I have always been a fan of 3D printers, but I always lacked the experience needed to get one up and running. I thought that since I don’t know how to create my own prints, how would I be able to utilize one?
The truth is that nowadays, you do not need to be tech-savvy or even know anything about design in order to use a 3D printer! My experience with the Prusa CORE One+ printer was easy and quick, and I’m here to guide you through every step of the way of setting up your own printer.
Step One – Pick the Right Printer for Your Needs
There are many models available on the market, but the key is to find a model that is easy to set up and easy to use. For today’s read, we will not be focusing on the technical details (you can, however, find our technical breakdown here). Instead, we will be focusing on the user experience and the ease with which the printer was set up and led to our first print.
Some basic but important things you should look into when choosing a printer are the following:
- The type of printing materials it uses
- Its size, especially if you wish to print larger prints
- The print speed, but also the quality of the prints it produces
- How easy it is to set up
The biggest reason why I am highly recommending the Prusa CORE One+ is the amount of time it took to take it out of the box and get it to print. It was literally effortless and took less than 30 minutes from start to finish, despite me having no idea what I was doing half the time.
I highly recommend you choose a pre-assembled and calibrated model, as the only thing you will have to actually assemble is the LCD touchscreen. Even that took only about 5 minutes to put together, and I even did it with long nails.
Along with that, I would recommend that you choose some colored Prusaments for your new printer, as it only comes with the standard Jet Black filament, which can make your print options rather limited.
Invest in a few fun colors and something that is perfect for home-improvement projects, as your partner and friends will definitely ask you to print a million things once you get it.
Step Two – Unboxing Your New Prusa CORE One+
Your Prusa CORE One+ printer is here! You are probably excited to start printing right away, and with the Prusa CORE One+ you will be able to do that very quickly.
When you open the box, you will find a few helpful things:
- First and most importantly: Haribo Gummy Bears, so you have something to munch on while you set things up
- A USB flash drive to help you update your printer and load files
- The power cable
- A steel sheet for your prints
- The 4 base antivibration corners for your printer to stand on
- Some fun Prusa stickers
- Your manual with instructions
- The Jet Black Prusament
- And also a box with the LCD screen, the spool holder, and some helpful installation tools
A good thing to keep in mind is that your printer will be lying sideways when you take it out of the box, and that is very helpful when it comes to putting on the corner base protectors. It is also not too heavy, so you will be able to easily hold it up and put it into place.
Step Three – Setting Things Up
Once your Prusa CORE One+ is standing and ready, you can start taking off all the glass protectors and cardboard protector bits from the inside of the cabin. These have protected the parts of your printer up until now but are no longer needed – just make sure you remove them softly.
The one easy thing you will need to set up with the Prusa CORE One+ is the filament stand, which twists into the right side of your machine. Later on, you can also 3D print new fun parts for your printer and add your own colorful touch to it.
The only other thing you will need to really install is the LCD screen. You will have to lift the metal panel at the bottom of the cabin, screw on the LCD screen from the back, and simply place it back down in place. All the tools necessary to set this up already come with the package, like the screwdriver and screws you will need to secure it in place, so you will not have to search for anything additional.
And that is all, really! We are now ready to turn our Prusa CORE One+ on and run the next phase of our setup.
Step Four – Running the Self Tests and Calibrations
While your 3D printer will come pre-assembled, it is still important to run calibration tests before running your first print. The Prusa packaging is incredibly protective, but things can always move around when something as delicate as a 3D printer is being shipped around, so this will ensure you are ready to start printing correctly.
The good thing is that the machine is prepared to run tests with you having to do minimal actions, and it will take a very short amount of time to complete. To be honest, I was a little scared of this part, as I didn’t know anything about how a 3D printer is put together and I didn’t know if I would have to actively do something to set it up.
So, the good news is that you will only need to be available for about 20-30 minutes just to make sure you can click “next” and ensure the calibrations are running successfully. You will also have to press the nozzle once to calibrate the sensor, and also correctly place the steel sheet on the base. Other than that, the printer will take care of everything else on its own.
Once this step is complete, you will be able to start 3D printing with the Prusa CORE One+ right away!
Step Five – Choose Your Print of Choice
And finally, we have reached the fun part – the 3D printing. As I was doing my research, I realized that for many 3D printing enthusiasts, the first print they go with is Benchy, a cute little boat, as their test print. It might seem like just a fun little print, but in reality, it’s designed to test all of the printer’s abilities at once, making it your perfect first choice as well.
This is a great place to start, so you can ensure everything is running smoothly and you know what to expect from your printer. It was also the first print I made with my Prusa CORE One+, and I am now displaying it near my desk as the mark of my 3D printing era.
If all is great after your test print, you are ready to start using the Prusa app to find your next fun print. The app is so user-friendly, and there are hundreds of thousands of prints readily available to you. The best thing is that it connects to your printer via Wi-Fi, so you won’t have to do any back-and-forth with the USB drive in order to access new prints.
Some of my favorite things I have printed using the Prusa CORE One+ are:
- A Nespresso holder for our coffee capsules
- A holder for our PS5 and Xbox controllers
- Organizer boxes for my nail art materials
…and so many more fun and also helpful things for my hobbies and around the house.
If you would also like to learn how to create your own prints at some point, the good news is that there are plenty of resources online to help you learn fast and easily. I would highly recommend you check out Shapr3D 3D modeling software, as it is also the tool I am currently learning how to use.
It has a free version available, and while it does have a bit of a learning curve, I believe it is easier to use than other tools on the market. Plus, it also works on your iPad for added ease of use.
There are also countless other websites where you can find and download STL files, and a lot of talented artists who create and sell them. Depending on what you need to print, whether that is a simple clay cutter or a part for a cosplay costume, a simple Google search will help you find what you need.
Conclusion: The Fun of Having Prusa Core One+ Always Available
After having a 3D printer readily available in our house, I don’t think I could go back to not having one again! It just comes in handy in so many different ways, and you will find that you will end up using it far more than you expected.
From printing small trinkets for decorations to actually useful things around the house, the Prusa CORE One+ has become a reliable and user-friendly addition to my craftiness.
A big thank you to Prusa for providing us with the CORE One+ 3D printer for this review!