By Mathias Pihl Updated: 25 of Sep 2025 This would be my bio - a selling text about me, myself and I. You want to enter the wonderful world of 3D printing, but which printer to choose? There are so many options out there, from budget-friendly models to high-end machines. In this article, we will explore some of the best 3D printers on the market and help you make an informed decision. I will certainly come back to this topic and update this article with new information and my experience with new printers and materials. But for now, I hope this article will give you a good overview of the world of 3D printing and help you make an informed decision when choosing a printer. Types, technologies and brands of 3D printer When ever you peek into the world of 3D printing, you will quickly find out that there are many different types of printers available. The most common type is FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling), which uses a heated nozzle to melt and extrude plastic filament layer by layer to create a 3D object. Which is what I am going to focus on for this article. Other types of 3D printers include resin printers, which use a liquid resin that is cured by UV light, and SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) printers, which use a laser to fuse powdered material together. But that is a more niched topic and something I will leave for another article. Within FDM printers there are some main printing technologies This article explains the basics around the most common FDM 3D printing technologies.. The most common is the Rectilinear (Cartesian) style, which most commonly uses a moving bed bed in Y axis and a moving print head that moves in the X and Z axes. Another type is the Delta style, which uses three arms that move the print head in a triangular motion. There are also CoreXY printers, which use a unique belt system to move the print head in the X and Y axes, while the bed moves in the Z axis. Each type of printer has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it is important to consider your specific needs when choosing a printer. Let us then focus on FDM printers best suited for the European market. You can discuss the pros and cons of different brands and vast amount of models within brands such as Bambu Lab, Creality, FLSun, Sovol, AnyCubic, Elegoo and Prusa to mention a few. Each brand has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it is important to do your research before making a purchase. For example, Bambulab is known for its user-friendly interface and high-quality prints with competitive pricing, while Creality offers affordable options for beginners. Prusa is a popular choice among hobbyists and professionals alike, thanks to its open-source design and reliable performance but the pricer option. Quality comes with a price though. Elegoo, Sovol and AnyCubic are also good options for beginners, with user-friendly interfaces and affordable prices. Sovol is known for its sturdy build and ease of use, while Anycubic offers a range of models that cater to different needs and budgets. Both brands provide good print quality and reliable performance, making them great choices for those new to 3D printing. My Experience Personally, my first 3D printer was the hugely popular Creality Ender 3 v2 which I bought in 2020. It was an affordable option that provided good print quality and a large community of users for support. However, as I gained more experience with 3D printing, I upgraded to a Prusa Mini+, which offered better print quality and more advanced features. The Prusa Mini+ is a compact and reliable printer that is perfect for hobbyists and professionals alike. It has a sturdy build, easy-to-use interface, and excellent print quality, making it a great investment for anyone serious about 3D printing. It is still going strong with continues improvements and upgrades from Prusa. I had been looking out for a closed compartment 3D printer for a long time and finally last year I took the plunge and bought a Qidi Tech Q1 Pro. It is a great printer with a sturdy build and excellent print quality. The closed compartment helps to maintain a stable temperature, which is important for printing with certain materials like ABS. The printer even provides a heated chamber, which is a great feature for those who want to experiment with different materials. Overall, I am happy with the printer, my first core XY printer with heated chamber and running the Fluidd Fluidd is the 3D printer interface based on Klipper software. interface on open source based Klipper Very interesting reading about the Open Source firmware called Klipper. 3D printer firmware. There is a bit of an issue getting the first layer down and bed calibration, but once that is dialled in, the print quality is excellent. With that, I would not recommend it was a beginners printer as you would need to do some advanced configuration and tuning. Let's talk a little bit about Prusa. Prusa is a well-known brand in the 3D printing community, known for its high-quality printers and open-source designs. The company was founded by Josef Prusa, a Czech engineer who started building 3D printers in his garage. Today, Prusa offers a range of printers and they have a strong focus on community and collaboration. One of the unique features of Prusa printers is their use of open-source software and hardware, which allows users to customise and modify their printers to suit their needs. They are also profiling themselves to have everything made in Europe, which is a great selling point for those who value locally made products. They are spanning from the budget friendly Prusa Mini+ (450 EUR) to the high end Prusa XL (2000+ EUR). That is for the FDM printers, Creality, Bambulab, Sovol, Elegoo, Qidi, Flsun and Anycubic are all Chinese brands, which may be a consideration for some buyers. All these brands that I am listing are all brands that I have followed for about 10 years. I have seen most of the models developed and released. I have also seen the ups and downs of the different brands. I have not seen any of them disappear, but some have had some rough patches. But they are all still here and going strong. One can argue about the quality of the different brands, but I think it is more about what you want to achieve with your 3D printing. If you are a beginner, then I would recommend starting with a budget-friendly option like Creality or Sovol. If you are more experienced and want better print quality and more advanced features, then Prusa is a great choice. Bambulab is also a good option for those who want a user-friendly interface and high-quality prints. So which brand is the best to start with? Materials The material you're printing with is really important. You need to take a decision based on what you want to print. The most common material is PLA (Polylactic Acid), which is a biodegradable plastic that is easy to print with and comes in a wide range of colours. PLA is a great choice for beginners, as it is forgiving and produces good results. However, it is not very durable and