Updated October 2026. The last version of this list was written in 2020 and every machine on it has since been discontinued, which tells you how fast this market moves. Here is what we actually recommend today, from the printers we stock and support in Ontario. We only list machines we have set up, printed on and sold enough of to know what breaks and what does not.
How we picked
Three things changed between 2020 and now. Speed: a good printer now runs 300 to 600 mm/s, so a part that took an afternoon takes an hour. Auto-levelling and input shaping: setup went from a weekend of tinkering to ten minutes. Multi-colour: four-colour printing is affordable. Our shortlist, then, is enclosed (or enclosable), self-levelling, fast, and backed by a company that will still make spare parts in three years. Prices are in Canadian dollars with no duties, brokerage or surprise fees, and everything ships from our Brampton, Ontario warehouse within 24 hours. Free shipping across Canada over $100 applies to every printer below.
Best first 3D printer: Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro, $579 (regular $849)
If you are buying one printer for a home, a classroom or a makerspace, this is the one. It is fully enclosed with HEPA and carbon filtration that captures 99% of particulates and VOCs, so it is safe to run in a bedroom or next to students. It levels itself, prints up to 600 mm/s on a CoreXY frame, has a 220 x 220 x 220 mm build volume, a camera for remote monitoring and time-lapses, and a quick-swap nozzle. The enclosure means it prints ABS and ASA, not just PLA and PETG. Setup is ten minutes from the box. See the Adventurer 5M Pro.
Best multi-colour printer on a budget: Flashforge AD5X, $459
The AD5X is an open-frame CoreXY printer with a built-in four-colour system, so you get multi-colour PLA, PETG and TPU prints for less than most single-colour machines cost. Same 220 mm cube, same 600 mm/s top speed and auto-levelling as the 5M Pro, minus the enclosure, which rules out ABS and ASA. For colour models, signage, figures and toys it is the value pick; pair it with our Select matte and silk colours. See the AD5X.
Best for engineering plastics and multi-material: Flashforge Creator 5 Pro, $1,299
Four independent toolheads instead of a single nozzle swapping colours, so you can print four materials at once (a model in ABS with water-soluble supports, say) with almost no purge waste. The chamber is fully enclosed and actively heated to 65°C with HEPA 13 and carbon filtration, the build volume is 256 x 256 x 256 mm, and it prints everything from PLA to ABS, ASA, PA-CF and PPS-CF. It is the machine for small production runs, functional parts and anyone who has outgrown a hobby printer. See the Creator 5 Pro.
For classroom fleets: MakerBot SKETCH and InkSmith Makerforge
Schools buying five or ten machines at once usually want a locked-down enclosed printer with curriculum, cloud management and a filtration system rather than the fastest spec sheet. The MakerBot SKETCH ($1,745, 150 mm cube, particulate filter, MakerBot cloud and lesson library), the SKETCH Large ($3,195, 220 x 200 x 250 mm with training and a semester of filament) and the Canadian-made InkSmith Makerforge ($1,899, 232 x 212 x 301 mm, heated chamber, HEPA and carbon filtration) are built for that job. Availability on these moves with school purchasing cycles; if a page shows sold out, ask us for a quote and an ETA. Many schools now add a few Adventurer 5M Pros alongside them for speed and lower cost per seat.
What about resin?
For miniatures, jewellery and dental-grade detail, an MSLA resin printer beats any filament machine. We carry Elegoo: the Saturn 4 Ultra 16K when it is in stock, the Mercury XS wash and cure station, and Elegoo resins. Resin printing needs gloves, ventilation and a wash-and-cure step, so for a first machine we still point most people at the Adventurer 5M Pro.
Quick comparison
| Adventurer 5M Pro | AD5X | Creator 5 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $579 (regular $849) | $459 | $1,299 |
| Colours per print | 1 | 4, built-in colour system | 4, independent toolheads |
| Enclosure | Fully enclosed, HEPA + carbon | Open frame | Enclosed, heated to 65°C, HEPA 13 + carbon |
| Build volume | 220 x 220 x 220 mm | 220 x 220 x 220 mm | 256 x 256 x 256 mm |
| Speed | Up to 600 mm/s | Up to 600 mm/s | 300 mm/s print, 600 mm/s travel |
| Materials | PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, ASA | PLA, PETG, TPU | PLA to ABS, ASA, PA-CF, PPS-CF |
| Best for | First printer, home or classroom | Colour prints on a budget | Multi-material, engineering, small production |
Before you buy
Decide whether you need an enclosure (yes if you will ever print ABS or ASA, or run it near kids), whether colour matters more than the enclosure, and how big your parts really are: 220 mm cubes cover most of what people print. Then budget a roll or two of filament: Hyper PLA is made for these high-speed machines and EconoFil PLA from $12.49 covers everything else. Our first printer guide walks through setup, first prints and what else to put in the box, and the 3D printer page has the full comparison. Not sure? Email hello@filaments.ca or call 1-844-465-7684 and tell us what you want to make.