8K, 4K, 2K - What Printer Resolution is Right for YOU?

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[@Miniac]

Something I forgot to mention: 1. The link in the description for the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8k gets your 15% off the printer and a free bottle of Aqua Grey resin. 2. This video is 4K for your pixel peeping pleasure.

[@brainpinker282]

The reason you don't see a big difference is easy to explain. The printers only get higher resolutions to compensate for the larger printing area. If you had an 8k printer whose printing area was as large as that of the 2k printer, you would see a real difference.

[@Cless_Aurion]

@@brainpinker282 Except that is not the case here. Mars Pro has: 5.1' display at 534ppi, the Sonic Mini 4K has: 6.1' display at 722ppi, and the Sonic Mini 8K has: 7.1' display at 1152ppi. That means that on paper, the Sonic Mini 8K should have around 2 times more detail than the Mars Pro, which visually here, its clearly not the case.

[@dwwolf4636]

@@Cless_Aurion Pixel contrast ratio and light uniformity differences IMHO. And you have to remember how that light impacts the masking LCD layer. It's not just right angles. It gets scattered from the inside of the machine and diffracted light from the various surface interfaces. Angled light from adjacent LED emitters. Unless we have a directly upward firing laser grid emitter we'll always more washy shadows cast by the LCD mask and lights we actually use.

[@lego1168]

the link for the 8k mini does not seem to work anymore.

[@UncleJessy]

Resin printer compares… sign me up! Fantastic shots!! And lots of great info packed in here

[@Marconius6]

Can we get a part 2 to this, where you actually paint some of these up? Since you mentioned it, I'd like to see a comparison, see how much is actually obscured by paint. Like would I need to file off all those little print lines, or is that all covered up?

[@3DPrintedTabletop]

It's amazing to me the quality and cost of the options available today, and the quality of comparisons as well. Thanks for making one of the best vids on the subject, Scott. Amazing job!

[@bryce6713]

Your videos were some that I followed when I got my first printer (FDM) a few years ago (still do today of course). and yes, god damn; the quality of printer has increased astronomically

[@Metroidf4n]

To know how to orient your models the best use this: arctan (layer height (mm)/ XY resolution (mm)) For example, for my mono SE: arctan (0.05 / 0.051) = 44.43⁰

[@tiagocosta9714]

what is the logic behind the equation used?

[@Metroidf4n]

@@tiagocosta9714 this video explains it: /watch?v=Qs2Rb0ExnIM Though I have to say now that I'm using a machine with higher resolution and working AA it's a non-issue. It also mostly applies to flat surfaces, so stuff like tanks or cars, for figurines it won't matter.

[@rmfberry261]

thank you for bringing up ppi. it is mind blowing how many people do not understand the concept.

[@eclipsedsonata]

Can I just say how amazing your videos are. The writing/scripting, extras/side note inclusions, and production quality as a whole is just SO GOOD. Props to you and your team!!

[@IsenMike]

Nearly as important as the pixel density is the type and quality of the UV source, which unfortunately doesn't get nearly enough attention in the printer marketing. Ideally you want collimated light hitting the resin perpendicular to the surface; if light passes through the mask at an angle it won't accurately expose the shape of the mask, and if the light is diffuse (i.e. scattered, travelling at random angles) it gives a blurred exposure. (Think about the shadows cast by direct lighting versus bounce/diffuse lighting.) This is why parallel lens LED arrays will tend to give sharp and accurate prints, though they can give un-even lighting (hot-spots or grid patterns) if the optics aren't precisely aligned and focused. Printers with a single dome-lens solution will give sharp edges but may give inaccurate prints as the angle is perpendicular to the screen directly above the lens but less and less perpendicular at points further away on the screen. (Not a big problem with most minis, but can be an issue if you print multi-part models and want the keys to fit.) And diffuse UV sources will give a fuzzy exposure that can cause the print to swell in some places while supports are failing in others. Screen resolution has a nice sexy number behind it so it's an easy marketing point, but comparing printers purely on their resolution is like comparing cameras on their mega-pixels without considering whether they have a cheap plastic lens or high-quality glass optics.

[@cthulpiss]

Any suggestions on an particular printer models, with good UV sources?

