I tend to collect information on things that interest me. One of those is 3D printing. Almost 2 years ago, we got a Creality Ender 3 printer as a gift. Since then, I haven’t done as much printing as I’d like, but I’ve collected a number of useful websites and articles on 3D printing. With the holiday season nearing, I’m sure a 3D printer will be a gift for more than a few people, so today, I’m sharing some of my favorite resources to help anyone with a 3D printer. Note that all of these links are for FDM printers and not resin.
Click a link to jump to a section
General Websites
Here are a few sites that have a lot of information on various topics related to 3D printing.
- All 3D – This may be my favorite site for information on filament, troubleshooting, and all things related to 3D printing.
- 3D Sourced – Another site with a lot of great information.
- Cults 3D Blog – This site has models for 3D printing along with this blog that talks about all things related.
- Reddit’s 3D printing group – For Reddit fans or those wanting to crowd source information, here’s a group for 3D printing.
- Creality’s product discussion boards – Enders – I have a Ender printer from Creality. Here’s a link to their discussion boards where you can then select the board for your model of Ender printer.
The Basics of 3D Printing
Here’s a list of articles that should help you get started with your 3D printer.
- What Are The Benefits Of Having A 3d Printer At Home?
- What Is FDM 3D Printing? – Simply Explained.
- 3D Printing Terminology: All Important 3D Printing Terms
- Every 3D Printer Part Explained.
- How To Maintain A 3d Printer.
- 3D Printer Maintenance: 10 Tips to Maintain Your FDM Printer.
- What Are The Most Common Problems With 3d Printing?
- 7 Basic 3D Printing Tools to Get Started.
- The 25 Best 3D Printer Upgrades & Mods of 2022.
Filaments
Here I’ve listed links on the many types of filament you can use in your printer. Not all printers can use all filaments, so make sure to check what filaments your printer supports before trying one.
General Links on Filament types.
- The Best 3D Printer Filaments of 2022 – Buyer’s Guide
- PLA vs PLA+/Plus Filament: The Main Differences.
- PETG vs PLA Filament: The Main Differences.
Specific Types of Filament
- PLA Filaments
- PETG Filaments
- Other Filaments
- Food Safe Filaments
- Storage and Printable Accessories for Filament
PLA Filaments
- The Best PLA Filaments of 2022 – 3D Printer Filament Buyer’s Guide
- The Best Transparent & Clear PLA Filaments of 2022.
- The Best PLA Bed & Print Temperature Settings.
- The Best Wood PLA Filaments of 2022.
- The Best Silk PLA Filaments of 2022/
PETG Filaments
Other Filaments
Food Safe Filaments
Storage and Printable Accessories for Filaments
- 3D Printer Filament Storage: How to Store Filament
- The Best 3D Printer Filament Spool Holders of 2022.
- The 15 Best Filament Guides to 3D Print.
- Filament Welding: How to Join Your 3D Printer Filament.
Software
You’re going to need software for your 3D printer. Slicers allow you to a take a 3D file and turn it into a file your printer can read. There are also a varieoty of programs to create your own 3D files, along with other software that allows you to do more with your printer. Here’s some links to the best to get you started.
- 19 Best 3D Printer Software 2022 (For Every Stage!
- The Best Free 3D Printing Software of 2022.
- The Top 10 Best 3D Slicers 2022 (6 Are Free!).
- Free Software Solutions For 3d Design Projects.
- Ultimaker Cura – this is the slicer I use, it’s free and fairly easy to use.
Guides for Better Prints
Here are some of my favorite articles on getting better prints.
- 7 Main Factors In Getting The Perfect 3d Printing First Layer.
- CREAT3D 3D printing tips: microns, layer height & resolution explained.
- Which Layer Height is Best for 3D Printing?
- How To Perfectly Level Your 3d Printing Bed.
- 3D Printer Bed Leveling: Easy Step-by-Step Guide.
- 3D Printer Bed Adhesion: All You Need to Know.
- 3D Printing Infill: The Basics for Optimal Results.
- Extruder Calibration: How to Calibrate E-Steps.
- 3D Printer: Dimensional Accuracy – How to Achieve It.
Sites to Find 3D Print Files
Here’s a few of my favorite sites to find 3D print files. Some are entirely free, others have a mix of free and paid files. There are also many artists that sell files on their website, so if you’re looking for something in particular trying Googling it.
- Thingiverse – free, lots of variety.
- Printables – free
- Pinshape – free
- Cults – mix of free and paid
- CG Trader – mix of free and paid
- My Mini Factory – mix of free and paid
- 3D Benchy – You may not have known his name, but you’ve seen Benchy, here’s his official site.
- The Best 3D Printer Calibration Cubes of 2022 – for options to calibrate other then Benchy.
Benchy – via http://www.3dbenchy.com/features/
Troubleshooting Guides
It’s going to happen, you’re going to need help. Here’s some links to get you started.
- 3D Printing Troubleshooting: All Problems & Solutions
- 3D Print Warping: PLA, PETG, ABS – 3 Easy Fixes.
YouTube Channels
Finally, here’s a link to some channels on YouTube that I’ve found helpful.
- 3D Printing Nerd
- 3DSage
- Kickass 3D Prints
- 3D Printscape
- Creality – great videos if you have a Creality brand printer like I do.
- HATCHBOX – brand of filament I’ve had excellent success with
That’s my list for now. What’s your favorite site/channel/place to get 3D printer information?
Share in the comments.