Best 3D printers for beginners

Start with the Bambu Lab A1 with AMS Lite. It's the easiest first printer to live with: it arrives essentially ready to print, levels itself, and the software walks you through slicing and sending a print. The AMS Lite adds four-colour printing, which is the fun part for beginners.

Who the others suit:

• Bambu Lab P1S Combo — you want an enclosed printer for ABS/ASA and a sturdier machine from day one; still beginner-friendly, just a bigger commitment.
• Bambu Lab P2S AMS Combo — the newest of the Bambu line, with the highest owner ratings here; pick it if you'd rather buy once and grow into it.
• Creality Ender-3 V3 SE — the classic budget route: capable and well reviewed, but expect to tinker and learn the machine.
• Creality K1 Max — a large build volume for bigger projects without a big jump in complexity.
• Flashforge AD5X — multicolour on a tighter budget, though it's a kit and less polished.

Skip the tiny 100 mm cube printers unless space is the only thing that matters — the build volume limits you fast.