1. Retraction Settings: Retraction is when the printer pulls filament back from the nozzle during travel moves to prevent oozing. If retraction is not enabled or the settings are not optimized, filament can ooze from the nozzle while it moves across open spaces, leading to stringing.
   • Distance: If the retraction distance is too short, it might not be enough to prevent oozing.
   • Speed: If retraction is too slow, the filament might not be pulled back in time to prevent oozing.
2. Print Temperature: Printing at too high a temperature can make the filament more liquid and prone to oozing. It’s important to find the optimal temperature range for the specific filament being used.
3. Travel Speed: When the printer’s nozzle moves between points without extruding filament (travel move), if it moves too slowly, there’s more time for the filament to ooze out. Increasing travel speed can help reduce the time available for oozing.
4. Cooling: If the printed material doesn’t cool down quickly enough, it remains in a semi-molten state for longer and can be prone to stringing. Ensure that the cooling fans are working properly and are at an appropriate setting for the material.
5. Filament Quality: Some cheaper or lower-quality filaments might be more prone to stringing due to inconsistent diameter, impurities, or additives in the filament.
6. Moisture: If filament has absorbed moisture from the air (especially common with materials like Nylon and PVA), it can lead to stringing as well as popping and bubbling sounds during printing. Storing filament in a dry environment or using a filament dryer can help.
7. Nozzle Diameter and Wear: A worn-out nozzle with an enlarged opening or a nozzle that’s too large for the print’s details might lead to stringing.
8. Z-hop: This is a setting where the nozzle is lifted up slightly during travel moves. If set too high, it can cause stringing. However, if set appropriately, it can help prevent the nozzle from dragging across already printed parts.

To fix stringing, it’s often necessary to tweak multiple settings in the slicing software and perform test prints until the issue is resolved. The best approach is to start with retraction settings and temperature adjustments, then move on to other potential causes if needed.

Understanding What Causes Stringing in 3D Printing: Choosing Quality Filament for Prevention

For every 3D printing hobbyist, achieving the perfect print is an ongoing quest. As enthusiasts navigate the world of 3D printing, a common question that comes with the question of “What causes stringing in 3D printing?” is “How do I choose a quality filament?”. Let’s delve into the filament question and provide some clarity.

Temperature Stability:

• Melting Point Consistency: A consistent melting point ensures that the filament extrudes uniformly, giving you more predictable results with each print.
• Thermal Degradation: High-quality filament should resist breaking down at its recommended print temperature, ensuring longevity and durability for your printed objects.

Color Consistency & Options:

• Uniformity: Variations in color throughout a spool can be frustrating and lead to inconsistent-looking prints. Ensure the filament you choose offers consistent color from start to finish.
• Variety: Embrace your creative side! Quality filament brands often have a diverse color palette, as well as various finishes, from glossy to matte to metallic.

Manufacturer Reputation & Reviews:

• Brand Reliability: Established filament brands tend to have rigorous quality control processes, which translate to a more reliable product for the end-user.
• User Reviews: Before making a purchase, it’s always a good idea to see what fellow hobbyists are saying. Look out for reviews that mention ease of use, consistency, and the final appearance of printed objects.

Eco-friendliness:

• Biodegradable Options: For those environmentally conscious hobbyists, materials like PLA are not only biodegradable but also produce less odor during printing.
• Recycled Content: Some innovative brands are now offering filaments with recycled content, ensuring sustainability without compromising on print quality.

Spool Design:

• Ease of Use: There’s nothing more frustrating than filament tangling mid-print. A well-designed spool ensures smooth unrolling, preventing potential print interruptions.
• Spool Size: Different 3D printers accommodate different spool sizes. Ensure that your filament’s spool size is compatible with your 3D printer setup.

Pro Tip: Always run a test print when trying a new filament brand or type. This allows you to fine-tune settings and get a feel for how the filament behaves, ensuring optimal results in your subsequent prints.

