The real cost of owning a 3D printer

The printer is the big number, but it is not the whole bill. The good news is that a filament printer is cheap to run. The less obvious costs are wear parts, storage and the prints that fail.

Filament: the main running cost

Mainstream PLA and PETG typically cost somewhere around £10–£20 per kilogram, with specialist and branded materials above that. Most everyday prints use tens of grams, so a single part often costs well under £1 in plastic.

Spool sizes vary, and a cheap-looking spool can be a smaller one, so compare on price per kilo. We rank every filament we track by price per kilo, using the weight stated in the listing.

Electricity: less than people fear

Power use depends on the printer, the material and how hot the bed runs, so check your own printer’s figures. As a worked example, assume a printer averaging 150 W during a five-hour PLA print, and a unit price of 25p per kWh:

• 150 W for 5 hours is 0.75 kWh.
• 0.75 kWh at 25p is about 19p.

Swap in your own tariff and your printer’s average draw. Hotter materials such as ABS need a hotter bed and cost more, but for most people electricity is a small line on the bill.

Wear parts

• Nozzles wear gradually, and much faster with abrasive filaments such as carbon fibre or glow-in-the-dark. Brass nozzles are cheap; hardened steel lasts far longer with abrasives. See hardened vs brass nozzles. Printers with proprietary quick-swap nozzles usually cost more per nozzle than those taking standard ones.
• Build plates lose grip and pick up scratches over time. A replacement plate is a routine purchase. See build surfaces explained.
• PTFE tubes, belts and wipers are small and occasional. See PTFE tubing and belts and layer shifts.

Keeping filament dry

Many filaments absorb moisture from the air, and wet filament prints badly: stringing, popping and weak parts. PLA tolerates it better than most; PETG, TPU and nylon are much fussier. A sealed box with desiccant is cheap insurance, and a dryer earns its place if you print the fussier materials. See dry boxes and desiccant and whether you need a filament dryer.

Failed prints: the cost nobody lists

Every failure wastes plastic, electricity and, most of all, time. This is where a more reliable, self-calibrating printer pays for itself: a printer that saves £40 up front but fails one print in five is not the cheaper printer for long. It is why our printer reviews score reliability and ease of use rather than just listing features.

Resin costs more to run

Resin printing adds consumables that filament does not need: resin itself, which usually costs more per part, isopropyl alcohol for washing (unless you use water-washable resin), nitrile gloves, paper towels, and the film in the bottom of the vat, which is a wear part. A wash and cure station is optional but popular. See resin ranked by price per litre, when to replace FEP film and whether a wash and cure station is worth it.

A sensible starting budget

On top of a filament printer, set aside roughly £30–£50 for two spools of filament, a spare nozzle and a dry box. After that, most hobbyists find the running cost is mostly filament, and far lower than they expected.

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to run a 3D printer?

A filament 3D printer is cheap to run. The main cost is filament at about 10 to 20 pounds per kilogram, and most everyday prints use only tens of grams, so a single part often costs well under one pound. Electricity adds pennies per print, and wear parts such as nozzles are small, occasional purchases.

How much electricity does a 3D printer use?

A 3D printer uses little electricity. As a worked example, a printer averaging 150 watts over a five hour PLA print uses 0.75 kWh, which costs about 19 pence at 25 pence per unit. Hotter materials such as ABS cost more because the bed runs hotter.

How much does it cost to 3D print something?

Most everyday 3D prints cost well under one pound in material. Mainstream PLA and PETG cost about 10 to 20 pounds per kilogram and a typical part uses tens of grams, so a 30 gram part costs roughly 30 to 60 pence in plastic, plus a few pence of electricity.

What parts wear out on a 3D printer?

The parts that wear out on a 3D printer are nozzles, build plates, PTFE tubes, belts and nozzle wipers. Nozzles wear gradually, and much faster with abrasive filaments such as carbon fibre or glow in the dark. Build plates lose grip and scratch over time. All are inexpensive routine replacements.

Is 3D printing an expensive hobby?

3D printing with filament is not an expensive hobby once you own the printer. Beyond the machine, a starting budget of about 30 to 50 pounds covers two spools of filament, a spare nozzle and a dry box, and after that the running cost is mostly filament. Resin printing costs more because of its extra consumables.

Does resin printing cost more than filament printing?

Yes. Resin printing needs resin, which usually costs more per part, plus isopropyl alcohol for washing unless you use water-washable resin, nitrile gloves, paper towels and a vat film that wears out. A wash and cure station is an optional extra cost.

What is the hidden cost of 3D printing?

The hidden cost of 3D printing is failed prints. Every failure wastes plastic, electricity and above all time. A reliable, self-calibrating printer therefore often costs less to own than a cheaper one that fails one print in five.