[@IsenMike]

@@cthulpiss EPAX has really high-quality lens arrays in their X10/E10, X1, and E6. (Though the X10 and some older models of X1 didn't initially ship with it, so be careful if you're getting one secondhand. You can install it as an upgrade kit, though.)

[@nosalis]

this is why I might never actually end up buying one, each time I find "winner", I realize that there is more to it then just the numbers. Resin probably makes a different too I had my eyes on Elegoo Saturn 2 , mostly becasue you can plug in the mini carbon filter that helps with the smell / toxic fumes , but then, watching some videos on YT, I saw " buy big printer only if you plan printing big most of the time" , which won't be the case for me mostly. I want to have bigger volume if I need it, eventhough most of the time I will be printing objects of roughly 20x10x8 cm and now I'm seeing that resolution is really just part of the equation again, maybe at the point of trying to get into it the quality shouldn't be my biggest concern , seeing those resin casted results wow , but yeah, if the printer is 10k and above, it's not something I would ever plan to get into anyhow

[@chandlerpearce6213]

@@nosalis prhozen mini 4K is about $400, and if you’re getting in to printing as a hobby and not going to spend your whole time thinking about how you could have bought a different one and maybe it would be different, it’s great I love all the minis I print off and have no regrets about it at all. Best present I’ve gotten for a long time (except what I got for Father’s Day this year, but that’s a bit different haha)

[@nosalis]

@@chandlerpearce6213 i ended up getting Saturn 2 and so far i really like it, of course can't compare to anything else , but prints looks nice so far

[@tassosmks]

Scott. This video reminded me how much I love watching your videos man... Truly elegant and the way you test all stuff and reach a conclusion is very professional. Well done buddy 🤘

[@rhag1394]

That's a sweet comparison. Thank you! I'm surprised how well the 2.5k one did. The comparison to a cast was also very revealing!

[@Arick_Lee]

Your use of "squishy" descriptive language and the casual ease at which you flag your assessments as potentially crap while musing aloud about possible influencing factors that you aren't sure exact nature of/if they even exist. It speaks to me. Keepin' it Real is most important! Thank you.

[@jonathansmith2791]

Greg has a great video on the Phrozen 8K comparisons too. Thx Scott!

[@MWSculpts]

This is awesome thanks Scott, as a miniature sculptor with only a 2k printer currently these new printers look so tempting!

[@dekai7992]

That was very informative for a 3d pleb like me who's only just beginning to understand the ins and outs of the field. It added some dots to my map that I didn't even know existed. Thanks a lot for what I assume was a considerable effort!

[@florianbecke3076]

The first 3D print related video that actually goes into the ppi thematics! Thx alot!

[@bigweld6792]

I feel like we're reaching a point of diminishing returns in the resolution arms race for SLA printers, hopefully this will spur on some advancements in other ways than raw pixel density

[@4thfrom7]

We just need steppers with finer tuning and everything will catch up.

[@halloweencrab]

Great video! As always the camera work is stunning, but the topic is also a really good thing to cover. I Feel like in this hobby we often convince ourselves that we need to get the best/highest quality products in order to improve our work, this video comparison is a great way to show that's not really true, and how the average person wouldn't actually notice the difference between the printers. When your skillset is beginner/mid-tier, buying the stuff designed for pros usually doesn't benefit you, and depending on the product it can sometimes even hinder you.

[@magnusmillerwilson]

That was great, Scott. Nice short, clear explanation of beginning concepts along with a window into the near-infinite variables combinations!

[@Auridus]

I've been 3d printing for the past year and a half with a couple of printers and I can say that with practice and trial and error, you can more than likely print models you are happy with on any of the well-known printers. If 3d printing interests you, spend a couple hundred bucks and get one and practice with it. You will fail a lot, hopefully less than me, though, but you'll gain knowledge of your printer and environment and come out of it with something you can't just pick up at the store. It's super fun to see a perfect print and the fact that I've supplemented my Christmas gifts with prints is a plus as well.

