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Brother DCP-T580DW ink tank printer review

by admin June 15, 2025

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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

I’m happy to see Brother boarding the bulk tank bandwagon at last. Given the outrageous profit margins to be had from inkjet cartridges, its reluctance is understandable, but Brother is expecting to catch up with the launch of this compact and competitively priced supertanker.

The Brother DCP-T580DW is the more affordable model in a new refillable range that’s aimed at the home office or micro business. It’s a basic color A4 all-in-one with key features such as auto-duplex printing, hi-res scanning and Wi-Fi with AirPrint compatibility built in. There’s no automatic document feed (ADF), rear paper tray or color display, which are reserved for the slightly more expensive Brother DCP-T780DW, which also performed better on test.

But what puts this modest multifunction printer ahead of the cartridge-bound competition are its four ink tanks and four bundled bottles of ink, enabling you to print up to 7,500 black and white pages and 5,000 color. For comparison, the HP Envy 6530e comes with cartridges containing enough ink for 120 back pages and 75 in color. You can see why consumers are choosing tank printers. But how does this entry-level model from Brother compare to the best ink tank printers? I tested it to find out.

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Brother DCP-T580DW: Design and build

Image 1 of 4

(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)

Specs

Type: color tank inkjet printer

Functions: Print, copy, scan

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Data storage slots: none

Max print speed: 16ipm (mono)

Max paper size: A4/legal

Print quality: 1,200 x 600 dpi

Apple AirPrint: yes

Consumables included: 4 bottles (7,500 black, 5,000 color pages)

Dimensions/Weight: 15.35 x 13.50 x 5.87in (WxDxH) / 17.42lb – 390 x 343 x 149 mm (WxDxH)/7.9kg

The Brother DCP-T580DW is really a second generation tank printer, following the odd-looking Brother DCP-T525W, which was sold exclusively through Amazon. This version sees Brother take its tank printers to the UK for the first time and it looks much more refined, with the four tanks integrated into a commendably compact design that looks no bigger than a cartridge printer.

To achieve this neat form factor, instead than having the ink reservoirs bulging out at the side as before, their capacity has been reduced. At 48.8 milliliters, these tanks are smaller than Epson’s 65ml EcoTanks, or HP’s 70ml Smart Tanks.

In fact, it’s slightly less than some of Brother’s high-capacity INKvestment Tank cartridges. However, it’s still way more than your average cartridge and it allows this printer to be small enough to sit on your desk without stealing too much space.

There’s only one paper input and its cassette, which holds up to 150 sheets of letter, legal or A4 paper, protrudes slightly from the front. There’s a flatbed scanner on top, but no ADF and the display is a very basic single-line affair surrounded by the usual array of buttons on a tilting panel. The two ports for connecting power and USB cables are at the left side, rather than the rear, which might suit your setup, or it might not.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Features & specifications

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)

For an entry-level business inkjet, the Brother DCP-T580DW has a sensible specification. The print speed is quite fast for an inkjet at 16imp in black and white pages or 9ipm in color, while the Wi-Fi is 5GHz with AirPrint compatibility. The print resolution is given as 1,200 x 600dpi, with ink droplets delivered through 420 nozzles. That’s 70 nozzles for each color and 120 for black.

The main paper tray is your only input option and it can hold up to 150 sheets of plain A4, letter or legal paper and the weight limit is 220gsm. It’s worth noting that the step-up model adds a rear multipurpose paper input which is able to take thicker paper weighing up to 300gsm. The DCP-T780DW also has a larger display with a color screen and a 20-sheet ADF that makes the DCP-T580DW look pretty light on features.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Setup and operation

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)

The printed quick start guide is very clear, and you probably won’t need it. Simply load your paper, plug in and turn on. The on-screen prompts will tell you to enter the date and time and when to fill the ink reservoirs. I recommend downloading Brother’s accompanying app called Smart Connect, which will help you get your printer connected to your Wi-Fi network.

