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Release Notes

PrintMatch Changelog

Every update to PrintMatch, documented. What was added, what changed, and what was removed - in plain English.

v1.8 Latest July 2, 2026

Site-wide search added - a search icon in the nav (and Ctrl+K shortcut) opens a modal that searches every page, tool, and blog post, plus all 99 printers by name, with results linking straight into a filtered Browse view. New long-form blog post published covering every 3D printer price tier from under $350 to over $2,000, aimed at closing the "not enough content" gap identified in the AdSense audit. Affiliate disclosure language made consistent site-wide - every page now clearly and correctly states that affiliate links are being added soon rather than already existing, removing a contradiction between About, Privacy, Terms, and the homepage FAQ. Homepage money FAQ answer rewritten for clarity. Stale printer/question counts (98 printers, 11 questions) corrected to the current 99 printers and 13 questions across 14 pages. Duplicate Creality Ender 3 V3 SE blog post removed and its unique content merged into Part 3 instead of running twice. Blog post avatar images given descriptive alt text. Sitemap updated to include a previously missing blog post and refreshed lastmod dates.

Added
  • Site-wide search - a search icon in the nav bar on every page opens a modal search box (also triggerable with Ctrl+K / Cmd+K). Searches all static pages, tools, and blog posts by title and description, plus all 99 printers in the database by name. Clicking a printer result opens Browse with that printer's name pre-filled into the search box.
  • New blog post, "The Best 3D Printers at Every Budget (2026)" - a 3,000+ word tier-by-tier buying guide covering every price bracket from under $350 up to the $11,380 Prusa Pro HT90, with honest picks and skips at each level. Added to the Blog page, sitemap, and site search index.
Changed
  • Affiliate link disclosure standardized across About, Privacy, Terms, and the homepage hero/FAQ - all now consistently state that affiliate links will be added soon, rather than some pages saying they already exist and others saying they don't.
  • Homepage "How does PrintMatch make money?" FAQ answer rewritten for grammar and clarity, along with its matching FAQPage schema entry.
  • Stale "98 printers" and "11 questions" references corrected to "99 printers" and "13 questions" across 14 blog posts and the Quiz page.
  • Cheapest Printers Part 3 (Creality Ender 3 V3 SE) expanded with the unique lines from the now-removed Part 4, so nothing from that post was lost.
  • Blog post byline avatar images given descriptive alt text instead of empty alt attributes.
Removed
  • Cheapest Printers Part 4 (Creality Ender 3 V3 SE) removed - it covered the same printer as Part 3 with reworded but substantially duplicate content. Its listing card, related-post links, and sitemap references were removed or repointed to Part 3.
Fixed
  • Sitemap was missing the "Just Got a 3D Printer?" blog post - added. Lastmod dates refreshed on all pages touched in this update.
v1.7 July 1, 2026

Closed out the Not Happy? removal from v1.6 - the leftover quiz card is gone and a permanent Removed Features page now documents why. Quiz selection page rebalanced for two tools instead of three. Compare page got a written guide, FAQs, a toggle that highlights which printer wins each spec, and a working search box for adding printers (replacing the old non-functional dropdown). Homepage overhauled for SEO - word count brought to 1,000+, Explore PrintMatch nav grid added, and FAQ section expanded with new entries including a printer request form link. About page fully rewritten with original copy, de-AI'd throughout. Quiz page intro and FAQ updated with original copy. How PrintMatch Works blog post duplicate section removed and all inaccurate numbers corrected. Cheapest Printers Part 4 linked in blog listing. Site-wide visual refresh applied to every page - gradient gold buttons, corner-bracket card accents, and a monospaced numerals face for prices and ratings. Printer of the Month rotated to the FlashForge Creator 5 for July, with a new review post and archive entry. Ancient Printers tab on Browse redesigned with a responsive grid and richer cards.

