3D printing is not free, but it’s cheaper than most people expect once you understand what actually drives cost. The short answer: a basic setup costs $300-$500 upfront, and each print costs $0.30 to $2.00 in filament depending on size. This guide breaks down every cost you’ll actually encounter. Upfront Costs: The Printer A solid…
FDM stands for Fused Deposition Modeling. It’s the most common type of consumer 3D printing and the technology behind nearly every desktop printer sold today. An FDM printer melts a plastic filament and deposits it in precise layers from the bottom up until a complete 3D object is built. That’s the whole process in one…
So you want to start 3D printing. Good call. But before you buy anything, it helps to know what you actually need versus what the internet is trying to upsell you on. This guide covers the real starter kit: the printer, filament, slicer software, and a few small extras that will save you a lot…
A multi-color deck box printed in two or three colors with Bambu Lab’s AMS system looks dramatically better than a single-color print and requires less painting skill than you’d expect. The AMS handles the filament swaps automatically. You paint the colors in Bambu Studio, slice, and print. The result: a clean two-tone or full-color deck…
The Vortek System Changes How Multi-Material Printing Works Announced at Formnext in November 2025 and launched in January 2026, the Bambu Lab H2C is the most technically ambitious printer Bambu has ever built. It is the company’s first toolchanger, and the Vortek system at its core solves a problem that has plagued multi-color FDM printing…
The X1C’s Replacement Arrives with Dual Extrusion Announced April 14, 2026, the Bambu Lab X2D is the official successor to the X1 Carbon. It drops into the same compact enclosed footprint as the X1C but adds something the X1C never had: dual nozzle printing. At $649 standalone or $899 as a Combo with AMS 2…
Dual Nozzle, Laser Engraving, All in One Machine Launched in early 2025, the Bambu Lab H2D is the most versatile machine in the Bambu lineup. It combines large-format dual-nozzle 3D printing with an optional laser engraving and blade cutting module, turning a single machine into what Bambu calls a personal manufacturing hub. At $1,749 for…
Large Format FDM for Serious Makers Announced in August 2025, the Bambu Lab H2S is the entry point into Bambu’s H2 platform: a family of large-format, high-capability printers designed for makers who have outgrown the compact 256mm cube of the P-series and need something bigger, faster, and more capable. At $1,249 the H2S is a…
The P1S Gets a Serious Upgrade Released in late 2025, the Bambu Lab P2S is the direct successor to the best-selling P1S. It keeps everything that made the P1S great and fixes the handful of things that experienced users wished were better: a proper touchscreen, smarter AI monitoring, a stronger extruder, a heated chamber, and…
The Best All-Around 3D Printer Under $600 The Bambu Lab P1S has earned a reputation that few printers ever achieve: it is the answer to the question “what should I buy if I want one printer that does everything well?” Enclosed, fast, reliable, capable of engineering filaments, and fully compatible with the AMS system for…