Overall though, if you’re looking into an entry into 3D printing, the Anycubic Photon Mono might be the machine for you. Just don’t make the same mistake I did after the test print… scrap the excess resign on the printing platform away or you’ll have some interesting noises during the next print.

Anycubic has released a resin printer which has no serious defects, isn't a pain to use and has a very easy to use slicer with preconfigured profiles for its own printers, holding your hand all the way.

The rock-solid gantry, combined with the thoughtful design touches on the resin vat and build platform are clearly designed to make the printing process as easy as possible. The parts I printed had a very high level of detail and the Photon Mono was able to easily create organic and complex shapes, something an FDM filament printer like the Creality Ender 3 might struggle with. By including their Photon Workshop software with the Photon Mono, Anycubic has clearly put work into the out-of-the-box experience for new users. However, I did find the software somewhat limiting, and I preferred using the Chitubox software that runs natively with the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro.

If you are shopping on a more restricted budget for a resin printer that can create highly-detailed models on a smaller scale, then the Anycubic Mono is a solid option. This printer delivered incredibly detailed prints compared to an FDM printer and is compatible with a wide variety of resins. However, it is a much more labor intensive process to clean and post-process resin prints, so there can be a bit of a steep learning curve for beginners. One thing to consider when looking at a resin printer is that the procedures for layout, orientation, and supports differ wildly from a filament printers, so you should also be prepared for some trial and error when you are just starting out — even if you have a decent amount of filament-based 3D printer experience already.