Removed
  • "Not Happy? (Removed)" card removed from the quiz selection page - it linked out to a blog post explaining the tool was gone, which was a confusing extra step. The quiz page now only shows the two live tools.
Changed
  • Quiz selection grid rebalanced from 3 columns to 2 - the 3D Printer Quiz and Filament Quiz cards now scale to fill the row evenly instead of leaving a gap where the removed card used to sit.
  • Compare page "Add a printer" control replaced with a live search box - type a printer name to get a filtered, keyboard-navigable results list instead of scrolling through a single long dropdown of all 100 models.
  • Site-wide visual refresh - primary buttons (nav, hero, Compare, Calculator, cookie banner, Printer of the Month) now use a milled-gold gradient with a soft glow and lift-on-hover instead of a flat color swap. Prices, ratings, and hero stats now render in a monospace face for a data-sheet feel. Browse and Printer of the Month cards gained a subtle gold corner-bracket accent on hover.
  • Printer of the Month rotated from the Snapmaker U1 (June) to the FlashForge Creator 5 (July) on the homepage. The U1 was moved into the Printer of the Month Archive.
  • Homepage Printer of the Month card now shows real product photos of both the Creator 5 and Creator 5 Pro side by side (courtesy of 3D Universe) instead of a single placeholder image, and links to the full written review via a new "Read the Full Review" button.
  • "The 'Not Happy?' Tool Is Gone" post moved from the 3D Printing section to the Site Docs & Policies section on the Blog page - it's a site-update post about a removed tool, not a printing guide, so it belongs with the changelog and About page rather than the reviews.
  • Browse page's Ancient Printers grid changed from a cramped, sparse layout to a responsive 4-column grid (stepping down to 3, then 2, then 1 column as the screen narrows), and each card was rebuilt with material tags and a rating bar to match the density of active printer cards.
Fixed
  • Compare page search wasn't filtering or letting printers be added - the search box now correctly matches as you type and printers can be added to the comparison again.
  • Homepage printer count corrected to exclude Ancient (discontinued) printers - now reads 99 active printers instead of the full 106-printer database total. Compare page FAQ updated to match and now notes that discontinued models live separately in the Ancient Printers archive.
Added
  • New blog post: "FlashForge Creator 5 & 5 Pro Review – The Cheapest 4-Toolhead Printer" - covers the Creator 5 vs. 5 Pro spec comparison, a 3-way comparison against the Snapmaker U1, the cost-cutting compromises FlashForge made, pros, cons, and the final verdict. 3D Universe product page added as an additional source and image credit.
  • Removed Features page added at /removed-features.html - a running, permanent record of tools that have been pulled from PrintMatch and why, starting with the Not Happy? quiz. Linked in the footer site-wide and added as a new card in the Blog's Site Docs & Policies section.
  • Sitemap updated to include the new Removed Features page.
  • "Highlight best stat in each row" toggle on the Compare page - when on, the comparison table tags the winning printer for Price, Build Volume, Max Speed, Enclosure, Multi-Color, Maintenance, and Creator Rating with a gold "Best" tag, or marks the row "Equal" if every selected printer ties.
  • Written guide added below the comparison table - how to use the tool, what specs actually matter when comparing printers, and a Bambu Lab vs. Prusa vs. Creality breakdown.
  • FAQ section added to the Compare page covering shared comparisons, missing printers, and price gaps, with matching FAQPage schema markup for search results.
  • Explore PrintMatch nav grid added to homepage - eight button cards (Quiz, Browse, Compare, Blog, Calculator, Glossary, About, Contact) placed below the second ad slot for quick site navigation and additional page copy.
  • Homepage FAQ expanded - added “My printer isn’t on PrintMatch” with Google Form link for printer requests, “How often do you post blogs?”, and “What if I want to contact you?”. Existing answers fleshed out. Word count brought to 1,000+ for SEO.
  • Budget 3D printer FAQ entry removed from homepage - replaced with expanded content elsewhere in the FAQ section.
  • Browse page written content added - a "How to Use the Filters" guide (6 cards covering Brand, Price, Experience Level, Materials, Enclosure, and Multi-Color) and a Brand Overview section (10 cards, one per brand, each with a plain-English summary, best-for, and trade-off). Static word count brought from 223 to 1,000+ for SEO.
  • Skip to bottom button added to the Browse page - fixed button in the bottom-right corner that scrolls to the written content section below the printer grid.
  • Quiz page written content added - a "How It Works" section (6 cards covering both quizzes, match scoring, bias, using results with Compare, and retaking) and a Quiz FAQ section (6 cards). Static word count brought from 309 to 1,000+ for SEO.
  • About page "How PrintMatch Makes Money" section rewritten and expanded - now covers ads (no control over what appears, zero effect on rankings), affiliate links, sponsorship policy (tech brands only, never 3D printer manufacturers, labeled and honest), and review unit conditions (editorial independence, full disclosure, rated identically to purchased printers). Static word count brought from 939 to 1,300+.
  • About page "Why I Built This" and "What's in Here" sections replaced with original copy written by Blue_Speed - no AI prose.
  • About page "How PrintMatch Makes Money" and "Sponsorships" sections rewritten with original copy. Changelog and Review Units sections restored. Last updated date changed to June 25, 2026.
  • About page algorithm explanation replaced with plain-language summary and link to How PrintMatch Works. All em dashes removed from content.
  • Quiz page 3D Printer Quiz and Filament Quiz intro blurbs replaced with original copy. "Does the filament quiz work with any printer?" and "What if I disagree with my result?" FAQ answers replaced with original copy.
  • How PrintMatch Works blog post - duplicate Q1–Q13 question breakdown removed (appeared twice). Printer count corrected from 98 to 100+. Question count corrected from 11 to 13 throughout. Date updated from May 2026 to June 2026. "No ads" claim removed from privacy section.
  • Cheapest Printers from Every Company Part 4 (Creality Ender 3 V3 SE) added to blog.html listing - was published June 21 but not linked.
v1.6 June 16, 2026

