The Knowledge Base

Master your Prints

So, you've decided to print tiny plastic people with your complex piece of manufacturing equipment — excellent choice.

This is the go-to page for every beginner and mid-level printer who wants to level up their FDM miniatures. Everything you need, in one place.

Before starting

If you are completely new to 3D printing and have somehow ended up here first, we recommend starting with our Getting Started section below and exploring the other tabs on this page. This guide assumes you have a basic understanding of how FDM printing works — if you've assembled your printer and done a test print, you're ready.

Why use FDM printing for miniatures?

  • Affordability: FDM printers are inexpensive and widely available.
  • Versatility: You can print mechanical stuff but also miniatures, terrain and accessories.
  • Less hurdles: After the print is done, you just remove it from the plate, and that's it.

Note: FDM printers cannot match the fine details of resin SLA/DLP printers. If you need extremely high detail, resin may be a better option.

What to buy? (Hardware & Materials)

1FDM 3D Printer

You should choose the most reliable printer on the market to achieve the best results. If you want a more plug-and-play experience with less hurdles, a great entry point is the cheapest printer from BambuLab, the A1 mini (~$200).

2Filament

For miniatures, high-quality filaments are essential. The extruder needs to be at ease — avoid using complicated filaments to extrude.

Our suggestions:

  • SUNLU PLA 2.0+ — lower temperature, lower speed, more precision, very tough.
  • PLA Basic from BambuLab (best), Overture, SUNLU, eSun.

Why your filament choice matters more than you think

Diameter consistency. Cheap filaments often have inconsistent diameter along the spool — sometimes 1.73mm, sometimes 1.78mm. That variation causes over- and under-extrusion mid-print, ruining fine details on miniatures where every 0.01mm matters.
Additives and fillers. Filaments like PLA Matte contain calcium carbonate or other fillers to achieve a matte finish. These additives make the filament abrasive, wearing out brass nozzles faster, and change the flow characteristics — making precise extrusion at miniature scale harder to achieve.
Moisture sensitivity. Low-quality PLA absorbs moisture faster and ships poorly sealed. Wet filament causes bubbling, stringing, and rough surfaces — all of which are devastating on small, detailed prints.
Wrong material type. PETG, ABS, and other engineering filaments have higher shrinkage, require hotter temps, and are far less forgiving at slow speeds. They're designed for functional parts, not the fine curves and thin features of miniatures. Stick to high-quality PLA for the best results.

Bottom line: spend a little more on quality PLA from trusted brands. It's the cheapest upgrade that makes the biggest difference in your prints.

3Tools

Equip yourself with basic tools for removing supports and cleaning your prints:

Pliers
Tweezers
Sandpaper / files
Simple teeth brush

Printer setup

1Slicer

A well-configured slicer is critical. Recommended options:

Bambu Studio

Widely used, especially for BambuLab printers. Lots of settings to tweak.

Orca Slicer

Like Bambu Studio with even more options. Probably the best slicer for all printers, especially Prusa.

2Profile settings

Default settings are nice, but custom settings are nicer:

Layer heightThis defines how much you see the so called layer lines. With a standard 0.4mm nozzle, you can totally print as low as 0.08mm of layer height, and it looks great. If you want BEST details as possible, switch to 0.2mm nozzle and use 0.04mm~0.06mm layer height.
Print speedThe lowest the speed, the better the details. (and higher the printing time). A speed around 20–40 mm/s is paramount to help reduce vibrations and increase accuracy of the print. Give it a chance and try different speeds to find the best for your needs and your printer.
RetractionProperly configured to avoid stringing between details.
Flow rate95–98% to avoid over-extrusion.
SupportsUse only where necessary and where the eye doesn't catch (e.g., overhanging arms).

Check our Settings Library tab for complete profiles made by experienced users.

Post-processing miniatures

Removing supports

Use tweezers or pliers to gently remove supports without damaging details.

Sanding

Avoid sanding layer lines — we have them, it's inevitable. But you can sand errors and imperfections.

Priming

Apply a spray primer to create a uniform surface before painting. A filler primer can hide layer lines, but you will lose some details.

Painting

Use acrylic paints for the best results. Thin your paints, work in layers, and start with a simple base coat before adding detail. Our community showcases on model pages are a great place to see what other FDMFoundry users are achieving with their painted prints.

Find your next miniature

FDMFoundry aggregates the best FDM-friendly miniatures from across the internet into one curated collection. Filter by category, nozzle size, supportless models, and more — so you spend less time searching and more time printing.

Explore the Discover Collection

Thousands of miniatures, terrain pieces, and accessories — filtered for FDM printing, with community photos, print settings, and comments from real users.

SupportlessBy category0.2mm nozzle tested0.4mm nozzle testedCommunity painted

Want to design your own? Tools like Blender, TinkerCAD, and Fusion 360 are great starting points for creating custom miniatures from scratch.