[@Holztransistor]

Yeah, there is still no way around EnvisionTEC or Asiga DLPs for making master models for casting. But their smaller build volume explains why few studios offer larger scale resin models. Good video. Now test different (better) resin. ;) Because that can have a huge impact on the 2K or 4K printers, too. I recommend Nova3D Red-Wax. Despite of what the name implies, it's not castable resin. It's regular resin. Just a so called "precision resin".

[@Ploppy316]

1K is the only resolution needed by the true professional.

[@printitpaintit.2436]

To get the best from an 8k printer you should really use darker resin because it doesn't bleed as much so the prints will look sharper.. I started out with grey resin then started adding some black resin to the grey to give it a darker shade similar to the elegoo 8k space grey and you can definitely see the difference!

[@TheClassicDoomGuy]

Dark grey, black and really dark greens and blues give damn good results. However, Zmud beige has been the best damn resin I've ever used. Too bad you can't get it anymore :( big sadge.

[@muuubiee]

@@TheClassicDoomGuy I think yellow/orange, and the darker the better, should be the best resin.

[@MacKayVer40k]

So glad to see another video from you today! Happy Christmas and a merry new year! Let’s get it popping!

[@KnarbMakes]

Look forward to seeing those wood elves! Nice one Scott.

[@Zumikito]

Awesome video! I got the 8K printer myself so it's nice to see what I can expect. By any chance, have you ever done any resin glazing?

[@Miniac]

I have not, that sounds interesting

[@Mrpancake72]

I assume by resin glazing you mean brushing on some and curing it with a light? I've heard of some methods using acetone fumes to smooth it out in a chamber.

[@joshuajones6113]

Oh man, this was so helpful. I wish I had found it last night right before I purchased the wrong SLA printer! Great video!!

[@JohnDoe-mx1sq]

I feel like 4k and 8k would be most useful when accompanied by an increase in build plate size for my applications. I don't need insane detail, just better than FDM, or, faster than FDM when using a nozzle and layer size for miniatures. I wonder if there are any test prints that could point out if the machine tolerances or other factors were making the difference.

[@beardhammerwargaming]

One of the most informative videos out there about this topic. As much as I want a Printer, this just shows me that I just don’t have the time to spent on this in my daily schedule.

[@MorganScott82]

Thank you! I've been trying to evangelize the difference between total pixels and pixel density since 4k printers (with double the print bed size) hit the market.

[@jakesells2379]

I noticed that you didn't mention your layer height for each printer. As the pixels get smaller, it makes sense to reduce the layer height to match.

[@ulrika8198]

That's what I was thinking. The 4k does better with certain layers unlike the other ones and since we want more details in miniatures, it makes sense to mention those layers.

[@TAP7a]

The way you've used them, the words creamy and crispy both refer to the same thing: the verisimilitude of the rendering, whether that be in modelling or painting alike. The verisimilitude of the rendering of a harsh discontinuity like a boundary of an object or boundary between colours is it's crispiness - the sharp transition. For continuous changes like blends or the smooth folds of cloth or shape of a face, creamy refers to the smoothness and therefore verisimilitude of the result. You're good to use both crispy and creamy to describe paint and print jobs you think have gone well ;)

[@SureGibson777]

Merry Christmas Scott!

[@prohet-econo]

Just picked up the mars 3. Managed dozens of models outbid my first resin bottle and the quality is insane, speed is great and got to love having a bigger plate and z than most in class

[@snowy5628]

I think it's safe to say that print lines are still visible on all 3, casted stuff still wins for me, the gap is closing but it's still a few years before I would get a printer. I'd want invisible print lines tbh, even miniscule ones are visible enough that I think it would mark down the model in a painting competition

[@Maverick7r]

You hooked me with video info and reeled me in on the outro music, subscribed!! 🤘🤘

[@adamdecoder1]

So one note... I'm very glad I saw, this video, but yours is the first of multiple reviews for the 8k mini where I didn't see a HUGE jump in quality between 2k and 8k output. One reason for this might be that you aren't using Phrozen's 8k resin, which I've been told really does make a difference in this case. I don't know the reason behind this, but it's worth trying if you haven't done a test with it. Most other reviews I've seen have been using the native resins manufactured by the company for their specific printer, so it's interesting that the resin itself might be responsible for the same-y quality of all these prints. Does using 4k resin on a 2k printer yield better results? What about 8k resin on a 4k printer? I'd be curious to find out.