This iOS/Android app is also great for printing remotely and checking your printer’s status. With such a small black and white display on the printer, your smartphone offers a much better user interface.

Pouring ink into the tanks is a clean and easy process, or at least it should be. The bottles are the same capacity as the tanks and their necks only fit their corresponding tanks, so you can’t make any catastrophic mix-ups. I didn’t spill a drop, until I made the mistake of only part-filling the tanks and replacing the half empty bottles in the box. What a mess!

Unlike Epson, HP and Canon’s bottles, Brother’s bottles don’t re-seal, even when you think you screwed the lids on tight. To be fair to this printer, it did tell me to ‘fill’ the tanks, so I won’t mark it down for human error.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Performance

(Image credit: Brother // Future)

For me, the Brother DCP-T580DW worked well, starting up promptly and printing as quickly as promised. It makes a slightly annoying wining noise when printing, so it’s less quiet than most inkjets, but there were no instances of jamming, creasing or smudging during the test. The ADF managed to pull in multi-page documents and copy them without any problems and the duplicates were faithful enough.

The print quality is acceptable, but somewhat disappointing at this price point. Starting with black text documents on plain paper, it’s evident that Brother is using a dye-based black ink, which is fine, but the characters look slightly less bold than a pigment black. With office oriented printers you often find dye-based C/M/Y and a pigment BK because text looks sharper and is more scratch and fade resistant, but I wouldn’t necessarily expect it at this budget level.

The colored inks look bright enough, so mixed color documents look fine. It’s when you get to printing images and photos on coated paper that you notice a lack of fine detail resolution. The quoted resolution of 1,200 x 600dpi is the same as the more expensive Brother DCP-T780DW, but it’s achieved using exactly half the number of nozzles. The lower-spec printheads on the Brother DCP-T580DW deliver a very noticeable dip in image quality. The overall print performance is probably good enough for most office documents, homework and handouts, but it’s not great for photos.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Consumables

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(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)

Brother comes with three bottles containing 48.8ml of yellow, cyan and magenta and a 108ml bottle of black. This should yield up to 5,000 color pages and 7,500 black and white and a replacement ink set from Brother costs around US$47 or £35, which is a very low cost-per-page. And there’s nothing to stop you using cheaper third party ink.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Maintenance

Being an inkjet printer, the Brother DCP-T580DW is liable to dry out and print badly or not at all if left unused for a length of time. The problem is ink clogging the nozzles and the solution is flushing them through with more ink. At least bottled ink is affordable enough to do that without getting upset. This printer has unusually versatile maintenance options with a choice of three flushing cycles of varying strength depending on the state of your nozzles.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Final verdict

I found much to admire about the Brother DCP-T580DW, from its compact size and fast duplex printing, to its low TCO (total cost of ownership). The features list is rather thin as there’s no ADF, the display is tiny and there’s only one paper input. But at least it ticks all the key boxes, such as auto-duplex printing, A4 scanning, dual-band Wi-Fi and plenty of bottled ink in the box.

It’s a pity the print performance is below average for this price category, with dull dye-based blacks and photos that lack fine detail. For most purposes, it’s probably good enough, but it’s hard to recommend the Brother DCP-T580DW, when the slightly more expensive Brother DCP-T780DW offers all the missing features, more ink and much better print quality.

For more print solutions, I’ve tested and reviewed the best home printers you can get right now.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Price Comparison

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June 15, 2025 0 comments

Brother DCP-T580DW ink tank printer during our review

Product Reviews

Brother DCP-T780DW ink tank printer review

by admin June 6, 2025

Why you can trust TechRadar

We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Brother is the last major inkjet maker to cave in and join the refillable revolution, so I’m keen to see how its first supertank printers stack up against the best ink tank printers. Of the two new models, the Brother DCP-T780DW is the more expensive, aimed at the home office or SMB (small to medium-sized business). It’s a well-equipped all-in-one able to duplex print on any kind of paper up to A4 or legal via either of its two input trays, or copy using its flatbed scanner and ADF (automatic document feed).

