“Just 3D print them, it’s basically free” is one of the most repeated pieces of tabletop advice, and it is only half true. The plastic in a single miniature really does cost pennies. The setup that turns that plastic into a finished mini does not. This is an honest cost test for Canada in 2026: what printing your own actually costs once you add everything up, how that compares to buying, and when each option genuinely wins.
The short answer
Printing your own minis is only cheaper than buying them if you print a lot of them and you enjoy the hobby of printing itself. The per-mini material cost is tiny, but the printer, the resin, the cleanup gear, the failed prints, and your time are real costs that a “pennies of plastic” claim quietly ignores. For a one-off mini, buying a boxed one or ordering a single custom print is usually cheaper and far less hassle. For outfitting a whole campaign over years, a home setup can pull ahead.
What a home resin setup actually costs
Resin is the usual choice for minis because it holds fine detail far better than a basic filament printer. Here are the realistic 2026 market ranges in Canada. Treat every number as an estimate – prices vary by brand, sale, and shipping:
| Item | Rough cost (CAD, estimate) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Entry resin printer | ~$150-300 | A starter MSLA machine; capable, not premium |
| Wash & cure station | ~$80-200 | Optional but strongly recommended; you can DIY it for less |
| Resin | ~$20-40 per litre | Standard/water-washable; specialty resins cost much more |
| Safety gear | ~$30-60 | Gloves, mask, ventilation – uncured resin is an irritant |
| Consumables | Ongoing | FEP film, isopropyl alcohol, replacement build plate tape |
Add it up and a functional starter setup lands somewhere around $300-500 CAD before you print a single mini. The material for that first mini? A small 28-32 mm figure uses roughly 5 to 15 ml of resin, so at about $30 a litre that is on the order of $0.15 to $0.60 of resin. That gap – hundreds of dollars up front versus cents per print – is the whole story.
The costs the “pennies of plastic” claim skips
- Failed prints. Early on, some prints fail – a support breaks, the model does not stick, the settings are off. Every failure is wasted resin and time. Budget for a learning curve.
- Your time. Slicing, adding supports, printing, washing, curing, and removing supports is real work per batch. If you value your evenings, that time is a cost.
- Finishing. A raw resin print is grey and bare. If you want it painted, that is more time, paint, and brushes on top.
- Space and smell. Resin needs ventilation and a spot you do not mind dedicating. Not everyone has a garage or a spare corner.
What buying costs instead
Two buying paths, very different in price:
- A random pre-painted mini. Blind-box and single pre-painted plastic figures at Canadian hobby shops generally run from a few dollars up to around $10 each, with multi-figure packs often in the $20-30 range. Cheap – but you get whatever model is in the box, not your character.
- A specific custom mini. When you want your half-orc bard and not a generic fighter, a custom print is the comparison that matters. At 3DCentral a 4 cm tabletop mini is $37 in full colour (Studio) or $49 hand-finished (Signature), built from your photo or description, printed and shipped in Canada with no customs. Our tabletop gaming hub lays out how that process works.
A worked comparison
Say you need six custom character minis for your table over the next year. Three honest routes:
- Print them yourself. ~$300-500 in setup, plus resin, plus the time to learn and produce them, plus finishing if you want colour. Cheapest per mini only once you are past the setup cost and comfortable with the workflow – and best if you actually want printing as a hobby.
- Buy generic pre-painted. Cheapest up front if you can live with models that merely resemble your characters. Six figures might cost you $30-60 total, but none of them is truly your character.
- Order custom prints. Six full-colour 4 cm minis at $37 each is about $222, each one actually your character, with no printer to buy, no resin to store, and no learning curve. That is often the sweet spot for players who want their specific heroes without becoming print hobbyists.
The math flips depending on volume and what you want. If you will print dozens of models and enjoy the process, owning a printer wins over time. If you want a handful of specific characters and no new hobby, ordering custom usually costs less all-in once the printer, resin, and hours are counted.
So, is it cheaper?
Cheaper per gram of plastic, yes – dramatically. Cheaper overall, only at volume and only if you value the hobby of printing for its own sake. The honest rule of thumb: buy generic if you just need a body on the map, order custom if you want your exact character without the equipment, and buy a printer if you genuinely want to print a lot and enjoy doing it. If your goal is a specific hero on the table this month, you can compare a made-to-order option on our custom D&D miniature service, and our figurine size guide helps you pick the right scale before you decide.
FAQ
Is it actually cheaper to 3D print D&D minis?
Only at volume. The resin in one small mini costs cents, but a home resin setup runs roughly $300-500 CAD before your first print, plus resin, failed prints, and your time. Printing wins over the long run if you print a lot; for a one-off it is usually cheaper to buy.
How much does a home resin printer setup cost in Canada?
As a 2026 estimate: an entry resin printer around $150-300, a wash and cure station around $80-200, safety gear around $30-60, and resin around $20-40 per litre. Budget roughly $300-500 to get started before consumables and failed prints.
How much resin does one miniature use?
A small 28-32 mm figure uses roughly 5 to 15 ml of resin, so at about $30 a litre the material is on the order of $0.15 to $0.60. The material is cheap; the equipment and time are where the real cost sits.
Is buying a pre-painted mini cheaper than printing?
For a single generic figure, often yes – Canadian hobby shops sell pre-painted plastic minis from a few dollars up to around $10 each. The catch is you get whatever model is available, not your specific character.
When does ordering a custom print make more sense?
When you want a specific character rather than a generic body, and you do not want to buy and learn a printer. A custom 4 cm mini printed and shipped in Canada avoids the setup cost, the resin storage, and the learning curve entirely.
Do I pay customs if I order a custom mini in Canada?
Not from a domestic service that prints and ships within Canada. That avoids the shipping, exchange, and customs fees you can pick up importing a print from abroad.