[@kenl9995]

I was thinking the exact same thing. Use the reason that's marketed for it and then if there isnt a noticeable difference we'll know its a gimic. However, I've seen other content creators with this product and they used the 8k resin and got better results.

[@Cless_Aurion]

I bet it does. Exactly the same thing happened with this 4K resin a year ago when it came out. A lot of people where comparing printers each with their own resin, and I'm sure that skewed the results heavily. The materials quality counts, who would have known!

[@KarhamPaints]

How I didn't see this before. I as a owner of 2 2k printer was wondering HOW MUCH actually a jump to 4k or 8k would make, and you answered PERFECTLY. I will simply wait until the 4 or 8k are about the prices the 2k were when I bought them Thanks a lot!

[@jonathanbaker5037]

Appreciate the side by side comparisons and experienced opinion!

[@EdwardDowner]

I think there are 2 things I disagree with in this video. That painting obscures print quality differences, if you look at VOG's PSM8K video he base coats and washes and that highlights the differences. Also while a level playing field is one way to compare I think a fairer way is trying to get the best (for a certain amount of effort) print for each and compare. I would argue that for a higher res printer that means printing at smaller layer heights. While that wouldn't benefit the lower res printers it has a much larger effect on high res printers, and could even explain the more visible layer lines, since the vertical resolution lines are less visible and are less able to hide layer lines, and also as you explained there will likely be more differences between the layers.

[@4thfrom7]

Seems you can't really expect to see a gain if your z resolution can't match your xy res...

[@jevanoff83]

the quality of resin will effect the quality of the print the same if not more than changing layer height between 0.05 - 0.03, especially when it comes to fine detail.

[@Groundeffected]

Maybe I missed it but you didn’t mention what layer height you printed at? Each printer has a different ppi as you mentioned and this is very important to match the ppi to layer height for ultimate result. On my mini 4K the ppi is 32um so theoretically 0.03mm is the sweet spot for this machine. Annoyingly well planned video, that’s what I got out of this.

[@Miniac]

.03mm layer height for all my tests!

[@Groundeffected]

@@Miniac not that it would be too much different but you could’ve gone lower on the 8k in theory. You should try 0.025 just to see. Obvs you gonna need to adjust exposure again a touch but you may be able to squeeze a bit more out the machine now that you don’t need them to compare to each other anymore 😀

[@TeoHarlan]

Loved the more in-depth video. Easy to understand but not overly simplified. Very well done!

[@Mowgi]

I've only been using my Mars 2 Pro for a week and I already want to upgrade to a bigger and (I guess?) higher res one. Legitimately enjoying this hobby so much rn, after a few years of frustration with my FDM printers. lol.

[@SamuraiAdler]

Finally somebody explains the importance of pixel size. I hope people stops buying printers just for resolution after seing this video

[@mityasokolay4177]

merry christmas!) Love your videos! Very exited for the future of the channel!) I wanted to suggest to you a wargame. I thinks you know it it's called middle earth strategy battle game, it's really fun and pretty simple.

[@michaelinOZ]

Have you tried the Phrozen 8K resin? It makes a difference on an 8K Printer.

[@Mr_Sleaze]

Seems like the ELEGOO Mars is still the way to go.

[@SessleIsosceles]

Great breakdown of the technicals

[@G_Threepwood]

Thanks for a great comparison video. I want to take the plunge into 3D printing, and this is very helpful. Merry Christmas matey!

[@ac0rpbg]

Yup way too many factors to compare, results may vary so much from resin to resin, for example the more transperent resins have bleed effect resulting in less details. but smoother overall look. higher res screens allow for bigger build volume tho which for me is bigger factor than the percived quality.

[@Remixersoloman]

I thought some of the 8K printers looked a but nicer, but I wouldn't think it's worth upgrading your printer just for the barely visible resolution bump.

[@rodrigodiniz13]

Better explanation than mostly 3D printer channels out there!

[@Vaaluin]

It's so wild how far 3D printers have come so quickly but they're still not quite where I want them to be to justify the time and know-how over just buying models I want instead. Except for terrain. I could see myself using them for terrain.