To keep the price competitive, there’s no touchscreen interface, Bluetooth or USB Host port. These are all features you’d expect on a cartridge printer at this price, but the big attraction here is the remarkably low TCO (total cost of ownership) which includes the five bottles of ink Brother is putting in the box. That’s enough for around 15,000 black and white pages or 5,000 color.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Design and build

(Image credit: Brother // Future)

Specs

Type: color tank inkjet printer

Functions: Print, copy, scan, ADF

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Data storage slots: none

Max print speed: 16ipm (mono)

Max paper size: A4/legal

Print quality: 1,200 x 6,000 dpi

Apple AirPrint: yes

Consumables included: 5 bottles (15,000 black, 5,000 color pages)

Dimensions/Weight: 320 x 390 x 245 mm (WxDxH)/71.4lb/32.4kg

The Brother DCP-T580DW looks and feels like a compact and well designed all-in-one, and quite unlike the awkward Brother DCP-T525W. That older Amazon-exclusive model had its ink tanks bulging out at the side like an afterthought, whereas the new printers have their reservoirs seamlessly integrated in a way that doesn’t increase the footprint.

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You access them through a front flap, so there’s no need to open up the whole machine to top up. The flap has clear windows so you can see the level of the liquid easily. Brother’s designers have cheated a bit, by using tanks with a smaller volume than its rivals, but the 48.8ml limit still beats any inkjet cartridge for capacity.

In other respects it’s a familiar form factor, with a slightly protruding front paper tray able to hold 150 sheets of paper up to A4, letter or legal in size. There’s a flatbed scanner on top and the 4.5cm color display is mounted on a tilting control panel surrounded by the usual array of buttons.

The two ports for connecting power and USB cables are at the side, rather than the rear, which could be more convenient, or less, depending on your setup. The Brother DCP-T780DW differs from Brother’s other tank printers by including a 20-sheet ADF, which adds only 3.4cm to its height.

Ink tank printers are the most sustainable way to print as they generate less ink and plastic waste, while all inkjets use less energy than lasers, so I’m glad to see Brother’s packaging is also more sustainable. Instead of polystyrene in the cardboard carton, there’s just more cardboard.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Features & specifications

(Image credit: Brother // Future)

As the premium printer, in Brother’s first ink tank range, the DCP-T780DW can do more than merely duplex print and simplex scan. It also has an ADF for copying a stack of up to twenty pages automatically and two paper inputs.

The main tray can hold a useful 150 pages, while a multi-purpose tray at the rear offers an easy way to print one-off jobs such as addressing an envelope. The rear tray, with its flatter paper path, is able to print on heavier paper than the main tray, including card up to 300gsm.

There’s 5GHz Wi-Fi with AirPrint compatibility for wireless connectivity, plus Ethernet and USB ports available. The top speed for black and white printing is quite fast for an inkjet at 16ipm, while color pages emerge almost as quickly at 15ipm. The maximum print resolution is 1,200 x 600dpi, delivered by 840 nozzles.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Setup and operation

(Image credit: Brother // Future)

Setting up the Brother DCP-T780DW should be a simple process, especially if you download the free Brother Connect app. Just load some paper and turn on to receive prompts on the printer’s display and your smartphone. Filling the tanks with ink is a quick and clean process. Like Epson, HP and Canon, Brother has made it possible to fill the four ink tanks without spilling a drop.

Like the other systems, the lips of the bottles are keyed, so you can’t pour in the wrong ink. Be sure to pour in the whole 48.8ml bottle though. I made the mistake of half filling the tanks and putting half full bottles back in the box. Once their seals are broken, the bottles leak, even when you think you’ve screwed the lids back on tight. I made a very colorful mess, but to be fair to Brother, it was a case of user error.