Homepage polish, browse visual overhaul, quiz question improvements, scoring fixes, and UX additions. Rewrote several quiz questions for clarity, fixed level scoring, excluded ancient and hidden printers from results, removed the Not Happy? tool, added a "See more results" option to the quiz output, added full nozzle/bed/chamber temperature data across the printer database, and expanded the filament database from 10 to 19 materials with a complete stats overhaul.

Changed
  • Hero kicker copy updated - em dash replaced with period for cleaner reading.
  • Printer of the Month card buttons fixed - primary button now links to Compare tool; previously both buttons linked to Browse.
  • Duplicate footer removed - index.html had two footer elements; the redundant one inside <main> has been removed.
  • Quiz selection page redesigned - new hero heading, card layout with icons, time estimates, and animated CTAs. 3D Printer Quiz card visually elevated as primary action.
  • Quiz question UI redesigned - answer buttons now have radio/checkbox indicators, stronger selected state with gold glow, improved hover feedback, and better spacing. Progress bar upgraded to gradient fill. Exit button given a bordered style. Hint text now has a left accent border. Next button has lift-on-hover animation; Back button given a bordered treatment.
  • Q2 budget flexibility - replaced fixed dollar amounts ($50/$150 over) with percentages (10%/25% over) so the flexibility scales correctly with any budget.
  • Q3 experience level - intermediate option now reads "owned a printer for at least a year" instead of the vague "I have done it before."
  • Q5 build size - standard 256mm option now includes "(fits most everyday prints)" to help beginners choose.
  • Q6 filament tiers - renamed to Basic / Mid-tier / Engineering materials with plain-English descriptions replacing jargon-only labels.
  • Q9 use case - "Business or print farm" split into separate "Business use" and "Print farm / production volume" options.
  • Q10 multi-color - merged redundant "Nice to have eventually" and "Plan to upgrade later" into a single "Not now, but maybe later" option.
  • Not Happy? tool removed - the refinement flow gave poor suggestions and was too difficult to fix correctly with the current static architecture. A blog post explains why. The quiz card now links to it.
  • Ancient printers excluded from quiz results - printers marked ancient:true are now filtered out at every stage of the scoring pipeline. They remain visible in Browse and Compare.
  • Hidden printer flag added - printers marked hidden:true are excluded from quiz results but remain in Browse and Compare. Used for printers that are still sold but have a clearly better alternative (e.g. Anycubic Kobra 4 Combo, superseded by the Kobra X).
  • Show more results - quiz results now default to top 3 with a "See more results" button that reveals positions 4–6 on demand.
  • Brand preference now scores - brand picks in Q4 were previously only used as a hard filter for avoided brands and as an optional must-have. Preferred brands now have a dedicated 10% scoring weight, so a preferred brand printer will consistently score higher than a non-preferred one with the same specs.
  • Size scoring overhauled - weight increased from 5% to 15% when the user picks a specific size. Wrong-size printers now score 0.0 instead of 0.2. Previously a 256mm printer could appear in results when someone asked for 600mm+.
  • Material tiers corrected - Basic: PLA variants, PETG, TPU. Engineering: ABS, ASA, Nylon, PA-CF, CF-PLA. High-end: PC, CF-PC, PEKK, PPS, PSU. Tier 5+ materials (PEEK, PEI, TPI) removed from consideration as no printer in the database supports them. CF-PLA moved from basic to engineering. PC correctly placed at high-end (Tier 4, requires 300°C+ nozzle).