Deciphering What Causes Stringing in 3D Printing: The Final Word

In 3D printing, understanding what causes stringing and selecting quality filament are deeply connected. High-quality filament is a cornerstone for reducing stringing and achieving consistent, impressive prints. However, filament alone isn’t the solution. Adjusting printer settings, particularly retraction and temperature, is equally crucial. By combining the right materials with knowledge, hobbyists can perfect their prints. Here’s to a future of impeccable 3D creations!

Fantasy Miniature June 2022 Kickstarter Campaigns

Blacksmith Workshop STL Files For 3d Printing – Pay What You Want

Medieval Blacksmith Workshop Scenery STLs and Printable Terrain Pieces for RPG Tabletop Games

World of Pratheron : Dragon

Meet more than 10 kinds of pre-supported STL files for Dragons & Concept PDF for TRPG.

City of Lasthaven STL Files For 3d Printing

3D Printable STL Files for Collecting and Tabletop RPG – Compatible with Tabletop Games Like D&D or Warhammer – Bonus Pay What You Want

Printable Grimoire: Spells for 3D printing

Printable Grimoire is a set of 3D printable miniature STL files for spells to be used as effect for miniatures, statues and action figures

3D Printable Fantasy NPCs

The best collection of NPCs and Props for all your RPG Adventures and Tabletop games. (Pre-supported miniature STL Files)

VILLAGE OF LONKLEG HOLLOW

3D Printable miniature STL Files, Terrain for Tabletop, Role Playing Games, Wargames and RPG

Hidden Places II – Amazing 3D Printable Scenery

3D Printable miniature STL Files, Terrain for Tabletop, Role Playing Games, Wargames and RPG

Dungeon Lab

Printable magnetic system for tabletop games and wargames, fantasy dungeon 32mm tiles, miniature STL files for 3d printing.

War Gaming STL Files For 3d Printing Campaigns

Eternal Pilgrims

3D miniature warhammer STL files for bits for wargames miniatures. Print and customize your army!

We are supported by you the 3d printer community. If you purchase anything through a link on our site we may earn an affiliate commission.

The best 3d printers for miniatures such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder and Warhammer are pretty spectacular and several are very reasonably priced when you consider the cost of miniatures in general. A single character will run you $3 to over $100.

We have been using 2 of the printers we cover in this article to print miniatures for over a year now and the results and detail still amaze us with every print. Not only that the selection of miniatures is massive. There are dozens of Kickstarters and Patreons dedicated to miniature file creation that you can support to obtain the .stl files needed to print miniatures on your own 3d printer at home.

There are a large variety of 3D printers out there. Not all are created the same nor do they function the same. Many are rather expensive ranging in the $1000’s range. We will cover several budget friendly printers which we personally use and favor and some more expensive ones that are popular in the community.

What Are The Best 3D Printers For Miniatures?

Creality Ender-3

We love our Ender-3 with the upgraded glass print bed. This is not only a great beginner printer but also a very budget friendly printer. We got ours in 2018 and have been running it without major issue since. The Ender-3 currently runs $189.00 on Amazon.

The first thing we upgraded on our Ender-3 was the build plate. We ordered a 235 x 235 mm tempered glass build plate for the Ender-3. The original magnetic mat warped and we had issues with getting prints off of it. We tore through 3 of the ultra flexible removable magnetic build surfaces before trying the glass plate upgrade. It was a game changer. Since the original Ender-3 several of the newer models have the glass build plate upgrade standard.

The other item we swapped out to upgrade the printer was the extruder drive. It was talked about as a must upgrade item within the 3d printing community. With so many people mentioning it we picked up the upgraded aluminum extruder drive feeder on Amazon for $10. 

We also picked up the upgraded mother board. It is suppose to make the printer much quieter. We cannot speak to this since while we did purchase it almost a year ago its still sitting in the box somewhere cause the noise does not really bother us. We have it on our to-do list during August 2020 to make the swap so we can do a write up about the difference.

Now the assembly of the printer is much easier these days as the instructions have improved greatly from when we got ours 2 years ago. We followed an assembly video by Tomb of 3D Printed Horrors which was a great help back in 2018 since the instructions were lacking then. Tom is was also the one we followed the advice on and video’s for the extruder drive upgrade. You are probably looking at about 2 hours to fully assemble the printer. This is actually pretty good, there are many out there that take far longer before they are ready to use.

