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• This study introduces a new approach utilizing 3DP technology to fabricate bedded rocks, demonstrating its feasibility. • The study meticulously explores both the qualitative and quantitative impacts of bedding planes and flaws on the fracture behavior of soft 3DP bedded rocks. • Accurate determination of strength and strain is achieved through meticulous comparison of stress–strain curves and REVC-strain curves. • The implications of the study's findings for engineering failures are thoroughly discussed. Bedded rocks are a typical geological formation with significant implications for understanding tectonic evolution, rock engineering, and geological hazard mitigation. This study introduces a novel method for fabricating bedded rocks using 3D printing (3DP) technology. By comparing the mechanical anisotropic properties and failure modes of 3DP bedded rocks with natural bedded rocks, we validate the feasibility of this approach. Compression tests are conducted on 3DP bedded rocks containing a single flaw to investigate the coupled effects of bedding planes and flaws on the mechanical properties. Digital image correlation (DIC) is employed for full-field deformation measurement during loading, enabling the study of deformation and crack evolution patterns. The results indicate that bedding planes dominate the brittleness of 3DP bedded rocks containing a single flaw. Significant plastic characteristics and prolonged nonlinear deformation stages are observed when the bedding angle (α) is between 0° and 45°, while brittleness becomes apparent beyond 45°. Both strength and elastic modulus are decided by bedding planes and initial flaws. By comparing stress–strain curves and rate of effective variance change (REVC)-strain curves, crack initiation can be quantitatively identified, revealing a linear correlation between strength and stress values at crack initiation points. The bedding plane also dominates crack propagation and failure modes: when α ≤ 30°, cracks propagate through the bedding, indicating tensile failure; when 45° ≤ α ＜90°, cracks propagate along the bedding, indicating tensile-shear or shear failure; and when α = 90°, cracks propagate along bedding planes, indicating tensile failure. The findings of this study provide insights for explaining and predicting failure modes in engineering projects involving bedded rock formations, such as slopes, tunnels, and coal mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]