[@ZobRombie13]

Nice comparison! Love the art style on those elves, Miniac. Whoever created those, well done!

[@David-ky4vu]

Happy you put in 2.5K, so weird when the industry downgrades 2.5k to call it 2k even though 1080p is in the 2k range. I guess marketing beats factual numbers and logic

[@Candymanic]

Tis a great vid, but something stuck out. Did you compare the 8k printer using *Just* 4k resin, or did you do a few prints with 8k specific resin? You mention a bottleneck at the end of the video and wondering if that's it.

[@jayjurcenko5669]

Great video, and killer shirt , Kreator, inner circle, Hail to the hordes!

[@Aisaaax]

Hey, Scott! This video has come out at exactly the right moment! I'm currently looking to 3d print a bunch of heads to replace the default heads on AOS Whitch Aelves, because I don't like the "Screaming angdy woman" aesthetic that all of them follow. And I was really struggling to determing which 3d printing resolution/service to choose. I don't have space for my own printer, so I have to rely on 3rd party services to do that. It honestly looks like even 2.5K printer would work fine, because we're only talking about heads, so I could position them face-down in the file to get the clearest face that isn't ruined by any supports.

[@noahvanderveen8962]

Literally perfect timing because I was looking at 3d printers to buy today. Thanks for the video!

[@Marconius6]

PPI is not per square inch, at least for screens. It's per inch, along some line, usually the diagonal for monitors (which is often used to give the screen size). Of course that relates to how many pixels are in a certain area in the end, so your explanation is correct, it's just not how the value is calculated. (Caveat: this may be different for 3D printers than for screens, I don't know about that.)

[@FurtiveMoth]

That what really informative, thanks! I have watched some videos out of casual interest, but this offered me the most value.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Finally had a chance to watch this- I love the tests, thank you so much for doing them! Run your printers into the ground, my friends, milk them for everything they're worth and resist the upgrade for a bit longer! #krispykreme

[@Born_Stellar]

indeed. this video has just shown me I should keep my mars 2 for a while longer.

[@snowsharky3958]

Awesome video, very interesting that with twice the xy resolution between the mars pro and the 8k (.047mm to .022mm) the prints are still super comparable.

[@metallboy25]

4k seems to be more than enough for me. With everyone focusing on the 8k printers I was able to get a brand new 4k printer for 1/3 of the price of 8k printers.

[@philipjackson1589]

Thanks for this one Scott. I like a few people are thinking about get a 3D printer. This gave a lot of food for thought. Once again many thanks. Also wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year mate

[@Lychee3d]

There is one key factor that has an impact on high resolution printers (8K) compared to printers that has a lower resolution: 3D model sculpting details. Most of the model and especially minis are provided with not that much details and on top of that, to save storage/bandwidth (and computer performances), the model is decimated. Then there is a high chance that your model may don't have enough polygons and sculpting details to fit the resolution of a 4K or even 8K printer. That's why for most minis, you will get similar results. Another factor is the resin quality an the new Aqua 8K provides better results and have a better tolerance to anti aliasing (at least for us ;). "Cheap" resin will provide, well, "cheap" result. But like you pointed our, a little bit of paint on top of it will make such difference less noticeable. However, that's true that the difference is not major, at least between a 4K and 8K, even with a very high resolution model, 31/35 microns vs 22 microns doesn't add so much. It will do a difference in the micro contrast of the model only. Anyway, great video, you did a very good job!

[@cartouchator]

Another thing to bear in mind is that most 8k printers have a much larger build plate than the smaller 4k printers, so although on paper it would seem as though the print quality would improve with the higher resolution, in actuality the resolution per surface area covered means that the 8k printer has a similar, maybe slightly higher,pixel density than the 4k ones. Obviously the advantage being that you can print a larger quantity at once retaining the same quality, and because of the way resin printers work, having a larger print area does not increase print times,you can therefore multiply your productivity by 2 or 4.

