big models for smaller printers.
That said in general really big things like dragons and tanks and mechs can be less practical on a 6 inch build plate. You might get ugly cuts (eg dragon wings sliced with straight lines makes for a lot of clean up on the wing surface); you can end up with a lot of build runs to get all the parts you need.

In practical terms the 9inch build plates (The likes of the Elegoo Saturn printers and the Phrozen Mighty printers) are what I'd consider a good practical size for all wargaming models. That extra size lets you print a lot of larger things in a more practical timeframe and with fewer cuts (eg dragon wings go from multiple cuts to just one solid part).


However printers like the Mars and the Phrozen mini printers and the like are very popular. They let you get started with good resolutions, good performance and a lower buying in price for the printer (accessories, safety gear, resin and such is going to be the same cost no matter what printer you go for)

God damn, looks like I need to do some reading

The short answer - 4K will do great

If you are dipping your toe in, then the Mars 2 is currently on for $99, while the Saturn is $500-ish.

And definately read up on the space you will need and the safety kit. Resin is a pretty nasty chemical and needs to be treated with respect.

Good article on safety gear
https://printhunter.org/3d-printing-health-and-safety-tips/

Most of the time you won't be able to tell with the naked eye.

But the difference between 50 microns and 30 microns is pretty large when it comes to the behaviour of paint - especially Contrasts, Shades and other washes - on the model.

Today is the cheapest they will be until next Black Friday, so chop chop. If you want the best minis, grab any small 4k, if you want tanks, you can probably afford a Photon Mono X in that price range today only and it'll be good enough.

Luckily there's really no bad machines on the market. Grab whichever Elegoo, Anycubic or Phrozen is cheapest and available in your area and you're good.