Getting Started with Resin Printing - General Knowledge before printing

What you should know before printing in resin

Getting Started with Resin Printing

In Getting Started with 3D Printing we’ve covered the basics of 3D printing: how resin printing works, the advantages and disadvantages, the safety considerations and how to pick a printer.

Let’s go deeper into these subjects and focus on how to print with a resin printer.

General Knowledge before printing

Safety

I might repeat myself here but I feel it’s relevant. Resin printing is hazardous, you need proper protection when handling material.

Main hazards:

Minimum protective equipment:

Ventilation:

Handling:

Environment and Waste Disposal

Uncured resin and anything contaminated with it (used isopropyl alcohol, paper towels, gloves, etc.) should be treated as hazardous waste. These materials can irritate skin, trigger allergies, are flammable, and are harmful to aquatic life.

Use your country’s hazardous household waste system to dispose of resin waste when available.

You can label waste containers using information from the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheets (SDS), for example:

Different variants (ABS-like, plant-based, flexible) may have different hazards. Focus on:

Example waste label

⚠️ UV RESIN + IPA
H225 - Flammable
H315 - Skin irritation
H317 - Skin sensitization
H319 - Eye irritation
H411 - Toxic to aquatic life
Avoid contact - Wear gloves - Keep away from flames

Never do this:

Simple disposal method:

General rules:

It is often stated that fully cured resin can be disposed of with general waste. However, curing may be incomplete and thick parts can be under-cured internally. For this reason, using hazardous waste collection is preferable when available.

Choosing your resin

Resin choice affects print reliability, strength, and ease of use. For beginners, the goal is usually to reduce failures and avoid materials that require frequent recalibration.

Resin types

Beginner resins

Standard resin

  • High detail and smooth surface finish
  • Easy to print on most printers
  • Brittle after curing, especially in thin parts

Commonly used for display miniatures where parts are not heavily handled. Prints may crack or break if dropped from standing height.

ABS-like resin

  • More impact resistant than standard resin
  • Less prone to breaking in thin or fragile areas
  • Still maintains good detail quality

Often preferred for miniatures that will be handled frequently and for general-purpose prints.

Other resins

Tough / engineering resin

  • High durability and impact resistance
  • More resistant to cracking under stress
  • Can require more exposure tuning

Used for functional parts and mechanical prototypes.

Flexible resin

  • Bends instead of breaking
  • Lower rigidity and slightly reduced detail sharpness
  • More difficult to support and clean

Used for soft or flexible components.

Transparent resin

  • Allows light to pass through the print
  • Often requires more careful exposure calibration
  • Can make support marks and internal defects more visible

Commonly used for visual effects, translucent parts, or LEDs.

Water-washable resin

  • Can be cleaned with water instead of IPA
  • Still toxic before curing
  • Waste water must still be treated as contaminated

Primarily chosen for cleanup convenience.

Color and exposure