Best Resin 3D Printers: What to Look For

Resin printers cure liquid photopolymer with UV light and can reproduce fine detail that most filament printers cannot. They also bring extra costs and chores: washing, curing, gloves and careful resin disposal. This guide lists four entry to mid-range resin printers from maker pages, shows what each listing claims, and explains how to choose. If you are still deciding between resin and filament, start with FDM vs resin 3D printers.

Quick comparison

Prices are USD and change often. The Photon Mono 4 price is for the single-unit option with no resin, shown on the Anycubic US page with an EU plug variant selected, so check the plug type for your country. Resin, a wash station and a cure station are extra on every listing.

The picks

Elegoo Mars 5: lowest listed price

Best for: trying resin printing at the lowest entry price. The page lists a 6.6 inch 4K mono LCD, 35 µm XY resolution, automatic leveling, a COB light source and a maximum speed of 70 mm/h.

Downside: the smallest build volume of the four, and the specifications list USB as the only connection method, so there is no Wi-Fi monitoring.

Elegoo US listing

Anycubic Photon Mono 4: sharper pixels for a small step up

Best for: small detailed models such as miniatures. Anycubic lists a 7 inch 10K screen with 17 x 17 µm XY resolution and a 153.4 x 87 x 165 mm volume.

Downside: leveling is listed as four-point manual leveling, and the Anycubic app is listed as not supported on this model. The 70 mm/h figure applies only to the maker's high-speed resin.

Anycubic US listing

Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra: the convenience tier

Best for: people who want less setup. Elegoo lists self-check and automatic leveling, tilt release for up to 150 mm/h, an AI camera and Wi-Fi, a 7 inch 9K screen and 18 µm XY resolution.

Downside: the build volume is shallow in one direction (77.76 mm), and these are peak speed claims.

Elegoo US listing

Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K: largest build volume of the four

Best for: batches of models or larger single pieces. The page lists a 10 inch 16K screen, a 211.68 x 118.37 x 220 mm volume, 14 x 19 µm XY resolution, tank heating to 30 °C, auto leveling, a camera with a light and speeds up to 150 mm/h.

Downside: the price is at least $230 above the others, and a bigger printer needs more resin, larger vats to clean and more space for safe handling.

Elegoo US listing

What this list leaves out

Only these two makers' US store pages were used, so other brands are missing and three of the four picks are Elegoo. Prices from other regions and from third-party retailers can differ, and bundles that add resin or a wash station change the math. Screen resolution is also not the same as print quality: it describes pixel count, while real results depend on resin, exposure settings and cleaning. For one of these machines in more detail, see the Saturn 4 Ultra first look.

How to choose a resin printer

1. Match the volume to your models. Measure your biggest planned part against the listed volume. Small figures fit all four; only the Saturn lists a footprint much larger than the others.
2. Do not pay only for resolution. A higher pixel count helps small detail, but the XY figures here run from 35 micrometers on the 4K model to 14 x 19 micrometers on the 16K model, a gap that matters mainly for very small detail.
3. Budget for the whole workflow. You need resin, gloves, a wash step, a cure step and a place to work. Read resin 3D printing safety basics and how to wash and cure resin prints before buying. Elegoo's Wash and Cure Station 3.0 was listed at $150 on the same day, a reminder that post-processing adds cost.
4. Pick resin by type. Standard, water-washable and tough resins behave differently. See types of 3D printer resin.
5. Check where it can live. Resin fumes need ventilation and a stable room temperature, so plan the space as well as the printer.