# Please help an absolute beginner: What do I need to start 3D printing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-an-absolute-beginner-what-do-i-need-to-start-3d-printing/984180 "2023-05-17T18:13:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-an-absolute-beginner-what-do-i-need-to-start-3d-printing/984180/21 "2023-05-18T13:52:44Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > My design idea is quite filigree, for lack of a better word You might get just as much use out of a laser cutter as a printer, then - again, the fablab should have that, too. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-an-absolute-beginner-what-do-i-need-to-start-3d-printing/984180/22 "2023-05-18T13:54:15Z")
I found the one in Berlin, just 40 minutes away (20 by car), and they have printers and cutters and on-line tutorials for the use of both. That is a nice start, thanks a lot! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-an-absolute-beginner-what-do-i-need-to-start-3d-printing/984180/23 "2023-05-18T21:44:04Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > My point was that even with an existing STL file, with a traditional filament-based printer these are going to be tricky to print, so it might be best to cut one’s teeth on a few simpler models first. On the other hand, Shapeways (linked above) mostly deals with powder printing techniques, for which a Roman dodecahedron would be no problem. > [@Jasmine](#): > > These cost us about $5,000 a piece, so a good one is pricey. > > Oh, one more thing that our administration didn’t think of before hand. Because of all the precise movement, they tend to need a lot of servicing. If you get one, you should get a maintenance contract with it. You must have been early adopters. Most 3d printers nowadays are much cheaper than that, and all of the maintenance can be done by a hobbyist-level user. (and what units is that 12x12x12 print volume?) > [@MrDibble](#): > > You might get just as much use out of a laser cutter as a printer, then - again, the fablab should have that, too. Yeah, 3d printers are cool, and all, but laser cutters are seriously underappreciated. I see printers getting used a lot where a cutter is actually the right tool for the job. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-an-absolute-beginner-what-do-i-need-to-start-3d-printing/984180/24 "2023-05-19T09:51:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You must have been early adopters. Most 3d printers nowadays are much cheaper than that, and all of the maintenance can be done by a hobbyist-level user. > > (and what units is that 12x12x12 print volume?) Yeah, that’s marginally less volume than my Snapmaker does, and it’s a combo laser-printer-cnc at a quarter of that price. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-an-absolute-beginner-what-do-i-need-to-start-3d-printing/984180/25 "2023-05-19T10:26:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yeah, 3d printers are cool, and all, but laser cutters are seriously underappreciated. Oh, laser cutters are totally awesome. I was talking to friends who have one. They bought it to cut wood to make puzzles. But they said, “and once you have the laser cutter, you realize there’s no reason to make plain toast when you can make toast with intricate patterns etched into the surface”. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-an-absolute-beginner-what-do-i-need-to-start-3d-printing/984180/26 "2023-05-19T11:07:07Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > (and what units is that 12x12x12 print volume?) Inches. And yes, we got these about 7 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-an-absolute-beginner-what-do-i-need-to-start-3d-printing/984180/27 "2023-05-20T00:17:44Z")
I’ve dabbled in 3d printing in sometime and went from a Monoprice MiniDelta that I modified to my present printer, a Bambulabs P1P. The P1p was roughly $700 USD. That is a lot of money but the impressive thing about it is that it just works; something I cannot say of any other printer I’ve used. The slicer software is easy to use and importing .stl files is easy. as others have mentioned, if you have a library or a maker space near you , go there and learn before you invest in one of your own and if they have classes I would recommend taking a few. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-an-absolute-beginner-what-do-i-need-to-start-3d-printing/984180.md?page=1)