A 3-D printer is not a printer in the sense that we think of printers – it doesn’t print on paper.
A 3-D printer creates an object that it copies from a 3-dimensional model that is fed to it in a digital format.
It does this by stacking thin layers of molten plastic up to recreate perfectly the object that it is copying.
When enough layers are built up, the copy emerges as an exact replica of the object you told the printer to copy.
A small 3-D printer can only make small objects,
but there are huge ones that can actually print out a reasonably sized house.
As with most machines of this type, the kind you buy will depend on what you need it to do.
Costs for 3-D Printers:
A few years ago, ownership of a 3-D printer was prohibited except for certain industries and businesses.
Today you can buy your own 3-D printer if you like, although there are still some things you are not allowed to replicate.
You can buy a 3-D printer for a few hundred dollars,
but before you buy one it is probably a good idea to find a place where you can go to learn how to use one.
They are not simple machines to use, in most cases,
and you may find that learning to use one is more difficult than you want to attempt.
Once you have learned how to use one,
then you can look at the various models and choose which one fits both your needs and your budget.
Do You Really Need to Buy One?
If you’ve looked at all the options and have decided that owning a 3-D Printer is not for you,
but you would still like to do some 3-D printing once in a while,
there are printing services out there that will do the job for you for a reasonable fee.
