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Warhammer 40K is an expensive hobby. At $60-$85 per box of ten infantry models, assembling a 2,000-point list from retail is a serious financial commitment. Resin 3D printing changes that math considerably. A $30 bottle of resin and a few hours of print time produces the same volume of plastic as a $60 GW kit, and if you find the right STL files, at comparable or better detail quality.

The catch is that 40K has specific printing demands that not every resin printer handles equally. This guide is specifically about which printers work for 40K miniatures, what to look for, and what to avoid.

For the full process from printer setup through painting: see the complete beginner’s guide to resin printing. For choosing the right resin once you have a printer, the best resin for miniatures guide covers the main options.

Specs here come from the manufacturers and performance notes from published reviews. My own printer is an original Elegoo Saturn.

What 40K Printing Actually Requires

Warhammer 40K presents a different challenge set than DnD. Where DnD demands scale range (tiny familiars to huge dragons), 40K demands something else. For DnD-specific printer recommendations that prioritize that range over batch production, see the best resin printer for DnD miniatures guide. For Pathfinder’s character-forward, smaller-scale mix, the best resin printer for Pathfinder miniatures guide covers that use case separately. Running Age of Sigmar instead? The batch-printing and large-model demands overlap heavily with 40K; see the best resin printer for Age of Sigmar miniatures guide for the fantasy-scale specifics.

1. Consistent detail at 28-32mm heroic scale Modern 40K is in heroic 32mm. The muscles, armor trim, purity seals, and iconography on a Space Marine are tiny and densely packed. You need a printer that resolves that detail consistently across a full plate, not just in the center, not just on one printer in ten.

2. Batch production efficiency An infantry squad is ten models. A full troop choice is twenty to thirty models. You’re not printing one-offs; you’re printing armies. A small build plate that fits four infantry figures becomes tedious fast. Plate size matters for 40K in a way it doesn’t for a solo DnD player printing their character.

3. Thin feature durability 40K infantry have bolter barrels 1-1.5mm in diameter and antenna that extend 5-8mm above the model. These thin features stress both your resin and your support strategy. ABS-like resin is essentially mandatory for 40K models intended for play: standard resin snaps at the bolter barrel on the first drop.

4. Legal considerations GW actively monitors the STL space. Direct-print proxies for tournament play exist in a grey zone. For personal use at home games, most players don’t encounter issues. Use “inspired by” STL creators (Sci-fi Frontline, Makers Anvil, PrintMyMinis) rather than direct-copy files. The best STL sites guide has more on where to find quality 40K-compatible files.

The Recommendations

Best Overall: Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra

For 40K specifically, the Saturn 4 Ultra earns the top recommendation through a combination of plate size and resolution that nothing else on this page matches together.

The 211.68 × 118.37mm build plate is about 9% larger by area than my original Saturn’s 192 × 120mm, which fits 10 to 12 standard 28mm figures per run, so a full tactical squad in one pass is realistic. That’s not a small thing when you’re staring down a 2,000-point list. At 14 × 19µm the pixel is finer than armor trim and tactical markings need, which leaves supports, orientation and exposure as the things that decide how the fine channels around armor plates come out. Batch consistency across the plate matters when you’re printing an army rather than a single hero, so check reviews for that before buying.

The price is real, but amortized over an army’s worth of resin it’s not the barrier it seems.

Specs that matter for 40K:

Best for: Players building full 40K armies. The plate size is the argument: you need it for batch production.

Best Mid-Range: Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra

The Mars 5 Ultra is a 9K printer (18µm XY), which is spec’d well for 28-32mm heroic scale. At that resolution you’re well past the point where the printer is the limiting factor on armor trim, purity seals, or other heroic-scale detail: paint and priming technique matter more than the difference between 14 and 18 microns.

The limitation is plate size: 153.36 × 77.76mm is about 48% smaller by area than my original Saturn’s, so expect around half of that 10 to 12 per run. That’s workable but slow for army building. A ten-model squad likely takes two print runs. Over a full army, that adds up.

If you’re painting one kill team (10-12 models) or a small Combat Patrol force and don’t plan to expand beyond that, the Mars 5 Ultra is the right choice. The resolution is there. Any savings against the Saturn 4 Ultra are real. The trade-off is time, not quality.

Specs that matter for 40K:

Best for: Kill team players, small army projects, players who prefer quality-over-volume.

Best Budget Entry: Anycubic Photon Mono 4 (10K)

The Photon Mono 4 (10K) sits in a different category than the old 4K recommendation. It’s not a throwaway entry point: 17 × 17 microns XY at 10K is real resolution, well inside the range this hobby considers table-quality for purity seals, armor trim, and bolter barrels. For basic infantry, that’s plenty. For ornate elite models, the Mono’s 17 × 17µm and the Mars 5 Ultra’s 18µm are effectively equal on paper, and both sit inside the resolution ceiling that matters for a primed and painted 28-32mm mini: the difference shows up in plate shape, rated speed and workflow, not final detail.

Where you feel the constraint is batch production. The 153.4 × 87mm plate is about 42% smaller by area than my original Saturn’s, so expect a bit over half as many infantry per run. A ten-man tactical squad takes two runs. Over a full 2,000-point list, that time adds up. If army-scale batch printing is the goal, the M7 Pro or Saturn 4 Ultra are the better answer. If you’re building a small kill team or a Combat Patrol force and want a capable printer without the Saturn’s price tag, the 10K earns its slot here.

The 4K generation had another problem beyond resolution: it no longer has a standalone US Amazon listing. The 10K does. That’s not nothing when you’re trying to return a defective unit or compare prices in a few months.