Unlike the HP Smart Tank 7001, there’s no inbuilt Bluetooth to make an immediate connection with your smartphone, so the setup procedure takes a little longer. I also found Brother’s ink bottles a little more fiddly to pour than Epson and Canon’s foolproof supertank systems. In short, Brother’s system works just fine.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Performance

(Image credit: Brother // Future)

The Brother DCP-T780DW worked well right out of the box. The setup procedure involved running out two test sheets to check ink delivery and nozzle alignment, and both were spot on. All my test pages appeared promptly and with no cases of creased paper, smudges or jams and the results varied from okay to great.

Black text on plain white paper looked crisp and legible down to point size two. However, Brother’s dye-based black appears somewhat grey compared to the pigment black that other brands use. It might not look as glossy or bold, but it is consistent and the ink doesn’t smear when you run a finger over the page as it emerges.

(Image credit: Brother // Future)

Color pages are more impressive thanks to Brother’s bright C/M/Y inks and there’s a great level of detail resolution. Brother launched two tank printers in this series and this higher-specified multifunction model gives significantly sharper prints. That can only be because these print heads are equipped with 840 nozzles, while the cheaper T580 has only 420 nozzles. So while their quoted maximum print resolutions are exactly the same, having double the number of nozzles applying the ink droplets is evidently an advantage.

Scanning single pages on the platen and copying multipage documents with the ADF went without a hitch during my tests and the duplicate pages looked faithful to the originals. There’s no single pass two-side scanning, but nonetheless, it all worked fairly quickly, so I’d recommend this printer for light photocopying duties.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Consumables

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(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)

Brother is bundling two bottles of black ink plus the three colors in the box, so those five bottles could print up to 5,000 color pages, or 15,000 in black and white. That’s great, but it’s less than HP, Epson, or Canon are offering with their equivalently priced tank printers. Brother’s slightly smaller ink bottles and tanks are the reason for this, but I think the difference is small enough not to be a deal-breaker.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Maintenance

(Image credit: Brother // Future)

Like all inkjet printers, the Brother DCP-T780DW is likely to dry out and print badly or not at all if left unused for a length of time. The problem is ink clogging the nozzles and the solution is flushing them through with more ink. In a cartridge printer, you’d begrudge that wasted ink, but at least tank printers use affordable ink. This printer has quite versatile maintenance options with a choice of three flushing cycles of varying strength depending how clogged your nozzles are.

Brother DCP-T580DW: Final verdict

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(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)(Image credit: Brother // Future)

The Brother DCP-T780DW is a reasonably well equipped and well made home office all-in-one, with decent all-round print quality to boot. Brother makes lots of cartridge printers like this, but this tank printer runs on cheap bottled ink and that makes it a much better investment.

The design is compact with the four ink reservoirs neatly integrated, while the 20-sheet ADF on top adds surprisingly little height. Having two paper inputs is another advantage, especially as the multipurpose tray at the rear is able to handle more substantial 300gsm card stock.

I found it easy to use, despite the lack of a touchscreen, while the print quality with both documents and photos is above average. And with enough ink included in the price for 20,000 pages, this looks like a fair price. Now that Brother has proved it can make tank printers that work, let’s hope the rest of its inkjet line-up eventually goes refillable so we can consign cartridges to history.

For more options, I’ve tested and reviewed the best home printers you can get right now.

Brother DCP-T780DW: Price Comparison

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June 6, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

LDO Positron v3.2 3D Printer Kit Review: Build Your Own Portable, Foldable, Adorable, Upside Down 3D Printer

by admin June 3, 2025

Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware

Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The Positron is not your average 3D printer. It’s a flex, both from the designer who figured out how to fold a working printer into an empty filament box, and for those who decide to build one. Do you really need a tiny, portable, upside-down printer? No. Do you want one? Yes. Yes, you do.

