I was introduced to 3d printing through a work project where I was assigned to obtain a printer and evaluate the technology and it's uses in an academic library environment. I had an art background which made me the most likely candidate.

After several months of experimentation with a 3dSystems Cube 3rd Gen and various software packages for generating models, I decided to obtain a printer for my own uses at home and settled on a Printrbot Simple metal (silver).