I will list a bunch of equipments and software for new beginners who would like to start your 3D printing journey
Of course, you need it. Nothing will happen if it is gone.
Of course, it is also important. How can you print something without it.
Pliers, nozzle cleaning needle, spade, wrench, socket spanner, Allen wrench, and even USB sticks can be useful for your 3D printing work.
Most of the 3D printer manufacturers like Creality and Bambu Lab include those in their packages. But make sure to get them if they don't provide these tools.
Filaments tend to absorb moisture and they can introduce artifacts into your print, which are hard to remove and can damage your print.
Having a filament dryer can save you tons of trouble.
You don't need to buy it as a beginner. But nozzles can't handle all materials. Some filaments like carbon nylon may need another type of nozzle to handle the filament.
You may want to add this to your shopping list if you really need to print some special filament. However, you will spend most of your time working with PLA and PETG filaments. The stock nozzles will be fine.
If you need to manually level your bed, paper or thermal paper is what you need.
They act as feeler gauges but they are soft enough so that they won't damage your nozzle and printbed.
Human hands are greasy, and prints won't stick well if your print bed is greasy. So do prepare some ethanol and tissue wipes for your print bed.
isopropyl alcohol (IPA) can't clean your print bed completely. Do use soap and water to clean your plate regularly. This can ensure your print quality and reduce the chance of warping print.
Use to conduct heat efficiently from your hot end to the nozzle.
These greases will wear off eventually, so you may need to re-apply them to your hot end.
Follow the guide provided by manufacturer.
Lubricant your metal parts (like your metal rods that control the height of your nozzle and your print bed) so that they can move smoothly and won't damage other parts of your 3D printer.
You may need to apply them regularly between each maintanance.
Slicer software turns your 3D drawing inside your computer into instructions that control your 3D printer.
Most of your 3D printer manufacturers do provide this software but 3rd party slicers are also popular.
You can download the Cura slicer, Prusa slicer, and even Klipper slicer. They are free.
My personal favorite. You can use it to create a timelapse of your print, and if your print fails, you can rewind your video and analyze the possible cause of the failure.
Lucky for you, most new printer do include a camera and they also throw in AI detection features so that if your print fail, they will automatically stop your print and notify you. But if your printer does not have this feature, having a camera is good for troubleshooting.
These softwares are the prime reason why 3D printers are so powerful. You have an Ideal in your brain, and you can turn these ideas into 3D drawings that can make them into reality. Some of them are free (like Fusion 360 for personal use and Blender), and some do take a fortune to own (like Solidworks....).
Learning curves could be high, and you may spend quite a lot of time learning them. Fortunately, you don't necessarily need modeling software to enjoy the power of a 3D printer. 3D printer users do gather and create different communities and allow model sharing online (like Cults 3D, Thingliverse, and Printables). However, learning how to use 3D modeling tools will be a great plus to your 3D printer capabilities.