Are you thinking about getting your first 3D printer, but you don't know where to start? Don't worry, I've got you covered. In this video, I'm going to go over some key factors for you to consider when you're choosing your very first 3D printer. My name's Jim and this is the Edge of Tech. The first thing we need to talk about is the budget. 3D printers can range anywhere from $100 all the way up to thousands and thousands of dollars. So it's really important to narrow down the budget that's right for you and the budget you feel comfortable with before starting this journey on finding a 3D printer. Once you get your budget in mind, that will really help you narrow down the printers you should be looking at. You don't want to be looking at a $1,500 or $2,000 printer if your budget is $300. So it definitely makes sense to start with your budget. There are great printers out there in all ranges of budgets, but it's important that you dial your budget in first before you proceed. Next, we want to consider the size of the printer. Do you have a space in your house or office that you can designate for a large printer like this? Or do you need something more compact like this because maybe you don't have that much space? It's very important to look at the dimensions of the printer while you're picking one out. Because if you don't have space for something like this, there's no reason to look at machines this big, right? That narrows your search down a little more. Now something like this one would pretty much fit anywhere because the footprint is very small. So that's something you really need to think about after you dial your budget in, make sure you have the space for the printer that you want to choose. Additionally, you want to consider the build volume of the printer you're looking at. Now the build volume is the maximum size that you can print on that printer. If you plan on printing larger objects, you're going to need a bigger machine, and that brings us back to the last thing we talked about if you have space for that big machine. For example, if you were to choose an Ender II Pro, great machine to start out with, maybe $170 US, very good machine to start out with. But this is the build surface it has in the red compared to an Ender III S1 Plus that has this full build surface. That is a huge difference. But if you're not printing large things all the time or you don't plan on printing large things, then this one's going to be just fine. If you're doing helmets, big things like that, you're probably going to want a big printer because you're going to need it. But if it's just miniatures and maybe a little pieces and parts for different things, most of the time, oops, then most of the time this little guy is going to be fine. So coming up, I have what in my opinion is the most important thing you need to consider when choosing your first 3D printer. But before we get there, if you're getting value from today's video, please smash that like button. And if you want to see more videos based around 3D printing, lasers, and CNC, hit that subscribe button now. Now let's get back to it. Next on the list is the software that controls the printer or the slicer we like to call it. Now many of the printers that you're going to look at buying will use all of the big slicers like Kira, Prusa slicer, Bamboo slicer, S3D, and more. But something else to consider is that some 3D printers out there use proprietary software that you have to use on their printer. And if that's something that you don't want to do, you need to think about that. Also, most of them will just use an SD card that you can slice a file, put it on the SD card, put it in the printer, and hit print. And you're good to go. But some of them allow wireless connectivity like the Bamboo Lab printers. I can slice in Bamboo Studio and send it right to my printers. No SD cards need it. Now that is a choice I make. And there's some people out there that prefer the SD card method. And many of the machines that don't come with a wireless feature standard could be upgraded with something called Octoprint to be made to use wireless. We're not going to go into that today, but it is a possibility to think about it. So if you're planning on using the most common slicers, Akira and Prusa slicer, most printers will use that, but just be warned. If you're looking at something obscure or very high-end, it may have its own slicer and you won't be able to use the generic ones. Also, if you want to use that wireless functionality right out of the box, that's something you need to think about as well and pick a printer that can do that right from the factory. Also, you want to consider the reliability and the durability of the printer. Read reviews from other videos. Research the company's track record of printers. Don't just take it from me, watch many different videos, look at many different reviews, jump on the Facebook groups, whatever you need to do to check out what people are saying about that printer. Now remember, when you jump on something like YouTube and type in whatever printer it is, there's probably going to be a ton of videos. We all make videos on the same printers because it's the printers we get, and we all get them. But all of our videos are different. We're all going to have different ideas on how to present the information, different information that's presented, and we're going to present them in different ways. So it's very valuable to check out many different videos on the same printer. In the description below, I've listed a few of my favorite channels to go check out for this kind of thing, and it's definitely worth a look. I would highly suggest you do that. Finally, this brings us to what, in my opinion, is the most important thing to consider while you're looking at a new 3D printer. It's the community, the community behind the printer, the community behind the manufacturer. You want to find something that has a large community behind it, because when you do, you have more people that have that printer, more people that could be having the same issues you are, more people that are sharing the successes on the printer you're looking for, and you'll get so much more information when you find these communities. And there are some printers and some manufacturers that just have enormous communities behind them. Now, you can find these groups on Facebook and Discord and all sorts of places, but Facebook and Discord are my favorite places to find actual groups. And this allows you to join those groups and ask questions before you buy that printer. See different fun projects that are being done with your printer and printers from the same brand. It is so cool when you can go out, find a group, and just look at everything that people have done. But don't forget, sometimes the people that are the loudest in those groups are the people that are having issues. Sounds like a lot of... Everybody voices their opinions when they're having issues or challenges with their printers or any machine electronic, whatever it is. And you'll see that a lot in the groups as well. But while that's very important to see what issues they are having, it's equally important to see all the successes that they're having, all the cool things they build because it really will drive your creativity and help you decide if you want to get that 3D printer or a different one based on what you see and the prints that are coming off those machines. So community community community is what I say. Find a community that's awesome for that printer you're looking for and jump into it head first and start doing your research. So with that being said, these are a few things that in my opinion are the most important things to consider when you're looking for your next 3D printer or your first 3D printer for that matter. I hope this video has been helpful and has given you a good starting point for you to start your search for your 3D printer. If you end up getting one, let me know in the comments what you got. I would love to hear what 3D printer you got and I'll do my best to respond to all of them. Also, if you haven't seen this video right here, it's another great video to help you along your 3D printing journey.