  • Build size options reduced from 5 to 3 - Extra-large (360mm+) and Massive (450mm+) removed. The database has no printers tagged at those sizes, so selecting them produced fallback results that ignored the size preference entirely. Large now means 320mm+ and covers all large-format printers in the database.
Added
  • Trust line added to hero - "No affiliate links. No sponsored results. Ever." displayed below kicker copy.
  • Third hero CTA added - "How It Works" button links to the How PrintMatch Works blog post.
  • Nozzle temp, bed temp, chamber temp, and active chamber heating added to the printer database - all 105 active printers now carry these specs. Shown in the printer detail modal after clicking a card, not on the card itself. Ancient printers deliberately excluded - these fields are left blank since they are discontinued.
  • Filament database expanded from 10 to 19 materials - added Glow-in-the-Dark PLA, PLA Wood, PETG-CF, ABS-GF, PA12-CF, PP, PC, PC-ABS, and PEEK. TPU (Flexible) renamed to TPU 95A and Nylon renamed to PA6-CF to match supplier naming.
  • Filament stats overhauled - every filament now carries print temp range, bed temp range, enclosure requirement, chamber heat, cost per kg, warping risk, drying requirement, hardened nozzle requirement, odor level, and a sourced reference brand. Strength, flexibility, and a new weather resistance rating moved from a 5-point scale to a 10-point scale for finer detail, shown in the filament detail modal after clicking a card.
  • Filament quiz scoring rebalanced for the new 10-point scale and budget question wired into scoring for the first time - filaments over the stated per-kg ceiling are now penalized instead of ignored. An Expert difficulty tier was added for PEEK so it is not suggested to advanced users by default, since it requires specialized high-temperature hardware most printers do not have.
Fixed
  • Ancient Printers pane layout fixed - intro text and printer count now sit in a clean header row above the grid. Previously the text was placed inside a flex search row with no siblings, causing elements to slide out of position.
  • 3D Printer Quiz card gold removed at rest state - icon, border, background gradient, top bar, and CTA arrow are now neutral black/grey by default. Gold accent only appears on hover. Applies to all three quiz cards consistently.
  • Suggest a Printer CTA added sitewide - the banner now appears at the bottom of the 3D Printer Quiz results, Filament Quiz results, Glossary, and all 11 blog posts. Links to the printer submission form from the About page.
  • Browse page visual overhaul - search bar now has an icon and integrated sort dropdown; filter row sits in a contained panel; cards have a top gold accent line on hover, a rating progress bar, a separated footer showing level and last-updated, and a subtle lift animation on hover. Ancient Printers tab cards show at reduced opacity to distinguish discontinued models.
  • PLA and PLA+ use-case tags corrected - both were incorrectly tagged Functional and Outdoor despite not being weather-resistant, which skewed filament quiz results toward plain PLA over more suitable functional materials. Now tagged Decorative and Prototype only.
  • Filament difficulty filter pills missing Expert tier - added so PEEK can be filtered to in the Browse page alongside Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
v1.5 May 31, 2026

Full scoring system rework. The old additive point-stacking system has been replaced with a normalized weighted-category algorithm. Every answer now maps to a category with a fixed percentage weight, and the final match score is a genuine fraction of "how much of what you asked for does this printer deliver." Multi-color and multi-material pool filtering has also been hardened, and several printer data corrections have been applied.

