How buy vs outsource is worked out
The home side has two parts: the prints and the upkeep. The DIY monthly cost is the prints per month times the DIY cost per print, plus the maintenance per month. The outsource side has two parts too: the prints per month times the outsource price per print, plus the shipping for one order a month. The 12-month buy total is the printer price plus 12 months of DIY cost, and the 12-month outsource total is 12 months of outsource cost. The savings over 12 months is the outsource total minus the buy total, and the break-even point is the printer price divided by the monthly saving.
At the defaults — printer $350.00, 8 prints a month, DIY $4.50 a print, maintenance $10.00 a month, outsource $28.00 a print, shipping $6.00 an order — the DIY monthly cost is 8 × $4.50 + $10.00 = $46.00, the outsource monthly cost is 8 × $28.00 + $6.00 = $230.00, the 12-month buy total is $350.00 + 12 × $46.00 = $902.00, the 12-month outsource total is 12 × $230.00 = $2,760.00, and buying wins by $1,858.00. The break-even point is $350.00 ÷ ($230.00 − $46.00) = 1.9 months.
| Case | DIY / mo | Outsource / mo | 12-mo buy | 12-mo outsource | Savings | Break-even |
|---|
| Default: $350 printer, 8 prints/mo | $46.00 | $230.00 | $902.00 | $2,760.00 | $1,858.00 | 1.9 mo |
| $600 printer | $46.00 | $230.00 | $1,152.00 | $2,760.00 | $1,608.00 | 3.3 mo |
| 4 prints a month | $28.00 | $118.00 | $686.00 | $1,416.00 | $730.00 | 3.9 mo |
| $15 outsource price | $46.00 | $126.00 | $902.00 | $1,512.00 | $610.00 | 4.4 mo |
| 20 prints a month | $100.00 | $566.00 | $1,550.00 | $6,792.00 | $5,242.00 | 0.8 mo |
| $250 printer | $46.00 | $230.00 | $802.00 | $2,760.00 | $1,958.00 | 1.4 mo |
The worked example, line by line
Setup: printer $350.00, 8 prints a month, DIY $4.50 a print, maintenance $10.00 a month, outsource $28.00 a print, shipping $6.00 an order.
Line 1 — the DIY monthly cost. 8 × $4.50 + $10.00 = $46.00.
Line 2 — the outsource monthly cost. 8 × $28.00 + $6.00 = $230.00.
Line 3 — the 12-month buy total. $350.00 + 12 × $46.00 = $902.00.
Line 4 — the 12-month outsource total. 12 × $230.00 = $2,760.00.
Line 5 — the saving. $2,760.00 − $902.00 = $1,858.00 for buying.
Line 6 — the break-even point. $350.00 ÷ ($230.00 − $46.00) = 1.9 months, and the cost per print is $4.50 at home against $28.75 outsourced ($28.00 plus $6.00 ÷ 8).
Every branch, checked
$600 printer: the monthly costs are unchanged at $46.00 and $230.00, so the 12-month buy total is $600.00 + 12 × $46.00 = $1,152.00, the saving is $1,608.00, and the break-even point is $600.00 ÷ $184.00 = 3.3 months. A dearer printer still wins, it just takes a month and a half longer to pay for itself.
4 prints a month: the DIY monthly cost falls to 4 × $4.50 + $10.00 = $28.00 and the outsource monthly cost falls to 4 × $28.00 + $6.00 = $118.00, so the saving is $90.00 a month and the break-even point is $350.00 ÷ $90.00 = 3.9 months. Printing less often still wins, because the $10.00 maintenance is small next to the $24.00 a print the service charges.
$15 outsource price: the outsource monthly cost falls to 8 × $15.00 + $6.00 = $126.00, so the saving is $80.00 a month and the break-even point is $350.00 ÷ $80.00 = 4.4 months. A cheap print service narrows the gap, but buying still wins inside five months.
20 prints a month: the DIY monthly cost rises to 20 × $4.50 + $10.00 = $100.00 and the outsource monthly cost rises to 20 × $28.00 + $6.00 = $566.00, so the saving is $466.00 a month and the break-even point is $350.00 ÷ $466.00 = 0.8 months. Printing a lot is where owning wins fastest: the printer pays for itself in under a month.
$250 printer: the 12-month buy total is $250.00 + 12 × $46.00 = $802.00, the saving is $1,958.00, and the break-even point is $250.00 ÷ $184.00 = 1.4 months. A budget printer is the fastest way to win, if it prints well enough for your parts.
Reverse — the break-even outsource price: the outsource price at which the two sides tie is ($46.00 − $6.00) ÷ 8 = $5.00 a print, so a service would have to charge $5.00 a print before outsourcing broke even. The most printer that still breaks even in 12 months is 12 × $230.00 − 12 × $46.00 = $2,208.00.