can be brittle, so it may not be the best choice for functional parts. There are however variations to PLA, the next step up is the PLA+ (PLA Plus) which is a modified version of PLA that offers improved strength and durability. PLA+ is a great choice for those who want a bit more toughness in their prints, while still enjoying the ease of use that PLA provides. Next step up with PLA are the mixed materials like PLA-CF (Carbon Fibre) or PLA-PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) which offer even better strength and durability, making them suitable for more demanding applications. There are a lot of combinations and constantly evolving. The technology in 3D printers are evolving fast, but the same goes for that materials! Next step up from PLA are materials like PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol), which is a strong and durable plastic that is resistant to impact and heat. PETG is a great choice for functional parts, as it offers good strength and flexibility. Another popular material are ASA and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), which is a strong and durable plastic that is commonly used in automotive and industrial applications. ABS is more difficult to print with than PLA or PETG, as it requires a heated bed and proper ventilation due to the fumes it produces during printing. However, it offers excellent strength and durability, making it a great choice for functional parts that need to withstand wear and tear. As I started this section, materials are not just important, but critical, because with PLA and PETG based material you can print in open printers, while ABS and other high temperature materials require an enclosed printer with a heated chamber to avoid warping and cracking during the printing process. Software - CAD, Slicers and Firmware You have an idea of what you want to create. That is really the keyword, you want to create something. Then you need to design it in a 3D modelling software, also known as CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software. There are many different CAD software available, both free and paid. Some popular options include Tinkercad, Fusion 360, FreeCAD and Blender. Once you have designed your model, you will need to export it as an STL (STereoLithography) file, which is the standard file format for 3D printing. That is what we want to achieve, a 3D model in STL format. When I do my own models, I use FreeCAD, which is a powerful and versatile CAD software that is available for free. It has a wide range of features and tools that allow you to create complex 3D models with ease. It is also open-source, which means that it is constantly being improved and updated by a community of developers. However, it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, so I would recommend starting with a simpler CAD software like Tinkercad if you are new to 3D modelling. Still today, if I need something quickly to be designed, I use TinkerCad, which is a user-friendly and intuitive CAD software that is perfect for beginners. It has a simple drag-and-drop interface that allows you to create 3D models quickly and easily. It also has a large library of pre-made shapes and objects that you can use to create your designs, making it a great choice for those who want to get started with 3D modelling without having to learn complex software. What I also somethimes use, depending on the complexity of the model, is OpenSCAD, which is a script-based CAD software that allows you to create 3D models using code. It is a great choice for those who have programming experience and want to create complex models that would be difficult to design using traditional CAD software. It is also open-source and has a strong community of users who share their designs and code online. Now you have designed your model and exported it as an STL file. The next step is to prepare it for printing using a slicer software. A slicer takes your 3D model and slices it into thin layers, generating the G-code that your printer will use to create the object. Some popular slicer software include Cura, PrusaSlicer, Simplify3D and the mighty OrcaSlicer. Each slicer has its own unique features and settings, so it is important to choose one that is compatible with your printer and meets your specific needs. My two favorites are the PrusaSlicer and the fantastic OrcaSlicer, which are two powerful and versatile slicers that offers a wide range of features and settings. They have a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to use, even for beginners. But to understand all the advanced settings and doing the more advanced tweaking will certainly take time and a lot of research. You do not need to create your own models to get started with 3D printing. There are many online repositories where you can find and download pre-made models for free or for a fee. Some popular repositories include Thingiverse, Printables, Cults and Makerworld. These repositories have a wide range of models available, from simple toys and household items to complex mechanical parts and artistic sculptures. You can search for specific models or browse through categories to find something that interests you. Once you have found what you want to print, you can download the STL file and prepare it in the Slicer software and send it off to the 3D printer. personally, I almost exclusively use Printables (from the Prusa company) and in some cases Thingiverse, but there are many other good repositories out there. Other tips and tricks I used to buy my filaments and spare parts online from 123-3D, but today I also buy from Amazon and sometimes directly from the manufacturers. If you do a little bit of research and you start get some experience with the different brands you learn what the best brands are. I normally choose filaments from Polymaker, eSun, SUNLU and REAL. I have had good experience with all of them. Another good source of information and inspiration is YouTube. There are many great channels that cover 3D printing, from reviews and unboxings to tutorials and project ideas. Some popular channels include 3D Printing Nerd, Maker's Muse, Thomas Sanladerer and CHEP. These channels provide a wealth of information and inspiration for both beginners and experienced 3D printers, so I would highly recommend checking them out if you want to learn more about the world of 3D printing. Wrapping up I see that this article is starting to get a bit long, so I will stop here for now. I hope this article has given you a good overview of the world of 3D printing and helped you make an informed decision when choosing a printer. The world of 3D printing is constantly evolving, with new printers and materials being released all the time. I will certainly come back to this topic and update this article - and also new separate articles - with new information and my experience with new printers and materials. But for now, I hope this article will give you a good overview of the world of 3D printing and help you make an informed decision when choosing a printer. Navigate back!