Now we need to talk about buying resin. But before we talk about the properties of resin, we need to talk about toxicity, because that is the part most beginners underestimate.
All resins are toxic. All of them.
Every resin on the market, including resins marketed as plant-based or water washable, releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when it is exposed to air. These compounds are released during printing, during washing, and when you stir the vat. They are present whenever liquid resin is not sealed in its bottle.
This means:
- An organic compound respirator mask is required whenever you are working with liquid resin. The paper dust masks and the included printer mask are not adequate. You need a mask with replaceable cartridges rated for organic vapours.
- Nitrile gloves are required. Resin sensitisation builds up with repeated skin contact. Some people develop a significant allergy after months of unprotected handling. Once sensitised, even very small exposures can trigger a reaction.
- Eye protection is required whenever handling liquid resin.
This is not optional and it does not stop being true with expensive or premium resins. The plant-based options that claim lower toxicity are still reactive photopolymers that release VOCs. Use PPE. Every time.
Resin types and what they mean for miniature printing
Standard resin
The cheapest option, often around $10 for a litre. Standard resin is brittle once cured. Thin spindly parts, sword blades, and fine detail elements snap easily. For terrain where robustness does not matter, standard resin is adequate. For character miniatures you will handle and paint, the brittleness is a problem.
Fast resin
Designed to cure extremely quickly, reducing print times. Unfortunately, fast resin is significantly more brittle than standard resin. Not recommended for miniatures. The speed savings do not compensate for the handling fragility.
ABS-like resin
The recommended starting point for most miniature printers. ABS-like resin cures to a tougher and more flexible result than standard resin, with less brittleness. It costs more than standard resin, typically $20 to $30 per litre, but the handling characteristics are much better for miniatures. Models survive support removal, painting, and tabletop use without breaking constantly.
Tough resin (blending)
Siraya Tech Tenacious is the most commonly used tough resin. It is not used neat. The correct approach is to mix it at 10 to 20% with your ABS-like resin. This blend produces a noticeably more flexible result that resists snapping on thin parts. Worth experimenting with once you have the basics down. Not a starting point.
Miniature-specific resin
Resins designed specifically for miniature detail, such as AmeraLabs TGM7, produce exceptional resolution. They are also significantly more expensive than ABS-like resins. Worth knowing about for projects where print quality is the priority and cost is not the deciding factor. Not where to start.
Plant-based resin
Resins marketed as plant-based or bio-based. They are still toxic. They are also brittle, more so than standard ABS-like resins. Not recommended.
Water washable resin
This is the category that needs the most explanation, because it has changed significantly and the advice you find online may be based on older formulations.
Older water washable resins were brittle, prone to warping, and generally not recommended for miniatures. That reputation was accurate for a long time.
Newer water washable resins, particularly the Wargamer brand, have addressed the brittleness problem. The Wargamer water washable resin produces results comparable to ABS-like resin in handling durability, without the brittleness of earlier water washable formulations.
The main advantage of water washable resin is the post-processing workflow. Instead of IPA or another solvent, you use water. This simplifies the workspace, reduces the cost of consumables, and makes waste disposal more straightforward.
The main limitations are: hollow models do not work well with water washable resin (water trapped inside dries too slowly and causes cracking), and the settings require dialling in just like any other resin.
Colour
Grey is the recommended colour for most miniature printing. Grey gives you enough contrast to see surface detail clearly during support removal and quality inspection. Transparent resins make it very difficult to see what you are doing during support removal. White and black resins exist but tend to have slightly different printing characteristics that make them harder to calibrate as a starting point.
The 4K and 8K marketing claims
Printer manufacturers and some resin sellers market resins as “4K” or “8K” compatible. This refers to the screen resolution of the printer rather than a property of the resin itself. The resolution of your prints depends on your printer’s screen resolution and pixel size, not on the resin. The “4K resin” labelling is marketing. It does not mean the resin is specially formulated for higher resolution screens.
What to actually buy first
Buy the Wargamer water washable resin in grey. Buy three bottles.
Three bottles gives you enough material to get through initial calibration, a few real print sessions, and some failed prints without running out. Running out of resin mid-project, while you are still learning, is an avoidable source of frustration.
The reason to start with water washable rather than ABS-like is workflow simplicity. Water post-processing is easier to set up and safer to manage for a new printer. You are already learning a new machine, new software, and new calibration methods. Keeping the post-processing as simple as possible reduces the number of things that can go wrong at once.
Do not switch resins for the first month or two. Switching resins mid-learning means re-calibrating your exposure settings and often changing your post-processing setup. A consistent resin is a consistent variable. Once your settings are dialled in and your workflow is comfortable, experiment with other resins from that stable baseline.
For more on resin properties and the case for not spending more on premium options, the article Why the Most Expensive Resin Is Not the Best for Miniatures covers the detail on what you actually pay for when you go premium.