Buyer's Guide · Resin · San Diego
The Anycubic Photon P1 Is 36% Off — Is It Your First Resin Printer?
A precision-ground steel plate, an industrial ball screw, and a dual-color kit thrown in at $619.99. Here's what that actually buys a beginner — and the part the deal listing won't tell you.
The deal, plainly
What's actually on sale
Tom's Hardware reported on June 20, 2026 that the newly launched Anycubic Photon P1 is selling at Amazon for $619.99 bundled with the dual-color material print kit, down from a $969.99 list price — a 36% cut, or roughly $350 saved. The pitch is that it's a beginner-friendly machine that doesn't make you give up the premium hardware usually reserved for pricier printers.
We have no affiliate relationship with Amazon, Anycubic, or anyone else — there are no referral links on this page — so we can give you the version a deals post can't: which of those headline specs matter for a first resin printer, which are marketing, and whether buying one is even the right move for what you're trying to make.
The hardware
What sets the P1 apart from a typical starter
A precision-ground steel build plate
Most entry resin printers ship an aluminum build plate. The P1 uses precision-ground steel instead. Anycubic states it's roughly twice as strong as aluminum, won't deform when you pry a stuck print off it, is corrosion-resistant, and holds a surface-flatness tolerance under 80 microns — thinner than a human hair. Treat the exact figure as a manufacturer claim, but the practical point is real: a flatter, stiffer plate means more consistent first-layer adhesion, which is exactly where beginners lose prints.
An industrial ball screw on the Z-axis
The P1 drives its Z-axis with a ball screw rather than the lead screw common at this price. Anycubic positions it as higher precision with a longer service life. In day-to-day use, a smoother Z translates to fewer layer-line artifacts on tall, detailed parts and less wear over hundreds of hours.
Modern, beginner-shaped controls
There's a 4.5-inch touchscreen that Tom's Hardware described as simple and responsive, plus wireless printing over Wi-Fi through the slicer or Anycubic's app, with USB still available. The resin vat uses a slide-out, lock-in-place design instead of the fiddly screw-down trays older machines used. None of this changes print quality, but it lowers the number of small frustrations that make people abandon resin in week one.
The dual-color material kit
The bundled kit enables the P1's optional dual-material printing. Tom's Hardware's review called this genuinely useful but somewhat niche — most resin work is single-color, painted after the fact. It's a nice inclusion at this price; it shouldn't be the reason you buy.
The build plate is the spec that quietly matters most. Flat and stiff is where a beginner's prints either stick or fail.
Side by side
Photon P1 vs. a typical beginner resin printer
| Feature | Anycubic Photon P1 | Typical <$300 starter |
|---|---|---|
| Build plate | Precision-ground steel | Aluminum |
| Z-axis drive | Industrial ball screw | Lead screw |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi + app + USB | Usually USB only |
| Interface | 4.5" touchscreen | Small touch / button panel |
| Vat system | Slide-out, lock-in-place | Screw-down tray |
| Dual-material | Optional (kit included in deal) | Not available |
The honest read: the P1 isn't reinventing resin printing. It's taking the hardware that usually shows up two price tiers up — the plate, the screw, the connectivity — and putting it in a machine aimed at first-time owners. On sale, that value proposition gets a lot more convincing.
Fit check
Who should buy it — and who shouldn't
Good fit
You want crisp 28mm miniatures, tabletop terrain, jewelry masters, or display models; you're ready to learn a real post-processing routine; and you'll run it often enough to justify owning the consumables and the wash/cure setup.
Think twice
You mostly need functional parts, brackets, or large enclosures — that's FDM territory, not resin. Or you only need a handful of detailed prints a year, in which case the printer plus resin, gloves, IPA, a wash-and-cure station, and ventilation will cost more and demand more space than the job is worth.
The part the listing skips
A $619 printer is not a $619 hobby
Resin printing has a real cost of entry beyond the machine. Budget for a bottle or two of resin, nitrile gloves, isopropyl alcohol, a dedicated wash-and-cure station, FEP film, and a ventilated, chemical-safe surface to work on. Uncured resin is a skin sensitizer and needs careful handling — this isn't a kitchen-table hobby the way FDM can be.
That math is the whole reason a print service exists. If you need ten flawless miniatures for a campaign, or a clean jewelry master, paying per part is often cheaper and cleaner than buying into the full resin workflow — and you skip the failed-print learning curve entirely.
Want resin prints without the resin workflow?
Dreaming3D runs professional resin printing in San Diego — high-detail miniatures, models, and prototypes, post-processed and ready. Send us your file and skip the gloves, the IPA, and the failed first prints.
Get a quote Compare resin printersCall/text 858-342-6984 · dreaming3dprinting@gmail.com
Carmel Valley, San Diego · dreaming3d.net · @dreaming3dprinting
If you do buy it
Start it right
If the P1 is your machine, two things will save you the most grief early: dial in your exposure settings before you commit to a big print, and lock down a proper curing routine so parts finish hard without going brittle. We've written detailed guides on both — and on whether resin is even the right process for what you're making.
Read next: Resin vs. FDM — which process fits your part, the best resins of 2026 by use case, how to cure resin prints properly, and our wider June printer-deal roundup.
Questions
Anycubic Photon P1 FAQ
How much is the Anycubic Photon P1 on sale for?
Tom's Hardware reported the Photon P1 bundled with the dual-color material print kit at $619.99 on Amazon as of June 20, 2026, down from a $969.99 list price — about 36% off, or roughly $350 in savings. Resin printer prices move constantly, so confirm the live price before buying.
Is the Photon P1 good for beginners?
Yes. It pairs beginner-friendly touches — a 4.5-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi and app printing, and a simple slide-out resin vat — with hardware usually found on pricier machines, like a steel build plate and a ball-screw Z-axis. Tom's Hardware's review found it easy to set up with strong print quality. The learning curve is the resin workflow itself, not the machine.
What makes the steel build plate matter?
A flatter, stiffer plate gives more consistent first-layer adhesion, which is where most beginner resin prints fail. Anycubic claims the precision-ground steel plate is about twice as strong as aluminum, corrosion-resistant, and flat to under 80 microns. Those are manufacturer figures, but a rigid plate genuinely reduces failed prints in practice.
Do I need the dual-color material kit?
Not for most projects. Dual-material printing is a nice extra, but the majority of resin work is single-color and painted afterward. Tom's Hardware called the feature useful but niche. Since the kit is included in this deal, treat it as a bonus rather than the reason to buy.
What else do I need to budget for beyond the printer?
Plan for resin, nitrile gloves, isopropyl alcohol, a wash-and-cure station, spare FEP film, and a ventilated, chemical-resistant work surface. Uncured resin is a skin sensitizer and needs careful handling. These extras add real cost and space requirements that the printer's sticker price doesn't show.
Can Dreaming3D print resin models for me instead?
Yes. Dreaming3D offers professional resin printing in San Diego — detailed miniatures, models, and prototypes, fully post-processed. If you only need a handful of high-detail parts, paying per part is often cheaper and cleaner than buying a printer and the full resin setup. Send your file to dreaming3dprinting@gmail.com or call 858-342-6984.
Source: Kunal Khullar, "Award-winning resin 3D printer for beginners is 36% off," Tom's Hardware, June 20, 2026. Pricing reflects that report and is subject to change; specification claims are attributed to Anycubic. Dreaming3D has no affiliate relationship with Amazon or Anycubic.