A BUYER’S GUIDE TO 3D PRINTERS

From on-screen to in-hand

3D printing machines are falling in price and rising in quality, which means that this mode of printing will dominate in 2015.

Among favored models is the European-made Zortrax, which comes with a $2,000 price tag and produces quality prints, though it may lack certain features of others. The Cubify Sense is a scanner that allows users to capture and load 3D images of family and friends directly onto their computer, although for printing smaller objects the turntable scanner Digitizer is suggested.

The $3,299 Form 1+ is a cool resin printer using special fluid that hardens under laser light, producing high-resolution solid objects that closely approach the quality of injected-molded parts.

A more affordable option also preferable for beginners is the dependable Solidoodle Press, ringing up at $499. Makerbot, one of the most high-tech and easy-to-use names in 3D printing, connects to the brand’s Thingiverse, with its fifth generation model costing $2,899.