I recently had a friend ask for a shopping list after they ordered their first resin 3D printer. They got the same one I use, an Elegoo Mars 2 Pro and I would absolutely recommend it.

So here is the shopping list of essential supplies in handy amazon affiliate links!

Must Have to Get Started

• A plastic spatula or scraper for removing parts from the build plate without damaging the build plate texture. Your printer probably comes with one of these.

• A metal scraper (putty knife) for removing stubborn parts. Again your printer probably comes with one of these already.
• Resin. I would recommend starting with a "tough" resin as all resin parts are going to be pretty brittle. Elegoo makes an ABS-Like resin

• Gloves.

• A solvent to clean parts, I use denatured alcohol from my local hardware store but 91% isopropyl alcohol is also commonly used.
• A jar to clean the parts in, I use this exact pickle tray jar from amazon. The tray part is a nice-to-have but not necessary. You can use a bucket in a pinch but make sure you use something that you can seal so your solvent doesn't all evaporate. You can reuse the solvent for a very long time. The resin will settle out and you can set it in the sun for a bit or use a UV flashlight to cure the resin then strain it out and throw it away leaving you with clean solvent.
• A way to UV cure the parts, I use an Elegoo Mercury (not the wash and cure station.) Sunlight works for this too.
• Paper towels
• Paint strainers and a funnel for cleaning your tank out back into the bottle. You will have failed prints and some of those result in little pieces of cured resin floating around in your tank. These can cause problems for later prints or even crack your screen the next time you go to print if not cleaned out. Strain your resin through one of these back into the bottle when cleaning your tank after failed prints.

Will Need Eventually

• Replacement FEP films, the bottom of the resin tank is an FEP film that will last for many prints but will wear out eventually. They get scratched up with use and eventually cause issues like blurring where scratches are and sticking if scratched up too much. Replacing them is no fun but not too bad.

Nice to Haves

• A UV flashlight for curing spilled resin, paper towels, discarded supports. I'm currently just using my curing station as a flashlight for this.
• A silicone tray to keep your printer on with space to do your print cleanup on it. Dog food mats are a great cheap option.
• An ultrasonic cleaner is on my to-buy list as well for cleaning parts. Cleaning solid parts is pretty quick and easy, hollow parts are a bit more complicated. I've got my eye on a 2 liter ultrasonic cleaner but there are smaller options if you don't need the extra space.
• A silicone spatula to stir the resin tank without scratching the FEP film. If your printer sits for a while between prints, stirring the resin up will prevent some print failures. If you don't stir the tank, you should filter the resin back into the bottle and shake it vigorously.