Changed
  • Scoring replaced with normalized weighted-category system - match % now means "fraction of your stated requirements this printer meets."
  • Budget category: 25% weight. In-range = 1.0, under-budget = 0.8, over-budget = 0.0 (no longer a hard ceiling in scoring).
  • Primary Priority (Q11): 20% weight. Only added to denominator if user set one.
  • Must-Haves (Q10): 15% weight, scored as fraction of matched / total selected. No more per-item stacking.
  • Materials: 15% weight. Exact match = 1.0, superset = 0.7, miss = 0.0.
  • Multi-color/multi-material weight now scales: 15% when it's a hard requirement, 5% when nice-to-have.
  • Use case: 10% weight. Experience level: 5%. Build size: 5%.
  • Budget flexibility scoring fixed - printers in the +10% flex zone now score 0.85 on budget (was 0.0), and +25% flex zone scores 0.80. Previously these printers made it into the pool but were silently penalised with a zero budget score.
  • Pool stage 4 fallback no longer drops multi-color or multi-material requirements - only relaxes budget.
  • Bambu H2S: multiColor and multiMaterial explicitly set to false.
  • Bambu H2S Combo: multiColor set to true, multiMaterial remains false.
  • Snapmaker U1 and U1 + Top Cover: multiMaterial set to true (SnapSwap tool-changing is genuine multi-material).
  • Creator ratings updated: H2D → 9.3, H2S → 9.0, Anycubic Kobra X → 8.9.
  • Bambu Lab price data updated - A1 Mini standard price corrected to $299 (was $239); A1 standard price corrected to $399 (was $449); P1S on sale at $399 (was $699); P1S Combo on sale at $549 (was $949); H2D on sale at $1,749 (was $1,999); H2D + AMS on sale at $1,999 (was $2,299); H2C price corrected to $2,399 (was $2,400).
  • Prusa price data updated - MK4S updated to $999 (was $709); CORE One L updated to $1,999 (was $1,799); XL 5-toolhead updated to $3,899 (was $2,899). Prusa CORE One+ added as new entry (kit $999 / assembled $1,299) - CHT high-flow nozzle, auto vent, easy flex loading, INDX 8-material upgrade path.
  • Creality data updated - Ender 3 S1 Plus and CR-30 removed (discontinued, no longer in official store); Ender 3 V3 base removed (SE/KE/Plus variants only in current lineup). K1C renamed to K1C 2025 Edition. Sale prices added: K1 $339 (was $599), K2 $449 (was $549), K2 Pro + CFS $849 (was $1,049), K1C 2025 $369 (was $499), K1 Max $549 (was $649), Creality Hi $299 (was $319), Ender 3 V3 SE $199 (was $219), Ender 3 V3 KE $259 (was $299), Ender 3 V3 Plus $339 (was $479), Ender 5 Max $749 (was $849).
  • How PrintMatch Works blog post updated - Q2 now correctly described as Budget Flexibility (was wrongly labelled Experience Level), budget scoring table updated to show flex zone scores (0.85 for +10%, 0.80 for +25%), and Q1 description updated to explain how flex answers affect scoring.
  • Snapmaker U1 base materials corrected to PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA only - ABS/ASA/Nylon require the Top Cover enclosure. Speed priority set to Low.
  • Snapmaker U1 + Top Cover materials corrected to PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, ABS, ASA, Nylon - removed PC and CF variants. Speed priority set to Low.
  • Prusa XL, XL 2-tool, and XL 5-tool head variants - removed ABS from materials list; open-frame machines are not suitable for ABS printing.
  • FlashForge Adventurer 5M - removed ABS and ASA from materials list; open-frame machine not suitable for these filaments.