What the defaults assume
The model assumes one order a month for shipping: if you order prints in two batches a month, the shipping doubles and outsourcing costs more. It assumes the DIY cost per print covers the filament and the electricity, and the maintenance covers the nozzles, the beds and the odd failed print — it leaves out the cost of your time, the cost of learning the slicer, and the cost of a print that fails halfway. It assumes the outsource price is the same for every print, which is right for simple parts but not for big or detailed ones, where the service charges more. It leaves out the cost of the space the printer takes up, and the noise. Rounding convention: money is rounded to cents, months to 1 decimal, and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|
| DIY monthly | prints × DIY cost/print + maintenance | $46.00/mo. |
| Outsource monthly | prints × outsource price/print + shipping | $230.00/mo. |
| 12-month buy total | printer + 12 × DIY monthly | $902.00. |
| 12-month outsource total | 12 × outsource monthly | $2,760.00. |
| Savings over 12 months | 12-mo outsource − 12-mo buy | $1,858.00 for buying. |
| Break-even | printer ÷ (outsource monthly − DIY monthly) | 1.9 months. |
| DIY cost per print | DIY cost per print (input) | $4.50/print. |
| Outsource cost per print | outsource monthly ÷ prints | $28.75/print. |
| $600 printer | same model, printer $600 | 12-mo buy $1,152.00, savings $1,608.00, break-even 3.3 months. |
| 4 prints a month | same model, 4 prints | DIY $28.00/mo, outsource $118.00/mo, savings $730.00, break-even 3.9 months. |
| $15 outsource price | same model, $15/print | Outsource $126.00/mo, savings $610.00, break-even 4.4 months. |
| 20 prints a month | same model, 20 prints | DIY $100.00/mo, outsource $566.00/mo, savings $5,242.00, break-even 0.8 months. |
| $250 printer | same model, printer $250 | 12-mo buy , savings , break-even . |
| Reverse: break-even outsource price | (DIY monthly − shipping) ÷ prints | $5.00/print. |
| Reverse: max printer price (12-mo) | 12 × outsource monthly − 12 × DIY monthly | $2,208.00. |
Who uses this
- The hobbyist printing brackets and toys: they learn buying wins by $1,858.00 over 12 months at 8 prints a month — and they learn the printer pays for itself after 1.9 months, so the $350.00 is not a gamble, it is two months of outsourcing.
- The maker selling prints on the side: they learn 20 prints a month saves $466.00 a month at home — so they know the printer is a business cost, not a toy, and it pays for itself in 0.8 months.
- The occasional printer, four prints a month: they learn buying still wins by $90.00 a month — so they know even light use beats the service, and the break-even point is 3.9 months.
- The buyer choosing between a $250 and a $600 printer: they learn the $250 printer saves $1,958.00 and the $600 printer saves $1,608.00 over 12 months — so they know the dearer printer costs $350.00 more and saves $350.00 less, and the choice is about print quality, not money.
Accuracy & limitations
The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the DIY monthly cost is the prints times the DIY cost per print plus the maintenance, the outsource monthly cost is the prints times the outsource price plus the shipping, and the break-even point is the printer price divided by the monthly saving. What the model cannot do is price your time: a print that takes an hour of setup and an hour of cleanup costs more than the filament, and a failed print costs the filament twice. It assumes one order a month, so it undercounts the shipping if you order in small batches. It assumes the outsource price is the same for every print, which is not true for big or detailed parts. It leaves out the cost of the space, the noise, and the learning curve. For the time a print takes, see 3D render time; for buying a car the same way, see buy new vs used car.
Cite this calculatorBright Side Kit. “3D Printer Buy vs Outsource Calculator — Free Online.” brightoolbox.com, 2026. Method: DIY monthly = prints × DIY cost per print + maintenance; outsource monthly = prints × outsource price per print + shipping; 12-month buy = printer + 12 × DIY monthly; 12-month outsource = 12 × outsource monthly; savings = 12-month outsource − 12-month buy; break-even = printer ÷ (outsource monthly − DIY monthly); break-even outsource price = (DIY monthly − shipping) ÷ prints; max printer price = 12 × outsource monthly − 12 × DIY monthly. Defaults: printer $350.00, 8 prints/mo, DIY $4.50/print, maintenance $10.00/mo, outsource $28.00/print, shipping $6.00 → DIY $46.00/mo, outsource $230.00/mo, 12-mo buy $902.00, 12-mo outsource $2,760.00, savings $1,858.00, break-even 1.9 months; $600 printer → 12-mo buy $1,152.00, savings $1,608.00, break-even 3.3 months; 4 prints/mo → DIY $28.00/mo, outsource $118.00/mo, savings $90.00/mo, break-even 3.9 months; $15/print → outsource $126.00/mo, savings $80.00/mo, break-even 4.4 months; 20 prints/mo → DIY $100.00/mo, outsource $566.00/mo, savings $466.00/mo, break-even 0.8 months; $250 printer → 12-mo buy $802.00, savings $1,958.00, break-even 1.4 months; break-even outsource price $5.00/print; max printer price $2,208.00.Bright Side Kit. "3D Printer Buy vs Outsource Calculator — Free Online." https://brightoolbox.com/3d-printer-buy-vs-outsource-calculator/ Accessed October 24, 2026.
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