I’ve been following the development of the Positron for years, and when I learned that LDO Motors was backing this project, I got excited. After all, LDO is well known for its high quality stepper motors and printer kits. We previously reviewed an LDO Voron 01 kit, and that printer is still in use today. The Positron is something different. It’s not exactly an everyday workhorse, but it’s easily a show-stopping travel printer.

Like a Voron, the Positron is for advanced makers. To build one, you need a 3D printer that can produce high-quality ABS or ASA parts. You also need to be more than a little handy with hex keys and have a basic understanding of electronics. Once it’s assembled, you’ll need to install Klipper, tune the printer, and set up sensorless homing, following directions online.

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The LDO Positron 3.2 kit is $674 from Matterhackers. The complete printed parts kit is available for an additional $35.

LDO Positron v3.2 3D Printer Kit at MatterHackers, Inc. US for $674.99

Specifications: LDO Positron 3.2 Kit

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Build Volume

180 180 x 165 mm (7.08 x 7.08 x 6.49 inches )

Material

PLA/PETG/TPU (up to 260 degrees)

Extruder Type

Bowden

Nozzle

0 .4mm

Build Platform

Glass bed with integrated heater

Bed Leveling

Manual + IR sensor

Filament Runout Sensor

Connectivity

WiFi, USB, Ethernet

Interface

3.5 in LCD touch screen

Machine Footprint

Folded 200 x 200 x 70 mm (7.87 x 7.87 x 2.75 inches)

Unfolded 200 x 200 x 270 mm (7.87 x 7.87 x10.62 inches)

Machine Weight

3kg (6.61 lbs), with case 5.6 kg (12.5 lbs)

Today’s best LDO Positron v3.2 3D Printer Kit deals

LDO Positron 3.2 Kit: Included in the Box

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

This is a DIY printer kit that arrives as several boxes of parts. You will need to print a significant portion of the printer yourself, or you can purchase a complete kit with all the necessary parts from Matterhackers. It includes a travel case with room for the finished printer, LCD screen, detachable bed with its support, the 24V 200 Watt external power supply, power cord, and the spool holder. The printer is well-designed and folds easily without tools or much trouble at all.

We printed the Positron out of Polymaker Galaxy ASA for this review.

Design of the LDO Positron 3.2

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Positron has several features that make it stand out: it’s truly portable and prints upside down. The printer was designed to fit into an empty 1KG filament box, though thankfully LDO upgraded the kit with a hard case that is suitable to use as an airline carry on bag. This makes it the only 3D printer that can easily travel with you by plane.

Its ability to print upside down may seem like a gimmick, but it’s actually part of the portability solution. The print head and motion system are on the base of the machine, with a folding gantry that suspends the print bed over the tool head.

It uses a glass bed, which seems incredibly old school, but is absolutely necessary. Because the nozzle is on the bottom of the build plate, the only way to see your first layer is if the bed is transparent. This poses a unique problem, with a unique solution: how do you heat a glass bed and still see through it? The bed is made of high temperature borosilicate glass, coated with a thin layer of Indium Tin Oxide on the non-printing side, which conducts electricity. The leads on the edges of the glass heat the bed, much like how an airplane windshield is defrosted.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

While watching the Positron do its upside-down printing is endlessly fascinating, it does have one drawback. Any oozing filament – or worse, a failed print – will usually find its messy home attached to the nozzle. If you are a neat freak, this leads to a lot of cleaning time.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The motion system of the Positron is complicated, with one belt driving both the X and Y axis on linear rails. The Z axis is belted and runs on a linear rail as well, and all are driven by high quality LDO motors. The frame is made of machined aluminum parts with carbon fiber covers. The fit and finish of the manufactured parts is first-rate. The hotend is custom-made by Phaetus with a 90 degree bend at the V6 Style nozzle. The mainboard is custom-made by LDO and has a CM4 to do the heavy lifting for Klipper.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

To get the Positron into its case, it has to be folded. There is a lever to remove tension from the Z belt, and one thumbscrew to release the Z column and another to remove the bed holder, and that is it. To be fair, the printer fits in a filament box but the bed, screen, power brick, and spool holder do not. They do fit brilliantly in the included custom case.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Assembling the LDO Positron 3.2

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Like a Voron, the Positron is a DIY project. You can source your parts from a bill of materials provided by the designers or buy a kit from several different manufacturers, like Matterhackers. Our kit came directly from LDO, which is the wholesaler. LDO is considered a superior kit for its high quality parts. All the wires are pre-crimped and marked, which is something you won’t find in cheaper kits. This can save you hours, if not days, of work.