  • Anycubic Kobra S1 Max and S1 Max Combo - enclosure corrected to true (was incorrectly set to false).
  • Anycubic Kobra S1 Max added - $599 on sale from $899. 350×350×350mm, 600mm/s, CoreXY, Intermediate, no enclosure, Hobby, Garage. Rating 7.8.
  • Anycubic Kobra S1 Max Combo added - $799 on sale from $1,099. Same specs with multi-color CFS bundle. Rating 7.8.
  • Anycubic Kobra 4 Combo added - $379 on sale from $499. 260×260×260mm, 600mm/s, Intermediate, multi-color, Hobby, Bedroom/office/Garage. Rating 7.5.
  • Anycubic Kobra 3 V2 Combo moved to Ancient Printers - absent from Anycubic's active store grid; only referenced as an ACE 2 Pro accessory compatibility note.
  • Anycubic Kobra X price updated to $269 (was $279).
  • Anycubic price data updated - sale prices now reflected: Kobra 3 Max $429 (was $699); Kobra 3 Max Combo $549 (was $999); Kobra S1 $349 (was $549); Kobra S1 Combo $429 (was $749). Kobra X corrected to $279 sale price (was $399).
  • Creality K2 Plus (standalone) moved to Ancient Printers - standalone unit no longer sold; only the K2 Plus Combo ($1,299) is available.
  • Creality K2 Pro (standalone) moved to Ancient Printers - standalone unit no longer sold; only the K2 Pro Combo is available.
  • Creality K1 Max price updated to $623.97 (was $549); original price updated to $894 (was $649).
  • Creality K1C 2025 Edition original price updated to $559 (was $499) - sale price of $369 unchanged.
  • Creality Hi original price updated to $389 (was $319) - sale price of $299 unchanged.
  • Creality K2 Combo original price updated to $699 (was $549) - sale price of $549 unchanged.
  • Prusa MK4S price updated to $729 (was $999) - current official store price.
  • Prusa CORE One+ assembled price updated to $1,299; kit variant added as separate entry at $949.
  • Prusa CORE One L price updated to $1,850.93 (was $1,999).
  • Prusa XL single-toolhead price updated to $2,128.70 (was $2,299) - 2026 price drop.
  • Prusa XL + Enclosure (single) price updated to $2,600.93 (was $2,809).
  • Prusa XL 2-tool + Enclosure price updated to $3,119.44 (was $3,369).
  • Prusa XL 5-toolhead price updated to $3,610.18 (was $3,899).
  • Prusa XL 5-tool + Enclosure price updated to $3,915.74 (was $4,229).
  • FlashForge Adventurer 5M Pro price updated to $379 (was $449).
  • FlashForge Adventurer 5M price updated to $239 (was $299).
  • FlashForge AD5X price updated to $339 (was $399).
  • Comgrow T500 creator rating dropped to 3.0 (was 5.0).
  • Impossible combo conflict warning improved - buttons now show the specific closest printer for each trade-off instead of generic labels. Stretch budget fix now correctly sets the budget ceiling to the actual target printer price.
Added
  • FlashForge Guider 3 Ultra added - industrial dual-extruder FDM, 330×330×600mm build volume, 500mm/s, enclosed, 16-material support including NexPA-CF25 and PA12-CF. On sale at $2,999 (was $3,499). Advanced/Workshop. Rating 7.
Removed
  • Hidden tinkerer brand bonus removed - Creality/Prusa/Sovol no longer get a hidden scoring advantage for high-maintenance users.
  • Magic number point values (+2, +1.5, +1.2, +1, +0.5) replaced with percentage weights throughout.
  • AI Overview removed - AI-generated summary of top 3 results no longer exists in v1.5. Entry removed from How PrintMatch Works documentation.
  • Anycubic Kobra 3 V2 (standalone) moved to Ancient Printers - no longer listed in Anycubic's primary FDM store grid. Combo version remains active.
v1.4 May 23, 2026