As you might of guessed this printer is very flexible and easy to use. There is a large community of 3d printers out there that use the Ender-3 and have created numerous mods and add-on’s for it. It is one of the few you can probably find a video on just about everything you would ever want to do with this 3d printer.

Once you fire it up it is ready to print rather quickly. The bed and extruder tip heat up rather quickly. You do need to level the base plate often, we tend to spot check it before each print just to make sure its still good. It only takes like 1-2 minutes to hit the home button then disable the steppers and check that a single sheet of paper is snug when pulled between the print bed and extruder tip at all four corners of the print bed.

The print detail while not as great as a resin printer is not noticeable when your actually playing with the pieces on a tabletop. Once you clean up the prints and get some quality paint on them you will not notice the difference.

Ender-3 Pros

• Affordable
• Very durable
• Light and Portable
• Easy to assemble
• Ready to print within 5 minutes from powering on the printer
• Large community to get help from
• Lots of upgrades and mods

Ender-3 Cons

• The uneven base that makes you experience a slight wobble
• The need for extra adhesions to stabilize
• Base leveling

Final Thoughts

With all this we would vote for the Ender-3 as the one of the best 3d printers for miniatures. It’s affordable, easy to use, and very flexible. Great for landscape and building pieces. But the next printer is our preferred for miniatures.

Anycubic Photon Resin Printer – Best 3D Miniature Printers

We picked up a ANYCUBIC Resin 3D Printer, Photon Mono 4K several years back when they came out and have been using it with great success. The miniatures that come off have amazing detail. The older model we picked up is going for between $200-250. Now they have newer versions. We have not used the newer models as of yet but when you visit the model we use on Amazon you can get it but it refers you to a newer model the ANYCUBIC Resin 3D Printer, Photon Mono X, while newer it is also about $100 more expensive at $350-400.

They also have the newer model Anycubic Photon M3 Plus but it is more than double the previous 2 printers we have talked about coming in at $699+, so is not what we would consider an entry level printer. It is a high quality and fast printer though.

• 9.25″ 6K Screen: The Photon M3 Plus 9.25″ 6K monochrome screen Resin 3D Printer offers 34um accuracy, max build size of 9.6″ x 7.8″ x 4.8″. And adds a screen protector, which effectively prevents scratches and damage to the LCD screen.
• Ultra-fast printing: The Photon M3 Resin 3D printer is equipped with a powerful matrix LED light source, the max printing speed is 3.93 in/h, and it only takes 1.2 hours to print a 12cm model, which saves at least half the time compared to other resin 3D printers, bringing you more efficient printing experience.
• Automatic Feeding: ANYCUBIC Photon M3 Plus has automatic resin feeding function. Never worry about print failures due to lack of resin. And the 3d resin printer laser engraving platform has strong adhesion, which greatly improves the printing success rate.
• High-Precision Printing: The ANYUCBIC Photon M3 Plus 6K LCD screen has a contrast ratio of up to 350:1, which is 75% higher than the competition (200:1), greatly improving print details. High precision ball screw Z-axis linear guides help improve stability and create fine detail models.
• Cloud Transfer&Cloud Print: ANYCUBIC Photon M3 Plus supports “USB-A2.0/LAN/WAN” and “USB-A3.0/LAN/WAN” control methods, file transfer and printing can be operated remotely (Note: ①Cloud service features require firmware update to use. ②M3 Plus 3d printer doesn’t come with a camera, to be purchased separately. ③No camera doesn t affect cloud service, but can’t check the printing progress)

Lets review a great company for 3D printed miniatures paints. We are not an affiliate or associated with Army Painter, let us say that first. However the rest of this post is pretty much about their products. We highly like them and have been using them for all our 3d printed miniatures. We do get a small commission if you purchase anything through the referral links to Amazon though that helps us keep the site going.

Colour Primers

They have a great line of colour primers that come in a spray can with a special nozezle that allows you to apply a perfect finish. They have a variety of colors for whatever your working on also. You can cover a whole set of miniatures with one coat. Just pick your matt color and shake up the can for a good minute then spray your set of 3d printed miniatures at a distance of 8+ inches and your set for your base coats.