The multitudes of metric hardware and heat set inserts are in labeled bags and in sufficient numbers for spares.

Building the Positron V3.2 can take days of printing and a solid weekend of assembly time, especially if you’re taking your time to make good-looking, functional parts. We used Polymaker ASA in Galaxy Blue and Galaxy Black, printed with 4 walls and 40% infill.

Complete assembly instructions are beyond the scope of this review, but LDO has an excellent assembly guide at https://ldomotion.com/p/assembly/Positron-V32. There are also social media channels run by the Positron team, which are very helpful should any questions or problems arise.

Leveling the LDO Positron 3.2

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Positron 3.2 has an IR sensor on the tool head, but leveling is still challenging. It was inconsistent due to a wiggle in the socket that secures the bed to the carriage block – this was eventually solved by carefully adding more CA glue to the socket. The bed has a 3-point system that requires manual adjustment with a slip of paper. Two adjustment screws are in the front, while the third point in the back is adjusted in the software. Klipper makes finding the Z height fairly easy.

The bed should be re-leveled every time it is taken off the printer. Since the bed is glass, you may find yourself leveling it after every print.

Klipper makes finding the Z height fairly easy.

Loading Filament on the LDO Positron 3.2

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Positron uses a table-top spool holder positioned just behind the machine, and material is loaded into an awkward port attached to the base of the machine. Loading and unloading can be done from the touch screen or from the Fluidd interface on a network PC. The load and unload routines work fine, but be aware that if you already have filament partially loaded, hitting load will make a mess on your nozzle as the filament is extruded.

Preparing Files / Software for LDO Positron 3.2

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Positron 3.2 doesn’t come with slicing software, but OrcaSlicer has a profile for it. Files are sliced in the normal manner, saved, then loaded into the printer over your network or with a USB stick.

Printing upside down can affect overhangs a little bit differently, but not enough to really be a concern.

Printing on the LDO Positron 3.2

The Positron doesn’t come with test filament, so you’ll definitely want to check out our guide to the best filaments for 3D printing for suggestions. It does a great job with PLA, PETG and TPU. We printed quite a lot with the Positron, but here’s a few of my favorite prints.

The first print on a newly built kit printer can be an adventure, so I started off with a trusty ol’ Benchy. I used OrcaSlicer’s default speeds and standard Speed Benchy parameters: 2 walls, 3 top and bottom layers, 10 % grid infill, a .25 layer height and .5 layer width. I also turned off minimum layer times to give it a bit more pep. It took 34 minutes and 45 seconds.

This boat is a little bit rough, but its shape is well-defined, and no signs of ringing. This was printed in Polymaker gray Polyterra PLA, so none of the defects are hidden.

3D Benchy (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The next print was a vase mode rose that printed just perfectly at a .2 layer height at 25 mm/s in 1 hour 33 minutes in Polymaker Dual Shadow Red Matte PLA. The layers are even and there’s just a bit of goobers on the last layer that were easily brushed off.

Lytta’s Spiral Vase Rose (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

This Articulated Shrimp highlights the strangeness of printing upside down. This printed with the back and antenna of the shrimp on the glass, with the legs hanging downward. It said it could print without supports, but upside down the legs are a rough looking. The sides are very nice and the antenna came off the glass without any trouble at all.