Major overhaul of the quiz scoring system. Scoring is now fully addition-only with no penalties, a dynamic divisor that scales to what you actually answered, and creator ratings removed from scoring entirely. The Influenced/Pure tab system has been replaced with a single unified result. Conflict detection now shows compromise buttons when your combination of wants is physically impossible at your budget.

Changed
  • Scoring is now addition-only - no printer can score below 0%.
  • Dynamic score divisor - scales to exactly what your answers can earn.
  • Budget weighted at +2 (was +1).
  • mustMust capped at +2 (was +3).
  • Level scoring fixed - each level gives +0.5 for an exact match only.
  • brand_any and size_any now give +0 instead of +0.3.
  • sanityFilter is now budget-aware.
  • resolveConflicts now stretches budget toward the cheapest qualifying printer.
  • Shared result links now run conflict resolution before scoring.
  • All quiz question types now eligible as mustMust top priority.
  • Printers costing more than 3× budget ceiling hard-excluded.
  • Quiz results now show only the top 3 printers.
  • Two new quiz questions: Budget Flexibility and Brand Exclusion.
  • Result cards now show 1st, 2nd, 3rd placement.
  • Price vs Features question removed.
Removed
  • Creator rating removed from scoring.
  • Influenced / Pure result tabs removed.
  • Dead speed scoring code removed.
Added
  • Conflict compromise buttons - impossible answer combos now surface specific fix buttons above results.
  • Ancient Printers section added to Browse - discontinued printers are preserved here for reference but excluded from quiz results and the main printer grid. Currently includes: Creality Ender 3 S1 Plus, CR-30, Ender 3 V3, and Anycubic Kobra 3 V2.
  • Creality Ender 3 V4 Combo added ($369, was $399) - combo-only with CFS included, 500mm/s, multi-color, PLA-CF/PETG-CF with hardened nozzle. Rating 7.4 (provisional - revisiting July 2026).
  • Creality SPARKX i7 added ($259, was $279) - beginner CoreXY A1 Mini alternative, direct drive, no enclosure. Rating 8.4.
  • Creality SPARKX i7 Combo added ($369, was $399) - same with CFS Lite for multi-color.
  • Qidi price data updated - Q2C $379 (was $399); Q2C Combo $529 (was $549); Plus4 $649 (was $699); Plus4 Combo $799 (was $849); Max4 $1,099 (was $1,049); Max4 Combo $1,249 (was $1,199). Qidi X-Max 3 added: $899 (was $999), 325×325×315mm, enclosed, 600mm/s, Advanced, rating 8.0.
  • Bambu Lab A2L and A2L Combo added - 330×320×325mm large-format bed slinger, $469 and $569. Beginner level, 500mm/s. Combo includes AMS Lite for multi-color. Rating 8.3.
  • New blog posts added - "Cheapest Printers from Every Company, Part 4: Creality Ender 3 V3 SE" and "Just Got a 3D Printer? 3 Things to Print and 3 Things to Avoid."
  • Printer of the Month updated to Snapmaker U1 for June 2026 - CoreXY, 4-toolhead SnapSwap system, 500mm/s, 270×270×270mm, $899.
  • Quiz algorithm final simulation complete (50,000 runs) - average top match score: 86.61%. Kobra X win rate: 6.72% (target: under 8%). Over-budget wins: 8.40% (target: under 10%). Algorithm cleared for v1.5 release.
v1.3 May 13, 2026

A big update. New print cost calculator, two new printers, expanded quiz options for tinkerers and multi-material printing, price corrections, a wider budget slider range, corrected carbon footprint values, donation partners, and site policy updates.

