How much does it cost to 3D print a part at home?
About $0.94 for a 40 g PLA part: $0.76 of filament at $18.99 a kg and about $0.18 of electricity for a 10-hour print. The printer, a nozzle and a build plate are most of the real cost.
Free tool · 3D printing
Should I buy a 3D printer? Cost calculator
Only if you print a lot. For 20 parts of 40 g a year, a $219 Bambu Lab A1 mini costs about $278 in its first year. The same parts cost about $120 at a library charging $0.15 a gram, and an online service starts around $52 with shipping.
The printer beats library prices at about 52 parts a year, and after year one it costs about $59 a year to run. Put in your own numbers below.
Prices checked October 5, 2026. Sources
Our pick for you
Use an online print service
At 20 parts a year, JLC3DP comes to about $52 with shipping.
That uses its $1.00 starting price, and real quotes depend on size and material. Upload your file for a quote: above $12.29 a part, buying the Bambu Lab A1 mini costs less.
Its 3-day build plus shipping may not beat a one-week deadline.
At these prices, buying the Bambu Lab A1 mini doesn't pay for itself in year one, even at 2,000 parts. A print service stays cheaper.
One year of printing
How this works
For each option the calculator adds up one year of printing your parts. Buying a printer counts the printer, one nozzle and one build plate, filament by weight and about $0.18 of electricity per part, which assumes a 10-hour print at about 100 W. That is on the high side for small parts, and power is small next to filament anyway.
A print service is your quote per part plus shipping per order. It starts at JLC3DP's $1.00 FDM price, which is a floor: upload your file for a real number. The library charges by the gram, with any minimum. A makerspace is the monthly fee times the months you're a member, plus filament if you buy your own.
Then it drops anything that misses your deadline or can't print your material, picks the cheapest option left, and searches for the part count where buying the cheapest suitable printer costs no more than the best alternative.
Prices the calculator uses
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab A1 mini | $219 | us.store.bambulab.com |
| Bambu Lab P1S | $399 | us.store.bambulab.com |
| Original Prusa MINI+ | $508.33 | prusa3d.com |
| PLA filament, 1 kg (Bambu PLA Basic with spool) | $18.99 | us.store.bambulab.com |
| PLA refill, 1 kg (Bambu) | $15.99 | us.store.bambulab.com |
| Bambu build plate (Textured PEI) | from $19.99 | us.store.bambulab.com |
| Nozzle (Prusa's estimate) | about $20 | prusa3d.com |
| Print sheet (Prusa's estimate) | about $37 | prusa3d.com |
| Electricity per 10-hour print | about $0.18 | eia.gov |
| JLC3DP FDM part | from $1.00 | jlc3dp.com |
| Brownsville Public Library (TX) | $0.15 a gram | brownsvilletx.gov |
| Downers Grove Public Library (IL) | $0.10 a gram | dglibrary.org |
| Arlington Public Library (TX) | $0.20 a gram | arlingtonlibrary.org |
| Austin Public Library (TX) | 1 free print a month | library.austintexas.gov |
| Dallas Makerspace | $72 a month | dallasmakerspace.org |
| Maker Nexus (Sunnyvale, CA) | $75 a month | makernexus.org |
| Asmbly Makerspace (Austin) | $95 a month | asmbly.org |
Questions people ask
Which 3D printer should a beginner buy?
For PLA and PETG parts, the Bambu Lab A1 mini ($219, 180 mm build volume) is the cheapest of the three here. Bambu says ABS and ASA are not recommended on it, so for those the enclosed Bambu Lab P1S ($399) is the pick, with ventilation that vents outside.
Can my library 3D print for me?
Some do. Downers Grove Public Library (IL) charges $0.10 a gram with a $1.00 minimum and can take up to three weeks. Brownsville (TX) charges $0.15 a gram, Arlington (TX) $0.20 a gram, and Austin gives residents one free print a month. Ask your library for its rules.
Are online 3D printing services cheaper?
For a few parts, usually. JLC3DP lists FDM printing from $1.00 a part with a 3-day build, but that is a starting price: your quote depends on size, material and shipping. Craftcloud compares quotes from more than 150 services.
Is it safe to print ABS at home?
Take care. UL's research found ABS and nylon print hotter and release significantly more ultrafine particles and VOCs than PLA. UL recommends ventilation that vents directly outside, and found ventilated enclosures cut particles by 99.7%.
Is a makerspace worth it just for printing?
It can be if you batch your prints. Dallas Makerspace is $72 a month in 2026, Maker Nexus's Limited plan is $75 and Asmbly in Austin is $95; the Maker Nexus and Asmbly plans include 3D printers. Nation of Makers keeps a map of US maker spaces.
Related
Print a stand for your gadget
Some hackshop builds come with a printable stand. Start a build to get the parts list, the print files and the steps.
Sources
Prices checked October 5, 2026. Prices are US list prices before tax and change often.
- Bambu Lab A1 mini ($219)
- Bambu Lab P1S ($399)
- Original Prusa MINI+ ($508.33)
- Bambu PLA Basic filament
- Bambu Textured PEI plate
- Prusa cost of ownership (nozzle, sheet, PLA)
- Bambu Lab power draw
- EIA electricity prices
- JLC3DP prices and build times
- Craftcloud
- Brownsville Public Library (TX)
- Downers Grove Public Library (IL)
- Arlington Public Library (TX)
- Austin Public Library (TX)
- Dallas Makerspace
- Maker Nexus (Sunnyvale, CA)
- Asmbly Makerspace (Austin)
- UL Chemical Insights on 3D printing
- Nation of Makers map