3D Printing at Home

Practical 3D printing know-how for beginners — plain language, no hype

What does this print really cost?

Filament is only part of the story. Pick your printer, tell us about the print, and the calculator works out filament, electricity, wear, and the failed prints you'll inevitably have — every number labeled with its source or marked as an estimate. Adjust anything.

1 · Pick your printer

Power draw drives the electricity line. Rated power is the manufacturer's maximum; the "typical average" is what printing actually draws most of the time — both stay adjustable below.

2 · Tell us about the print

Your slicer tells you both of these: filament used (grams) and print time (hours).

From your slicer estimate — includes supports and brim.
From your slicer estimate. Heat-up time is included.

3 · Fine-tune the numbers

Everything below starts from sourced defaults. Change any of them — the totals update live.

Prefilled from your printer pick. Brief heat-up spikes reach near rated power, then the heaters cycle down.
Ontario Energy Board Regulated Price Plan, effective Nov 1, 2025 – Oct 31, 2026 (accessed 2026-09-28). Off-peak / overnight printing is the cheapest window.
Prefilled from the filament you picked. Use your actual spool price for the real number.
Our estimate — nozzles, build plates, belts, and fans wear out. At $0.25/hr, 100 print-hours sets aside $25.
What would this cost to just buy? We compare it against your print cost.
Add % of (filament + electricity) as expected waste
Our estimate: roughly 1 in 7 prints fails or needs a reprint. Set it to your own track record — or uncheck to skip it.

4 · Your true cost

Every line carries its source or is labeled an estimate. Nothing is a quote.

Cost per print$0.00
Cost per gram of filament$0.00/g
Total true cost$0.00

Estimates from published pricing and manufacturer specs (see sources below). Your real cost depends on your actual filament price, electricity plan, and how often your prints fail.

Sources