Small 3D printers: every mini and compact model, smallest first

Fourteen shipping 3D printers in the database have a bed no larger than 230 mm on either side. The smallest are the Bambu Lab A1 mini ($299 at launch) and the Original Prusa MINI+ ($399), both 180 × 180 × 180 mm, or 5.8 liters. The other 12 have beds of 220 or 225 mm.

The table sorts them by build volume, smallest first, and shows US launch prices. Ten are bedslingers, which slide the bed front to back as they print. Four are CoreXY, where the bed only moves up and down. One of those, the Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro, is enclosed.

What counts as a small 3D printer?

This list counts a 3D printer as small when its bed is no larger than 230 mm on either side. No industry body defines the term, and 230 mm falls in a gap: shipping printers in the database jump from 225 mm beds straight to 250 mm. Fourteen printers qualify, in two size groups.

• Mini, 180 mm (2): the A1 mini and the MINI+, both 180 × 180 × 180 mm (7.1 in a side). Both are cantilever designs, with the toolhead arm hung off a single column.
• Compact, 220 to 225 mm (12): the other 12, from Creality, Elegoo, Flashforge and Sovol. They hold 10.6 to 13.4 liters, 1.8 to 2.3 times a mini.

Three printers sit just past the cut at 250 mm on the longer side: the Anycubic Kobra S1 (250 × 250 mm), the Original Prusa MK4S (250 × 210 mm) and the Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) (250 × 220 mm). For scale, the Bambu Lab A1 and P1S have a 256 × 256 mm bed. A 220 mm bed has 74% of that area, and a 180 mm bed 49%.

To check whether a small bed fits your parts, see what size 3D printer you need and the standard bed size guide.

What is the smallest 3D printer you can buy?

The smallest shipping 3D printers in the database are the Bambu Lab A1 mini ($299 at launch) and the Original Prusa MINI+ ($399). Both print a 180 mm cube, 5.8 liters. The A1 mini is the smaller machine overall at 347 × 315 × 365 mm, and the MINI+ the lighter at 4.5 kg.

Next come four 220 mm cubes (10.6 liters): the Creality Ender-3 V3 Neo ($259), the Flashforge AD5X and Adventurer 5M ($399 each) and the enclosed Adventurer 5M Pro ($599).

The smallest printer in the database is the Sovol Zero, an enclosed CoreXY with a 152.4 × 152.4 × 152.5 mm build volume (3.5 liters). It launched at $499 in March 2025 and is now discontinued, so it is not in the table. Toy printers sold for children are outside the database.

How much space does a small 3D printer take up?

Both minis measure under 40 cm (16 in) on every side, but a small build volume does not make a small machine. A bedslinger’s bed slides front to back as it prints, so it needs more depth than its listed size. The makers list these outer sizes and weights:

• Bambu Lab A1 mini: 347 × 315 × 365 mm (13.7 × 12.4 × 14.4 in), 5.5 kg. Bambu Lab’s wiki says to leave about 390 mm (15.4 in) front to back for the bed’s travel.
• Original Prusa MINI+: 380 × 330 × 380 mm (15.0 × 13.0 × 15.0 in), 4.5 kg, without the spool holder and external power supply. Its bed also travels front to back.
• Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro: 380 × 400 × 453 mm (15.0 × 15.7 × 17.8 in). Its CoreXY bed moves only up and down, so nothing slides out of that box while it prints.

So the 5M Pro, with 83% more build volume than a mini, takes a 380 × 400 mm base. The A1 mini needs roughly 347 × 390 mm once its bed travel counts, not much less. The 5M Pro stands 88 mm taller.

The 3D printer dimensions guide lists outer sizes and clearances for other printers. Where a maker gives no bed-travel figure, move the bed to its front and back limits and measure the depth it sweeps.

How much does a small 3D printer cost?

The 14 shipping small 3D printers in the database launched in the US at $199 to $599, with a median of $299. The cheapest is the Creality Ender-3 V3 SE at $199, with a 220 mm bed. Of the two 180 mm minis, the Bambu Lab A1 mini costs less, at $299.

• $299 or less (8): the Ender-3 V3 SE ($199); the Ender-3 V3 Neo and Elegoo Neptune 4 ($259); the Ender-3 V3 KE ($279); and the A1 mini, Creality K2 SE, Neptune 4 Pro and Sovol SV06 ACE ($299).
• $300 to $399 (5): the Creality Ender-3 V3 ($389), then four at $399: the Prusa MINI+, the Flashforge AD5X and Adventurer 5M, and the Creality Ender-3 V4, sold only as a combo with a Creality CFS multicolor unit.
• Over $400 (1): the Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro ($599), the only enclosed model.

Store prices move after launch. Flashforge’s store had a sale on November 2, 2026: the Adventurer 5M at $249, the AD5X at $349 and the 5M Pro at $379. On October 30, Creality’s store listed the Ender-3 V3 Neo at $239. Multicolor bundles cost more: the A1 mini Combo with the four-spool AMS lite launched at $459.

The cheapest 3D printers and 3D printers under $300 lists add larger printers at these prices.

Is there a small enclosed 3D printer?

Yes, one is shipping: the Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro, launched at $599. It is a CoreXY with a 220 × 220 × 220 mm build volume and HEPA and activated-carbon filters. Its enclosure is passive, with no chamber heater. The other 13 printers in this list are open-frame, and the smaller enclosed Sovol Zero is discontinued.

The 5M Pro’s open-frame sibling, the Adventurer 5M, launched at $399 with the same build volume and motion system.

Prusa sells the Original Prusa MINI Enclosure as a separate kit without the printer. It measures 430 × 500 × 470 mm (width × depth × height).

The cheapest enclosed printer in the database misses the size cut: the Elegoo Centauri Carbon, a CoreXY with a 256 mm cube build volume, launched at $299.99. Its 398 × 404 × 490 mm body is close to the 5M Pro’s. The enclosed 3D printers list shows every shipping model.

Which small 3D printers are CoreXY?

Four of the 14 are CoreXY. The Creality K2 SE ($299) has a 220 × 215 × 245 mm build volume. The three Flashforge models print a 220 mm cube (10.6 liters), the smallest of any shipping CoreXY: the AD5X and Adventurer 5M ($399 each) and the enclosed Adventurer 5M Pro ($599).

Two of the four print in several colors. The AD5X has a built-in four-spool IFS (Intelligent Filament System). The K2 SE takes Creality’s optional CFS multicolor unit, and the K2 SE 4C version builds in a four-spool feeder.

What is CoreXY explains the layout, and the CoreXY 3D printers list covers every size.

Which brands make small 3D printers?

Six brands make the 14, and only Bambu Lab and Prusa Research sell a 180 mm mini.

• Creality (6): Ender-3 V3 SE, Ender-3 V3 Neo, Ender-3 V3 KE, K2 SE, Ender-3 V3 and Ender-3 V4.
• Flashforge (3): AD5X, Adventurer 5M and Adventurer 5M Pro. Flashforge 3D printer prices covers the rest of its range.
• Elegoo (2): Neptune 4 and Neptune 4 Pro.
• Bambu Lab (1): A1 mini. Bambu Lab’s next size up is the A1, a 256 mm cube at $399.
• Prusa Research (1): Original Prusa MINI+. For a second-hand MINI or MINI+, see buying a used Prusa.
• Sovol (1): SV06 ACE.