Added
  • FDM print cost calculator - new tool at /calculator.html
  • Resin cost calculator - second tab on the calculator page.
  • Carbon footprint calculator - third tab. Enter material, grid region, wattage, and print time to get a CO2 breakdown with an A–F grade, real-world equivalents, and yearly projections.
  • Toxic fume level added to every filament - shown on browse cards, filament modal, and quiz results. PLA/PLA+/Silk/Matte/TPU/PLA-CF are Low, ABS/ASA are Medium, Nylon is High.
  • FlashForge Creator 5 added - cheapest multi-tool-head printer on the market, 4 tool heads, open frame, $699.
  • FlashForge Creator 5 Pro added - same as Creator 5 but with enclosure, adds ABS/ASA/Nylon support, $849 prelaunch.
  • Prusa Pro HT90 added - industrial delta printer, $11,380, prints any filament on the market. For business and serious prototyping only.
  • New filament quiz question: "Do you have a hardened steel nozzle?" - if not, PLA-CF is pushed down in results since it requires one.
  • New quiz option: "I want multi-material AND multi-color printing" - surfaces printers with true multi-material capability.
  • New quiz option: "I want to mod and tinker with it" - gives a scoring boost to Creality, Prusa, and Sovol printers.
  • Blog post: Cheapest Printers from Every Company, Part 2 - Prusa Mini review.
  • Printer of the Month section on the homepage - May 2026 pick is the Bambu Lab A1 Mini.
  • Browse page now links to blog posts from printer cards when a review exists.
  • This changelog.
  • Not Happy With Your Suggestion? quiz - a 3-step quiz where you pick the printer you were recommended, choose what you didn't like, and get 4 alternatives showing exactly what you gain and lose vs the original.
  • 3D Printing Glossary - a searchable reference page with plain-English definitions for key terms. Accessible from the blog.
Changed
  • Budget slider in the quiz now goes up to $6,500+ (was $2,500+). Added price stops at $3,000–$6,500.
  • Browse price filter extended - now covers up to $5,000+ (previously capped at $2,200+).
  • Quiz maintenance option reworded: "Some upkeep is fine" → "I want it to work but don't mind changing a few things."
  • Quiz maintenance option reworded: "I enjoy tinkering and fixing" → "I want to mod and tinker with it."
  • Elegoo Centauri Carbon price updated to $319.
  • Blog split into two sections: 3D Printing (guides, reviews, news) and About PrintMatch (site docs, changelog, policies).
Removed
  • Prusa CORE One + Camera removed from database.
  • Prusa CORE One + Filtration removed from database.
  • Prusa CORE One + Cam + Filter removed from database.
  • Prusa CORE One L + Filtration removed from database.
v1.2 April 28, 2026

Bambu X2D launch coverage, expanded brand support, quiz refinements, and the How PrintMatch Works blog post.

Added
  • Bambu Lab X2D and X2D Combo added - dual nozzle, enclosed, 300°C hotend, 65°C active chamber.
  • Snapmaker U1 and U1 + Top Cover added - tool-changing system with ~5 second head swaps.
  • Qidi Q2C and Q2C Combo added.
  • FLSUN S1 Pro, T1 Max, V400 Max added.
  • Blog post: How PrintMatch Works - full algorithm breakdown.
  • Blog post: My Elegoo Filament Experience.
  • Blog post: Why Cheap Filament Is Never a Win.
  • Blog post: Cheapest Printers from Every Company, Part 1 - Bambu Lab A1 Mini.
v1.1 April 2, 2026

Filament quiz, comparison tool, and the first batch of blog posts.

Added
  • Filament quiz - recommends the right filament based on your printer, use case, and budget.
  • Compare tool - side-by-side spec comparison for any two printers in the database.
  • Blog post: PLA vs PETG.
  • Blog post: The True Cost of Resin 3D Printing.
  • Blog post: The Real Cost of FDM 3D Printing.
  • Which Bambu Lab 3D Printer Is Right for You? (2026 Guide).
v1.0 Launch March 29, 2026

PrintMatch goes live. 12-question printer quiz, browse database, and initial printer catalog across Bambu Lab, Prusa, Creality, Elegoo, FlashForge, Anycubic, and Sovol.

Added
  • 12-question printer recommendation quiz with weighted scoring algorithm.
  • Browse database with brand, price, level, material, enclosure, and multi-color filters.
  • Initial printer catalog - 88 printers across 7 brands.
  • Dual result tabs: Influenced (includes creator ratings) and Pure (algorithm only).
  • Must-have and must-must priority system in the quiz.
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