Army Painter recommends you test spraying it on some old test prints or something. It takes a little bit of practice so its best to follow that recommendation. As most of us familiar with 3d printing miniatures know even when we have everything tuned in we still get failed test prints, keep them and put them to good use with testing sprays, different color combo’s, etc. and other 3d printed miniature paints methods.

Army Painter 3D Printed Miniatures Paints

Pros

• The quality of the paints is great. You usually only need one maybe two coats.
• Each bottle is 18 mL which is a decent amount more than GW or Citadel paints and the value is excellent at around $1.60 per bottle versus $4.25 for GW or Citadel.
• Your coats come out clean and clear. Even metallics turn out good, they do not look like glitter and coat smoothly.
• The dripper bottles are great too. Allows you to just use a little as needed then recap the bottle.
• The paints dry quickly.
• Great assortment of colors

Cons

• Same as the pro but can be a con is the paints do dry quickly
• Can be a bit thick on the tones when working on detail
• The paint separates also if it sits a while

Tips From Manufacturer

Normally our Warpaints are thick and filled with pigment. Part of the chemical composition is a thin resin-component that aids the flow of the paint and prevents is from drying out.

The problem could be that we fill the new paints right to the top of the pot, leaving very little air inside the pots. That means it is very hard to shake the pot thoroughly. Imagine the difference when shake a filled water bottle or a half empty water bottle. Same thing here.

Here’s a trick that I think will help you. Try to store your Warpaints pots upside down. Leave them like that for 24-48 hours and then the pigment should have moved down (into the tip). You still need to give them a good shake and the first few drops might still be see-through resin base. However the paint should be excellent, it just needs a good shake

Another option is to take one of the colours and do a test. Simply squeeze out about 1/4 of the pot (or less) until the paint that comes out is all thick. That should show you that the paint is good, but the resin-component causes the issue. The downside of this, is that you might need to add a little water to this particular paint when you use it.

We highly recommend the starter set for anyone getting into painting of 3d printed miniatures. We have been printing D&D miniatures on a our 3d printers the Creality Ender-3 and ANYCUBIC Photon (read our review here) for over a year and these 3d printed miniatures paints work great on them!

Within the community there are a couple go to resin printers. We already mentioned the Anycubic Photon which comes in a variety of models. We still use the base model Anycubic Photon and have had little trouble out side of the base plate coming loose and going crooked twice. However even with that there are mods you can print to improve it.

How To Keep Your Print Bed Level

Plate Balancer which will prevent the base plate from moving.

How To Vent Your Anycubic Photon Resin Printer

Exhaust Vent Adapter this is a must if you want to use your room you have the printer in. Resin is toxic and you dont want to breath it in so you will want to vent it out or filter it. If your able to vent it out its far cheaper than the filter addon we used.

We used this adapter along with some 4″ ducting and a inline duct ventilation fan and heavy duty filter. This is the original inline fan recommended but is out of stock sometimes so we picked up the other one that is very quiet and has an adjustable flow. It worked great.

We printed the Exhaust adapter on our Ender 3 FDM printer so there was no real cost to that. If you do not have that option though you can do it on your resin printer just as easy!

Resin Printed Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures

So now that we have talked about this printer for a bit lets show you some of the results we have gotten from it. Keep in mind it took us almost 2 weeks to figure everything out, most of our issues were with not having the print plate level and zeroed proper. Highly recommend you follow the ANYCUBIC guide on leveling your Photon resin printer. It is far more detailed now than when we initially bought one!

Wash And Rinse First

The washing and rinsing action in Isoprophyl Alcohol (IPA) is a key part of the resin cure time process. It is important to not just submerge it. You are trying to dilute and rinse any leftover photopolymer resin off but also dont want to let your print absorb too much IPA. Letting it sit in an IPA bath for long periods of time can lead to cracking and other defects. You will go through a lot of IPA, we started buying IPA by the gallon recently since finding the smaller bottles at local stores is harder with everything going on with COVID.

