Hello all, I am considering on getting a 3D printer. I want to print some stuff for a project. I am relatively new to this. I need the slicer software to be compatible (preferably open source) with linux since that’s what I am using. I have only found the stuff from Prusa to be compatible but they are expensive. I have heard of ender 3 but it is the only os printer by creality and saw the repo is 3yo without updates.
Can I get some suggestions?
The printer doesn’t really matter. The slicer is what is os specific and most any slicer will work with Linux these days. It’s easier if you find a slicer with a premade profile for your printer but not a big deal. I’ve used prusa slicer for years with my printers (creality, voron, biqu, elegoo). Find a printer that’s in your budget and meets your needs then see what slicers have a profile for that. For modern printers klipper is a big plus. I just got a kobra 3 and it’s a decent machine. My ender 5 has been a workhorse but there are better printers these days. I don’t know enough about bamboo labs but they seem to be the new fad (well… sorta new now).
Your OS doesn’t matter. Printers are dumb and only understand Gcode, which is basically a series of steps to follow for printing your part (move the head this amount in that direction while extruding that much etc.). Producing that code is the slicer’s job. What you want is a slicer that works perfectly on Linux. And good news, all open-source slicers work perfectly on Linux. What you need tho is a slicer that includes your printer’s profile.
Try Cura or Prusaslicer (available as Flatpaks) or Orcaslicer (Appimage for now but will move to Flatpak eventually).
Most slicer software is cross platform, free and open source. The biggest ones are PrusaSlicer, Cura and OrcaSlicer. You can use all of these with lots of different brands of printers. Creality’s own slicer used to just be a slightly modified version of Cura (Not sure if their new “Creality Print” software is, but it doesn’t matter, you’re rarely tied to any specific software, at least with FDM printers). Bambu Lab Studio is not available for Linux, but OrcaSlicer is, and as far as I know it’s just an open source community edition of Studio.
In other words, you’ll have plenty of options on Linux.
Get whatever printer fits your budget and needs. You don’t have to have a prusa printer to use prusa slicer, and even if you don’t want to use prusa slicer; Cura, super slicer, and orca slicer all work on Linux natively as well. You shouldn’t have a problem with slicing software at all.
Also, as a tip, whatever printer you buy probably comes with an installer for a proprietary fork of (an old version of) one of the main slicers. Skip it. Go download Cura or prusa slicer and there will likely be profiles available during initial setup for your exact printer. Definitely if you stick to the bigger, well-known brands.
Bambu labs all the way. Unless you want your hobby to become printer maintenance.
Buy a bambu a1 mini, their slicer (based on prusaslicer) works great on linux and their printers are really easy to use, have good print quality and print fast.
^ if you want to print instead of thinkering with your printer