[@Holztransistor]

The Mini 8K build volume is not that much bigger. The XY resolution is 22 microns. That means much smaller voxels and therefore better quality. Other compact size 4K printers usually have 35 microns XY resolution. The Orange 4K Mono is a bit of an exception because it has 31.5 x 10.5 microns XY resolution. The LCD has subpixels but that makes the spare part very expensive. The new Mono X 6K from Anycubic has 34 microns XY resolution with slightly bigger build volume than the 8.9" Mono X/Saturn etc. There are rumors about a Saturn 2 with 8K LCD (10"). It has 28 microns XY resolutions. That's the most interesting one for me so far.

[@Chrixelpixel]

Gotta use the proper resin. The 8k prints will look leagues better with a resin built for it. They should have sent you some 8k resin.

[@bin_chicken80]

As somebody who knows nothing about resin printers, this was an interesting and informative video. Thank you!

[@blooper1098]

Great video Scott. Super clear comparisons and context.

[@billcurran7210]

Thanks for this video. I've been pondering upgrading my Mars Pro to the 8K and this comparison was very helpful in that regard.

[@Badbunz84]

Thank you for finally making a proper comparison video. Its a shame that the big 3d printing channels have failed to make a video with apples to apples comparison with good close up comparisons. Thank you.

[@thedicemacabre9629]

One would have to assume you would get more out of the 8k printer if you used the 8k resin?

[@gomezzara_art]

Digging to get a 8K just to do CRISP minis for... well you know what 👀

[@antongunther3977]

I think the most important 3d printer upgrade you can make is a larger print surface. Cutting up larger models into parts can work, but you will always see the points of fusion. I'm looking to get a larger 3d printer for giant models and busts to compliment my 2k 6inch printer.

[@miloszivkovic6256]

I believe what we are seeing are diminishing returns. We have the same issue with polygons in 3d graphics, as you keep increasing the number of ploygons on 3d models the definition goes up think about the difference between ps1 and ps3 graphics but at some point number of polygons no longer makes the difference eg. ps4 and ps5

[@Marcusstratus]

I have access to a Formlabs Form 3 at work and seeing what it does compared to my home printer just blows my mind. Pro printers are on a different level for sure

[@IPrint3dMinis]

2k prints are great for small minis, 4k is good for medium to mid-size, and 8k is just not going to make a big enough difference unless you are using real nice resins. The biggest thing is that resolution and 2k, 4k, 8k, DLP etc. are not really the same thing. What you need to consider is PPI, or pixels per inch. On larger 4k screens for example you actually get lower PPI vs. smaller screens at the same screen type. So, for example a 4k screen at 5.5 inches will give you better quality than a 7 inch screen at the same type again 4k (actual resolution is 35ppi vs 43ppi on the larger screen). However an 8k screen at the larger size should give you better resolution assuming you are using 8k resins. Resolution is a marketing thing mostly folks, keep that mind. 4K and DLP are good enough for most with the right resin you can make a 4k print look as good as an 8k print. We do it all day!

[@pepiart1413]

Omg your wood elves models looks AWESOME 🙌🏻

[@FHangya]

Again, super helpful content! Thanks so much!

[@XxSTOZZYxX]

so settings and resin is a huge, HUGE factor... going from sonic mini OG, to mini 4k, to mini 8k, once 'tuned' with a good resin, it's night and day. even my OG to 4k was insanely noticeable pre-mods. the 8k with the right resin with the right settings can do damn near injection mold quality (dont expect it, it takes A LOT of trial and error... but IS possible), albeit lacking durability, but .25 cents for a mini that looks damn near store bought? i'll take it.

[@davidc3150]

Were all of these printer a 50 microns height? I already tell the difference is quite negible. But for the sake of comparison have you made or seen one comparison like these also including the new 12 or high K's?

[@helmkekitsune813]

I'm a big proponent of paying more to get the best tool for the job the first time. That's why I ponied up for one of these to break into 3D printing.

[@Falvodor]

The resolution revolution, It's amazing how far the manufactuers are able to push their technology!

[@LinxOnlineGames]

A very good video that discusses key aspects of resin printers. Though 8k provides a higher resolution it doesn't mean the pixel density is also higher, a lot of manufacturers will also increase the print size (physical dimensions) so at the end of the day a 2.5k and 8k printer will have similar DPI(Dots Per Inch). The 8k can however print significantly large models that a 2.5k printer could only dream of. This likely explains why there is little noticeable fidelity difference between them all.

