When you sell the printed object itself, material cost is a small part of the picture. Post-processing labour and rework from colour mismatches are usually larger — and both are decided at the purchasing stage.
| Resin (LCD / SLA) | FDM filament | |
|---|---|---|
| Detail resolution | Substantially finer — the reason it dominates tabletop miniatures | Layer lines visible on small features |
| Post-processing | Wash, cure, support removal — messy and time-consuming | Support removal and optional sanding — cleaner |
| Handling safety | Skin sensitiser; PPE, ventilation and waste route required | Minimal handling precautions |
| Colour | Usually painted afterwards; resin colour mostly irrelevant | Colour can be the product — no painting needed |
| Part size economics | Best for small, detailed pieces | Better for larger display pieces |
| Consumable cost per piece | Higher, plus alcohol and gloves | Lower |
| Scaling up | Limited by wash and cure throughput, not print time | Limited by print time; scales by adding machines |
A customer orders the same model twice, months apart, and the two do not match. Unlike a functional part, appearance is the product here, so a small pigment shift is a defect rather than a tolerance.
The material cost of a small figurine is trivial. The twenty minutes of support removal, sanding and inspection is not. Businesses that price from filament cost discover the problem only at volume.
A finer layer height improves the model marginally; switching from glossy to matte filament hides layer lines dramatically. Photographs of glossy prints show every line under studio lighting, which is exactly where customers see them.
Fine detail plus many travel moves equals stringing. On a functional part this is cosmetic; on a figurine every wisp has to be removed by hand, on every unit.
Selling on colour variety pulls you towards holding thirty colours. Each is a minimum order, and the tail moves slowly while the bestsellers run out.
What is manageable for a hobbyist printing occasionally becomes a genuine occupational exposure when someone handles uncured resin daily. Contaminated wash alcohol also accumulates faster than most small businesses expect.
| Tier | What to hold | Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Core neutrals | Grey, black, white, bone — matte preferred | Deep stock; these carry painted and unpainted work alike |
| Signature colours | 3–5 colours associated with your product line | Deep stock, colour reference retained, larger lots |
| Seasonal / novelty | Silk, dual-colour, glow, marble effects | Thin stock, treat as limited runs rather than permanent lines |
| Resin | One model resin, one tough resin | Small quantities within shelf life; avoid bulk buying |
Resin gives substantially finer detail, which is why it dominates small tabletop miniatures. FDM has a much lower handling burden and no PPE or hazardous waste requirement, and it works better for larger display pieces. The deciding factors are part size and how much finishing labour you can absorb — when scaling resin, note that throughput is usually limited by washing and curing rather than printing.
Retain an approved reference sample, require the supplier to check each lot against it, and buy colour-critical lines in fewer larger lots rather than frequent top-ups. Ask whether the supplier can identify which pigment lot was used; if they cannot, they also cannot investigate a complaint. For appearance products a pigment shift is a defect, not a tolerance.
Noticeably, and usually more cost-effectively than a resolution increase. Matte surfaces scatter light and hide layer lines, whereas glossy finishes highlight every line — particularly under the studio lighting used for product photography. Testing a matte filament is far cheaper than upgrading equipment.
Moisture is the most common cause and is frequently misdiagnosed as a retraction problem. Dry the filament first, then tune retraction and temperature. PETG strings more readily than PLA, which is one reason PLA dominates figurine production despite being mechanically weaker.
From finishing labour, not material cost. The filament in a small figurine is a minor cost; support removal, sanding and inspection are not. Time the full process on a real piece before setting a price, and treat any material that reduces finishing time as cheaper even at a higher price per kilogram.
Last reviewed .