Specs that matter for 40K:

Best for: Kill team builds, small Combat Patrol projects, first-time printers who want real resolution without stepping up to the Saturn tier.

Large-Format Option: Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Pro

The M7 Pro occupies an interesting position for 40K: it has the largest plate on this page (223 × 126 × 230mm), and it is worth pricing against the Saturn 4 Ultra. For 40K players, that plate size matters: it is about 22% larger by area than my original Saturn’s, which fits 10 to 12 standard 28mm figures per run, so you can run more infantry per print.

The trade-off is resolution, and the gap is small: 16.8 × 24.8µm against the Saturn 4 Ultra’s 14 × 19µm. That’s a non-issue for infantry-heavy armies once a mini is primed and painted. For players who also print vehicles (Land Raiders, Rhinos, big Tyranid monsters), where large flat panels make a resolution gap easier to spot, the Saturn’s finer pixels are the spec to weigh.

If the price works, the M7 Pro is a strong pick for 40K infantry-first builds.

Comparison Table

PrinterXY ResolutionBuild VolumePlate area vs. my original Saturn
Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Pro16.8 × 24.8µm223 × 126mmabout 22% larger
Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra14 × 19µm211.68 × 118.37mmabout 9% larger
Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra18µm153.36 × 77.76mmabout 48% smaller
Anycubic Photon Mono 4 (10K)17 × 17µm153.4 × 87mmabout 42% smaller

Plate area is compared with my original Saturn’s. Check current price on all four.

The Per-Mini Cost Argument

The core financial argument for printing 40K deserves actual numbers. A Space Marine Combat Patrol box (Intercessors + Assault Intercessors + Impulsor) retails at roughly $130 for ~30 models. That’s $4.33 per model.

A bottle of ABS-like resin (500ml, ~$20-$25 from Siraya Tech or Elegoo) contains enough material for approximately 80-100 28mm infantry models, depending on model complexity. That’s $0.22-$0.30 per model. Add consumables (FEP film, IPA for washing, electricity) and you’re at roughly $0.35-$0.45 per printed model.

At 40 models per army, the math is stark. GW retail: ~$175. Printed equivalent: $14-$18 in resin. The printer pays for itself over a few armies and generates savings on every project after that.

The quality of STL files varies. GW’s original sculpts are exceptional. The best 40K-compatible STL creators (Makers Anvil, Sci-fi Frontline, Lord of the Print for Chaos) produce models competitive with GW quality at high-resolution printers. The budget tier STL files show under paint. Use a reputable creator and any of the printers on this page and the quality argument holds up.

Resin Selection for 40K

This deserves a section because the wrong resin makes 40K printing painful.

Standard resin is not appropriate for 40K tabletop models. A 2mm-diameter bolter barrel in standard resin snaps from a moderate drop. A thin antenna in standard resin breaks during support removal, before it ever sees the table.

Use ABS-like resin. The top options:

For display-quality named characters and centerpiece models, standard or water-washable resin may be acceptable (they don’t travel to game nights). For everything going on a tabletop and into a carry case, ABS-like.

More detail on the resin comparison in the best resin for 3D printing miniatures guide.

Support and Slicing Notes for 40K

40K infantry in heroic scale have specific support challenges:

Bolter barrels: These extend horizontally from the body and taper. They almost always need a manual support at the tip. Auto-supports miss them routinely. Check every gun barrel before sending to print.

Pauldrons (shoulder pads): Large flat undersurfaces facing down. Susceptible to suction failure on the peel. Add anti-suction holes to the raft; some slicers do this automatically. If you’re seeing delamination on pauldrons, increase the light-off delay in your print settings.

Thin ornamental details: Purity seals, icons, scrollwork. At 18-22µm these print cleanly without supports in most orientations. At 35µm, very fine scroll detail may show layer artifacts on certain angles. Rotate the model 5-10 degrees to change how the layers bisect those surfaces.

The Lychee slicer guide for miniatures covers slice settings specific to infantry models.

Where to Get 40K-Compatible STL Files

Some of the best legal sources for 40K-inspired miniatures:

The best STL sites for miniatures has the full breakdown with subscription cost comparisons, and the Warhammer-style STL files roundup goes deeper on this corner specifically: where the legal line sits and which independent designers are producing the proxy sculpts worth printing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is printing 40K models legal? For personal home use, printing proxy models is generally tolerated by GW and the community. Using printed models in official GW tournaments is against tournament rules. Using them at your local game store or in home games is the norm. Don’t use direct copies of GW IP; use “inspired by” creators.

Do I need to prime resin 40K minis? Yes. Primer is not optional for resin. The primer layer gives paint something to adhere to: without it, paint will peel. For resin miniatures specifically, either a brush-on primer (Vallejo Surface Primer is the standard) or a rattle can primer (Chaos Black or a Tamiya fine surface primer) are the go-to options. See the primer comparison guide for the full breakdown.

What’s the best scale for printing 40K minis? Standard 40K is 28mm heroic scale. Most STL files designed for 40K print at that scale correctly at 100% size. Occasionally a file is designed for a different scale and needs to be resized: check the file’s description. When in doubt, print a single model at 100%, verify the base size matches standard 40K basing (32mm for infantry), and adjust from there. The STL resizing guide covers how to do that against a figure you already own, and what scaling does to supports and fine detail.

How long does it take to print a ten-man squad? It depends on layer height, exposure and model height, not just the printer. Elegoo rates the Saturn 4 Ultra at up to 150mm/h, but real times run slower at the 0.05mm layers used for miniatures, and a ten-man squad is one or two runs depending on the plate. Washing, curing and support cleanup add time on top. Treat any quoted squad time as unverified unless it names its settings, and run a test plate with your own resin before you plan a weekend around it.