Mattes’s Articulated Shrimp (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

For PETG, I printed a vase in a smoky grey translucent from Bambu Lab at a .2 layer height and average of 35mm/s speed. It only took 2 hours 29 min and maxed out the Z height of the printer. The lines are somewhat noticeable, but the print is strong and flexible.

One of Cbobo2ucu’s Bulb Vase Trio. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

TPU is always a challenge with Bowden extruders, but the Positron gave it an excellent try. Unfortunately, I gave it a print that needed supports, so the bottom (top?) top of this massage ball is rough. The rest of it is really good, with smooth layer lines because it ran much slower than the PLA prints – an average of 40mm/s. It took 2 hours and 20 minutes to print in Bambu Lab’s red TPU for AMS.

Fresh Brewed Design’s TPU Massage Ball (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Bottom Line

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Positron is probably the only 3D printer you can carry on a flight as hand luggage, and if you put it on a table at a craft fair, you will not be able to stop talking about it with passers-by. After securing the bed mount, this printer has run successfully and leveled consistently, even after being folded up for storage multiple times.

It looks like a novelty…and heck, it is…but it’s a fun machine for makers looking for a tinkering project. The $674 price tag is steep, but you don’t buy this machine just because you need a printer.

Its build size is similar to other “mini” printers, which are easy to throw in the car, but not quite as portable as the Positron. If you want the experience of building a printer without having to print it out first, the Prusa Mini kit can scratch that itch for a couple of hundred dollars cheaper, with a price of $429. The Bambu Lab Mini is an even better deal with a $249 price tag for a single-color machine.

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LDO Positron v3.2 3D Printer Kit: Price Comparison

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June 3, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Get A 3D Printer Capable Of Making 7-Inch Resin Figures For Only $160 At Amazon

by admin May 30, 2025

If you’re curious about 3D printers but don’t want to spend upwards of $1,000 (or more) for a fancy name-brand model, Amazon has a few enticing offers for Prime members to check out. For a limited time, members can get an entry-level 3D printer for as low as $160. For those who simply want to dabble with the hobby by printing small monochrome figures and accessories, the deals below are worth considering.

$160 (was $250) | Get free bottle of resin

Amazon’s best deal right now is for the Anycubic Photon Mono 4. This Prime-exclusive deal lets you snag a 3D printer capable of creating 6-inch resin models for $160, which is the lowest price offered since the Photon Mono 4 launched last fall. This particular model originally sold for $300 before the MSRP dropped to $250, but it was selling for $240 just a few days ago.

For a limited time, you’ll get a free bottle of Anycubic 3D Printer Resin ($15 value) with your purchase, too. You’ll need to click the “Benefit Items” option to see the resin. If you have trouble finding it, you can just navigate directly to the freebie and add it to your cart. Your resin designs can be printed at up 10K resolution (9024 x 5120), and Anycubic says its four-point leveling system makes it easy for newcomers to start printing without an elaborate setup process.

If you look at Amazon’s promotion page, you might notice that there are two different versions of the Anycubic Photon Mono 4. Both listings are discounted to $160 for Prime members and boast identical printing capabilities and internal tech. Needless to say, the situation is a bit confusing. The only tangible differences we found between the listings pertain to the dimensions and weight. One of the listings says the Photon Mono 4 has a 20-inch diameter and weighs 5.1kg (11.2lbs), while the other says the diameter is 10 inches and it weighs 3.5kg (7.7lbs).

Those listed differences between the two listings could be true, but it’s also possible the store page was uploaded a second time due to an error. The 10-inch diameter looks and sounds more accurate, since the Photon Mono 4’s maximum total volume for each print is 6.04 x 3.42 x 6.49 inches.

If you want to stock up on resin, Prime members can also score a big discount on a four-pack of Anycubic resin. The four-pack is $54 (was $77) with Amazon’s deal, but if you sign up for Subscribe & Save, you’ll pay $48.59. Amazon lets you cancel subscriptions at any time without penalty.

