Deep down, I wish that everyone had a 3D printer and had the basic skills to enjoy having one. I’ve had a great experience with my printers (not perfect, but great nonetheless.) However, I’ve heard a lot of complaints and read plenty of forum posts where printer owners filled with rage and frustration are selling off their equipment, swearing off the hobby, and/or scheming physical harm to their machines. I guess that means my experience is not universal. 

While I wish everyone had a positive printing journey like I've had, if someone is going to end up having a truly terrible experience from printing, I’d rather them have no experience at all. That got me wondering "What makes the difference? Why do some people get gleefully obsessed with 3D printing after they start, while other people try it and just get...mad?" 

I don’t have a PhD in Printing Sociology(which is a thing I just made up) or expert credentials that qualify me to explain why this happens, but I do have some experience and opinions what might play into this. If you’re thinking about getting a printer for yourself or as a gift for someone else, then maybe these points will give some food for thought as you decide. And if you already feel like you're in a toxic relationship with a printer, maybe talking about it here can help shine some light on a frustration point or help adjust your perspective to make things less aggravating.

Overly-analytical disclaimer: I’m trying to keep this brief so these are general points. People and printers and the relationships they have are way more complex than a handful of bullet points There are exceptions to every case, but these should be decent indicators of what kind of experience someone can expect. Can you think of anything I left off? Add it to the discussion at the bottom or message me from the Contact page. 

• PATIENCE - In my opinion, this may be the most critical single factor in enjoying 3D printing. If unexpected issues or slow print speeds would cause you to lose your temper, that might be a long term problem. The amount of patience you have in the following circumstances will affect how you and your printer get along:
  • Slow / Long prints
  • Inexplicable random print failures
  • Learning curves, new vocabulary, 3D printing science
  • Trial and Error to improve results
  • Fixing minor mechnical issues (tightening belts, greasing rails, etc...
• EXPERIENCE - People who have watched a 3D printer in person (at a library, friend's house, office...) or studied the process on youtube seem to be more relaxed when they start using their own printer. Perhaps its because their expectations tend to be more realistic, or because having already seen a printer work makes them more confident that they can eventually make their own printer work. 
   
• SUPPORT - There are great resources and teachers online, but nothing beats having a real friend or family member with printing experience to discuss issues with. If someone tries to start printing without some form of assistance besides the included manual, they will probably either get overwhelmed trying to troubleshoot an issue, or hit the limits of their own knowledge pretty quickly. In either case, total independence will probably not lead to a positive experience. If you don't have printing mentors, find some online or join some groups and forums.
   
• TYPE OF INTEREST - Generally speaking, I believe people who are only interested in 3D prints seem to get more frustrated than people who are interested in 3D printers. This makes sense. If someone buys a machine because they were promised that it can manufacture miniatures, then every time a print fails they will feel let down. (And offering them advice that involves adding a step to their workflow can come across like a burdensome demand.) But if a person has a deep interest in how printers work, or with the big idea of making things at home, then that leaves room for mistakes in their printing experience as they grow, which makes the overall experience much more enjoyable. If you just want the highest quality 3D prints without the actual hassle of printing, you'll probably save money and heartache by using a third-party print service, or having a printer-obsessed friend do it for you. 
   
• PERSONALITY - I believe pretty much anyone can use and appreciate 3D printers, regardless of their personality (if their expectations are reasonable and they have support to help them.) That said, people who are natural tinkerers and love making or improving things, seem magnetically drawn to these machines and thrive with them. And people who approach problems analytically tend to be able to troubleshoot their printer issues and quirks more easily. Again, take this with a grain of salt. A super abstract, non-technical person can still work wonderfully with a printer, maybe by investing in a printer that has some extra convenience features, or by turning to forums or friends for help if they have issues. I would say the bare minimum skill level that a person needs is a decent level of comfort with computers. This is partly because the computer skills are helpful for slicing and printing, but also because it's a good test of patience. If a person loses their temper when a computer won't cooperate, that's just a taste of the rage a cranky 3D printer can stir within you. 
   
• COST - Retail 3D printers range from as low as $99 (for real, I’ve seen sales) up to $thousands. I don’t think it’s totally accurate to say that you get what you pay for, but I think there is a direct connection between the amount of money you pay for a printer, and the amount of work you will put in to assembling and maintaining it. A good $200 printer with $150 worth of DIY upgrades can outperform some $700 printers but it takes work, patience, time, and some skill. One key to being happy with the printer you buy is having the right expectations. If you want a super cheap printer, they’re easy to find, but don’t expect all the conveniences that are included on fancier models, and be prepared to get your hands dirty(metaphorically...usually...) to really get it tuned right.. And if you want a printer with every bell and whistle, you can get it, but it will cost you a lot more than the standard $200 entry models. If you expect your inexpensive barebones printer to run like a stallion out of the box, or if you feel ripped off because you bought more than you needed, every print (and especially every failure) will feel like a reminder of that feeling and feed a steady source of contempt for the machine. 
   
• COOLNESS - This is hard to quantify, and maybe just a variation of the INTEREST factor, but do you get excited about the thought of making things? Do you know of places where you can search for things to print? Do you know what kinds of things you want to print? If you don’t think some part of the process or result is cool and get excited about printing MORE of those little plastic things, then interest will probably fizzle over time.
   
• ENVIRONMENT - People take for granted that just because 3D printers are machines, they should do their job as long as the moving parts move and the heating parts heat. In actuality, the immediate environment the printer is in has a lot to do with it's result. Resin or FDM printers running in a cold garage will have adhesion issues. PLA filament left exposed to humid environments will get brittle and print poorly. I personally diagnosed issues I was having with FDM adhesion in a too-warm room in the summer because the air conditioner vent would periodically blow on the printer from across the room. The most convenient location for the printer can sometimes be the worst place for results. Balance that with the noise and heat they can generate. If you are sensitive to noise (FDM) or fumes(resin) and if your home/apartment doesn't have a good location for the printer, it may just become a nuisance in your life instead of a super-tool.
   
• LUCK - There's no denying that some people just have bad luck somewhere along their printing path. They seem to do everything right and still can't manage to get a decent print. The cause might be a machine with a busted component, or their kid might change a critical slicer setting when they're not looking, or some other seemingly inexplicable force might sabotage all their printing efforts. Most of these issues can be found and corrected, but there's no denying that sometimes things go bad and it feels like nothing makes them better. If enough of these happen, or if you make things a lot worse by trying to make them better, it can feel like 3D printing is not worth the trouble.

Like I said before, I wish everyone liked working with 3D printers, so I'm not trying to be negative by calling out the issues that new users deal with. I just want people to know what to expect so they will hopefully enjoy it more when they start. Hopefully this list can be helpful for anyone wondering whether getting a 3D printer will be a source of joy or misery. If someone is really excited about getting a printer, I don’t think any of these single factors is enough to declare that a person is “incompatible” with 3D printing. Buuuuuut, if enough factors add up, its probably worth it for that person to weigh out their own expectations, or research which printers have the best features to minimize their pain points. 

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Add them below or send them my way!