[@NikkiAnnMarie]

Scott addressed DPI in the video - I think you're thinking of the Sonic Mega 8k. The Sonic Mini 8k has ~22um pixels, whereas the 4k has ~35um pixels, and the 2k is ~50um. I think the difference wasn't as visible because lower layer heights have a much larger impact on quality for higher resolutions because of voxel sizings.

[@coreymorse1347]

@@NikkiAnnMarie It was kind of frustrating that he gave a really good explanation about why the PPI was the important thing rather than the resolutions and then never said what the PPI for any of the printers is... I ended up rewatching the section 3 times convinced that I was somehow missing it.

[@OliveDr0ps]

Me and my partner discussed getting a printer soon, so this is very very helpful. As always thanks Scott, also who else is discovering they need 15mm vampire counts too? Lol

[@Mrpancake72]

So one issue with the phrozen 4k mini is if you overload the build plate, it flexes and you get micro shifting in the layers which can be frustrating. Thankfully the 8k printer is a dual rail system. Which helps

[@mrexpendable1232]

I have a mighty 4k and ordered a mini 8k. I print large figures in pieces and the mini will let me get the most detail out of the small pieces while the mighty can print larger pieces like the base or really anything big. Overall with 2 printers going at the same time it should speed me up as well

[@Pers0n97]

As soon as Im set in my own home Ill definitly get into 3d printing.

[@SP3NCE]

its not about the detail offered, as in 2k, 4k, 6k, 8k... its about how big of a build volume that you can get and the XY resolution. i.e. a 4k small format printer like the elegoo mars 3 can output detail at 35um, where a 4k medium format printer like the elegoo saturn has a larger build volume to spread that 4k across, meaning it only has 50um of detail in the end result. there is a lot of hype about the 22um detail in this recent phorozen sonic mini 8k, but the build volume is letterbox shaped which makes it very awkward to use and as norm chan pointed out on 'adam savages tested' its nearly indistinguishable in detail from a printer that can output 35um details to the naked eye and really is a case of diminishing returns. right now, i believe the best printer you can get would be something with a large build volume so you can print a lot of mini's at once, and still have 35um or better detail in the end result - i.e. the 'anycubic photon mono x 6k'... larger build volume, with the bump in resolution meaning you can still achieve 34um detail in the models, without having to worry about slicing up larger models just so they fit on an awkwardly small build plate - think of the time saved in prepping prints by just not having to slice up models and being able to print 20 miniatures at once versus 4 or 5. And, its the same price if not cheaper than the phrozen 8k. Just my 2 cents.

[@burialgoods]

Makes me feel better about settling with a Mars 2 Pro and not spending more. Thanks guy

[@HavoCentral]

based on the stills, did you calibrate each printers AA, blue and grey level settings? That could be why the voxels are apparent on some prints more than others

[@leanderschuster3196]

5:53 I just KNEW you had those models lol

[@michelsbmx]

The type of resin you are using and temperatures play a much bigger role as you get into the higher resolution printers. Fantastic tests though showing REAL world, which is by far the most important aspect. I print hundreds of miniatures a month for customers, from Signum Games specifically, and they can't tell any difference between their casted models and my printed models on a 4k printers.

[@paulburrow5178]

Great video. There's definitely a lot of variables which are hard to control...

[@KurtMifsudBonnici]

Great video dude. Happy Christmas and thanks for all the content this year! :)

[@Balyrion]

I have an Epax 4k and I am completely happy with it, not sure an 8k would make any difference to me.

[@emjayink4505]

Thanks for the crisp and creamy 3d printer comparison Scott

[@Holztransistor]

I still see layer shifts on the 8K prints (6:25 on her chin). So the z-axis is just as good/bad as always. Consumer printers will always be consumer printers it seems. If I might end up with the Mini 8K, I will have to swap some parts for better ones (precision class/grade H).

[@christiankrause3273]

Very good video and I agree that those higher resolutions are indeed bottlenecked by other factors, mainly Resin imo.. Too bad Phrozen did not send you a bottle of their new 8k resin along with the printer. Would be interesting to see if that makes a difference...