It is common to see set ups where fresh prints are put into an IPA bath using the basket if using a pickle jar (we use these round pickle jar with basket and this rectangular one with basket for larger pieces) or tongs or a toothbrush to wash off or swirl the piece around for 30-60 seconds. Then usually moved into a clean IPA bath container to rinse off by lifting and lowering in it a couple times. Then transfer to a warm water bath for a final rinse or two.

TIP: The very warm water also helps loosen the supports up for easier removal.

Several printer companies have recently come out with Wash and Cure stations. These are pretty convenient tools to have, however, they are just as much as some of the resin printers.

• ANYCUBIC Wash and Cure Box
• ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2 in 1 Washing and Curing Machine

UV Cure Times – How Long To Cure Resin Prints With UV Lights?

Once that is done let the piece fully dry. Then you want to put it under a UV curing light for a 15-30 minute resin cure time. You just need to let it harden till it passes a finger nail test. Anything longer does not make a difference since the UV light is not going to penetrate deeper over time. Excessive exposure to the UV light can create brittle aspects such as delicate thin weapons and other points/tips.

TIP: Cure until the surface is no longer sticky, and if it never stops being sticky, it’s possible that you should change the brand of resin you’re using.

You can check the resin manufacturer’s site for the recommended cure times they post. Keep in mind that some machines such as SLA machines may need longer cure times but printers like the Photon and Elegoo do not need that long.

If you cannot run through this process at the time the print finishes it is recommended to just leave in the printer and closed up till morning when you can handle the whole process.

Manufacturers Recommendations For Resin Cure Time

There are many resins out there to try and find a fit for your printers. Among the gaming communities for table top miniatures and terrain there are a couple popular resins we cover below. If you would like to know more about either Elegoo Resin or Siraya Tech Resin check out our post on Best Resin For 3D Printing.

Elegoo – No Elegoo Resin Cure Times Provided By Manufacturer

• Once the model is complete, please wash it with a high 95% degree or higher ethanol alcohol for 30 seconds at least.
• If you don’t use the resin please do not leave them in the resin tank for over 48 hours.
• Full Material Safey Data Sheet

Siraya Tech

• We recommend use Ethanol (preferred) or IPA and a painter brush (or any brush made of hair) to remove uncured resins.
• Ultrasonic cleaner is not needed and sometimes not recommended
• Use 390-405nm UV light for post cure
• For hard to cure resins like Blu and Tenacious, submerge in water will speed up curing.
• For Fast and Simple, submerge is not needed.
• Prints should be dried before post curing.
• IMPORTANT: Please Consult The User Guides For Specific Siraya Tech Resin Cure Time Guidelines
• Do not submerge the parts in alcohol for more than 30 seconds. After 2-3 minutes of cleaning action, remove alcohol with a hair dryer or air blower. For complex part with lots cavities, it may be a good idea to clean/dry multiple times.

• Price
• Definition
• Post-Processing And Resin Cure Time
• Strength or Brittleness
• Smell Factor

Photopolymer or light-activated resin is a polymer that changes its properties when exposed to light, often in the ultraviolet or visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. These changes are often manifested structurally, for example hardening of the material occurs as a result of cross-linking when exposed to light. To learn more visit our resin printing page that goes into much more detail on resin printing.

ELEGOO 3D Rapid Resin LCD UV-Curing Photopolymer Resin

Everyone seems to have nothing but good things to say about this line. The translucent red and blue print out well and the ELEGOO standard grey is a fan favorite. You can check any of the reddit threads or Facebook groups and find similar responses.

Pros:

• Great Value
• Consistently Good Quality
• Great For Post-Processing

Cons

• Some Definition Can Be Lost
• Can Be Brittle
• Strong Stink Factor

Siraya Tech Fast Grey Photopolymer Resin

Siraya Tech has been coming up a lot lately. The fast curing ABS-Like photopolymer resin has been getting great print results among the community and it’s not brittle, is actually pretty strong.

Pros:

• Fast Printing
• Not Brittle
• Easy To Clean And Cure
• Not As Smelly As ELEGOO or ANYCUBIC resins
• Great Surface Finish

Cons:

• Expensive