Best Budget 3D Printer Deals at Amazon

Anycubic Photon Mono 4 and Elegoo Mars 5

Amazon also has a couple of nice deals on Elegoo 3D printers with a few additional bells and whistles–and these also include a free bottle of resin. Be sure to add the freebie to your cart before finalizing your purchase. The most premium printer of the bunch is the Mars 5 Ultra at $285 (was $350), which works faster than most of the other models and features auto-leveling technology to make setup easier than ever. It boasts a 9K resolution, so it’s capable of creating fairly elaborate patterns with resin.

Prime members will also find the last-gen version of Elegoo’s premium 3D printer, the Mars 4 Ultra, on sale for $240 (was $300), and since it offers the same 9K resolution as the Mars 5 Ultra, it’s worth considering if you don’t mind sacrificing a few quality-of-life improvements such as auto-leveling tech.

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May 30, 2025 0 comments

A procolored printer edited to be red to imply danger.

Product Reviews

This $6,000 professional grade direct transfer printer comes with plenty of viruses for no extra cost, unless it also steals your crypto

by admin May 22, 2025

It’s a sad truth that you just can’t ever let your guard down when it comes to malicious software, even when buying a $6,000 USD professional grade printer. This is something tech reviewer Cameron Coward found out to be all too true when reviewing a Procolored V11 Pro DTO UV Printer over on Hackster (via Techspot). The printer is supposed to be a fairly high quality device, for those looking to make UV transfers, but he found some pretty nasty software hiding on the included USB.

Coward, who’s also behind the Serial Hobbyism YouTube channel, got pretty lucky when his computer Antivirus flagged software on the included Procolored software installation USB stick as malicious. It picked the malware as being Floxif, a worm known for devastating computers that is usually shared via USB. It’s not quite as scary as ransomware on a CPU, but it’s still fortunate, he did not go ahead with the installation.

Instead, Coward tried to download and install it fresh from the website, but still was flagged for viruses along the way. He smartly contacted Procolored to ask them about the problem. The company informed him it was a false positive, and further encouraged him to install the software. Thankfully Coward didn’t, and instead turned to the internet for more more help on the issue.

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It turned out there were quite a few people talking about finding viruses in Procolored’s software, so he brought the problem to Reddit. Thankfully the white-hats were happy to help, and they all reported finding viruses on the software.

One of these heroes, Karsten Hahn, Principle Malware Researcher at G DATA CyberDefense said “I checked the files yesterday and found several files with XRed backdoor and a malicious Coinminer. There is no doubt that several files provided in the download section are malicious.”

While Hahn didn’t find Floxif in the downloadable software, they did discover a backdoor and a trojan cryptocurrency stealer, or clipbanker in the package. The good news is the backdoor pointed to an address that’s unused and out of date, so is likely harmless. The weird thing here is that the clipbanker was new, so he dubbed it SnipVex, and it turns out to be a bit nastier than originally implied.

SnipVex looks as though its primary design is to steal cryptocurrency, but those addresses haven’t been used as far as Hahn could tell, since last year. Instead the current threat here is the ability to infect other files and cause more problems. Thankfully it’s not the most difficult to fix, but it’s still fairly insidious. A quick reinstall is always the best course of action here.

Hahn also notes that while a few of his counterparts on Reddit feel this software was placed intentionally, it seems unlikely. All these old addresses don’t exactly grant the attacker anything. If anything it’s more likely that this has happened as an accident, but Procolored’s response is still very disappointing.

This is a friendly reminder that if something seems pretty suspicious when downloading or installing software, it likely is. Even if it comes with a $6,000 machine. Plus it never hurts to get online and check if your friendly neighbourhood hackers can help investigate these things.

If you’re looking to purchase one of these machines I’d recommend giving Hahn’s breakdown on the viruses a good read. It gives you a better idea of the kind of nefarious things hiding in these software packages, what they can do, and what to look for. Stay safe out there, everyone.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments