Preparation of 3d printed kit for painting

[Von Trinkenessen]

As a newbie to using 3d printed terain do you need to prep it like resin for priming ie wash in detergent?

[Fitz]

That will depend on whether it's a resin or filament print. Neither of them really need washing, but resin prints may occasionally have a bit of surface crud if it hasn't been fully washed out before curing — that's unlikely to affect paint adhesion though.

I always prime before painting. FDM prints can be slightly porous, depending on the print settings, and the sintered nylon prints you can get from Shapeways (I forget the name of that process) are like sponges. Both benefit from being sealed. Resin doesn't necessarily need to be primed, but I find it gives a better, less slippery painting surface.

[CookAndrewB]

I recently got some prints from Butler's Printed Models and as soon as I pulled all the supports off I just dove right into the painting. Had a brief moment of worry that I had screwed up, but managed to prime and paint with no issues.