

While melting any type of plastic releases volatile organic compounds and other particulates into the air, the CDC considers PLA to be safer (PDF). Printers should also be able to print in polylactic acid, or PLA, plastic. A quiet printer is much easier to live with. Although some printers are marginally faster than others, large prints can take days even small prints take hours. Ideally, it isn’t too big or heavy, and it’s relatively quiet so you can’t hear it from every corner of the house. Suited to everyday life: The machine should look at home sitting on a desk.Proprietary filament is generally more expensive, and if the company that makes it goes out of business, you won’t be able to use the printer.


A design that requires you to keep a computer tethered to the printer at all times via USB is a serious flaw but not necessarily a dealbreaker. Loading files onto an SD card that you plug into the printer is also okay. Ample connectivity options: Ideally, you should be able to start a print over Wi-Fi or transfer the file over a USB cable.The bed should also level itself or be simple to level manually (a sloping print bed can cause printing errors). Easy-to-use hardware: Even a complete beginner should be able to put the printer together, load filament, start a print, and remove a finished model from the print bed.High-quality prints: Without too much tweaking, the printer should put out smooth-looking models with layers that are 0.1 mm or thinner and barely visible.
