Formlabs launches Form Studio 1, a $699 resin 3D printer made for home use

Most home 3D printers use filament. A hot nozzle melts a plastic string and draws your object layer by layer, a bit like a robot with a glue gun.

Resin printers work differently. They shine light into a tank of liquid resin, and the resin hardens wherever the light hits. Layer by layer, a solid part rises out of the goo.

The result is much finer detail. That is why jewelers, dentists and miniature painters love them.

The catch: resin has a reputation. CNET notes that liquid resin is not safe on your skin, and most resins give off fumes you should not breathe for long. That is why resin printers usually live in workshops, not bedrooms.

The headline is the price. Formlabs calls the Form Studio 1 the world's most affordable professional resin 3D printer, starting at $699.

For context, here is where it sits in the Formlabs lineup, based on the company's product page:

Wired reports that Formlabs customers have mostly been businesses, like assembly shops and dentists, paying $2,500 or more per printer. Its last affordable model cost $2,300. So this is the company's first device aimed at regular people, from a maker that Wired says has nearly 200,000 printers in service.

Here is what is inside, according to Formlabs:

• Print engine: a new version of its Low Force Display system, with a custom lens array and 28 LEDs.
• Detail: 35 micron pixels with anti-aliasing for smooth edges.
• Speed: most jobs finish in under 2 hours.
• Screen and connections: a 7 inch touchscreen, a camera for remote monitoring, plus Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB-C.
• Resin handling: cartridges that dispense and heat resin automatically.

CNET adds that the 28-LED backlight is a big change from the LCD screens most cheap resin printers use. It quotes a print speed of 130 mm per hour with Formlabs resin.

This is the part Formlabs is betting on. Formlabs says the Form Studio 1 is the first resin 3D printer to earn UL GREENGUARD Gold certification, when used with its Alpha Resins and its VOC Extractor.

GREENGUARD Gold is a low-emissions standard. Wired notes it is the same standard used to check that baby products do not give off harmful fumes. Formlabs says the setup cuts emissions to below 220 micrograms per cubic meter, the limit the standard sets.

The printer has a fully enclosed chamber. Formlabs says it can run in small offices, workshops and homes without a tent or dedicated ventilation. The VOC Extractor is an add-on, and CNET reports it costs $180.

Wired's reviewer found the printer quiet. The resin smell showed up mostly when lifting the hood after a print. CNET's early testing found odors were practically nonexistent with the included resin.

David Lakatos, Formlabs' chief product officer, told Wired the company expects some people to put it in their bedrooms. "I don't sleep with my printers, but you could if you really wanted to," he said.

In real life If you paint tabletop miniatures, you could print a squad of figures overnight at your desk, then wash and cure them in the morning, without setting up a garage workshop with fans and a respirator.

Formlabs launched six Alpha Resins: Grey, White, Black, Clear, Model and Fast. They start at $29 per liter.

The company says all six are safe for long-term skin contact (more than 30 days) under the ISO 10993 standard, once you finish the recommended post-processing. Alpha Fast is the quickest resin Formlabs has made.

You are not locked in. An optional Resin Tank Pro handles a wide range of third-party materials. Lakatos was candid about it with Wired: you can use any resin you like, though the company does not recommend the cheapest ones. Just know the safety certification only covers Formlabs' own resins with the extractor.

Resin printing has a reputation for failed prints. You come back after two hours and find a sad blob stuck to the tank.

Formlabs claims a 98% print success rate. The fine print matters here. The company says the Form Studio 1 shows a success rate comparable to the Form 4, which third-party testing measured at 98.7%. Its own reliability testing of the new printer is still in progress.

Wired reports the figure as a roughly 2% failure rate in Formlabs' internal testing, and notes it applies to Formlabs' own resins. If it holds in the real world, Wired says, it would be a big jump over rivals.

Early hands-on results look promising. Wired printed a clear cover for the included toolbox in about 17 minutes, and it came out clean. Lakatos told Wired a Raspberry Pi case can print in around eight minutes.

The printer alone is not the full setup. Resin prints need to be washed and then cured with light before they are done.

• Form Studio Wash+Cure: one compact unit that does both steps. Wired lists it at $199, CNET at about $200.
• VOC Extractor: the add-on for the lowest emissions, $180 according to CNET.
• Flexible build plate: pops prints off more easily. CNET reports the Founder's Edition with this plate costs $750.
• Resin: from $29 per liter.
• Form Mobile app: free control of print jobs from your phone, with a live camera feed and alerts.

By the numbers: a full starter kit with the printer, Wash+Cure, extractor and one liter of resin lands around $1,107, before tax and shipping.

Wired's reviewer received more than a dozen boxes for testing and described the printer as roughly minifridge-sized. The Wash+Cure has a similar footprint, so plan for desk space.

Orders are open worldwide now. Formlabs says shipping begins globally on November 16, 2026.

The Founder's Edition comes in graphite and three limited colors: aqua, teal and violet. Those colors are available through November 30, 2026, or while supplies last. Wired says the translucent cases bring back the look of old-school iMacs.

There is a nice full-circle moment here. Formlabs started in 2012 with the Form 1, which it pre-sold on Kickstarter from $2,299. CEO Maxim Lobovsky said the company was founded to make professional resin printing accessible, and that Form Studio 1 "takes that ambition to the next level."

What's next: both Wired and CNET say full reviews are coming. That is when we will learn whether the safety and reliability claims hold up on a real kitchen table. If you are shopping for desk hardware this season, our look at AMD's 192GB mini PC covers another machine built to fit a small space.

• Price drop: pro-grade resin printing from Formlabs now starts at $699 instead of about $2,500.
• Safer setup: with Formlabs resins and the $180 extractor, you may not need a separate ventilated workshop.
• Budget for extras: plan on about $1,100 for a complete starter kit, plus resin as you go.
• Wait or buy: orders are open now, but devices ship November 16 and full reviews are still coming.