3D printing isn’t just about making things, no more than reading a novel is about getting to the last sentence in the book. It’s about learning, testing the limits of your creativity, finding new solutions to old problems, and participating in a rapidly changing and growing field of technology! Owning a 3D printer is like having a magic wand that, with just a few hours of prep, can create any (appropriately sized) item you can imagine.

The best part is, with high-quality guides available to anyone with an internet connection, you don’t have to worry about not being able to learn the basics, either. With only a couple of days of your time, it’s possible to learn the fundamentals of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. As for setting up the printer itself – it’s hard to find a popular entry-level unit without over a dozen “set up” tutorials widely available both in video and text.

You’ll quickly find that making useful tools like cell phone cases, credit card holders, and hinges is only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Folks have printed accurate scale models of the brain and heart, incredible artwork like three-dimensional maps of Tokyo, and even exact replicas of iconic landmarks.

3D printing will engage the most creative and inventive sides of your mind. Studies have found that connecting with a creative hobby can help reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as increase overall feelings of positivity and happiness. Not only is it a fun way to learn, but it’s also therapeutic.

So 3D printing can be an ingenious hobby that will expand the limits of your creativity and inventiveness. But it’s also a marketable and desirable skill. You’ll never regret expanding your breadth of knowledge. Learning how to use the previously mentioned CAD software alone would be a boon to any resume. But there’s also the ever-developing scope of the technology itself to consider.

Additive manufacturing finds use in medicine, science, construction, the automotive and engineering industries, and even space travel. Being intimately familiar with the equipment as only someone who owns a printer and regularly utilizes it can be will make you a more modern and capable individual. If nothing else, it’s another skill to set you apart from your growing competition in the 21st century.

Growth in the 3D printing market continues apace, even despite global challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic. By getting familiar with the technology now, you’ll be a step ahead of the rest of the world.

Research shows that allowing students to learn by actually carrying out tasks and putting their hands on physical items increase their ability to retain information relative to just reading alone. And it’s not just the process of setting up the printer, investigating the various CAD software, or the opportunity to let kids stimulate their creative side that can be educational.

You can print didactic models that illustrate concepts as complex as atoms and planets, as well as simpler things like puzzles and tools to encourage problem-solving skills. Creating a 3D model can help children grasp abstract concepts, in other words, and being able to take part in the manufacturing of the objects will help inspire additional learning and creativity.

Universities across the world are investing in 3D printers so students can work directly with the technology. If your kids already know the fundamentals of how to use the printer and operate popular CAD programs, they’ll be leagues ahead of the rest of their class by the time they get a chance to participate in higher education.

Additive manufacturing isn’t just efficient because it uses less material than traditional manufacturing methods, but also because it can help save on shipping costs and eliminate single-use waste such as packaging. By 3D printing an item you would have otherwise ordered online, you’ll save fuel on delivery, thereby reducing emissions and increasing the likelihood that your environmental impact is reduced. As an added bonus, you won’t have to wait days to receive your item in the mail.

You can even take it a step further by utilizing 3D printing filaments comprising waste plastics, and even recycle your own filament when possible. For the truly dedicated, there’s a plethora of exotic environmentally friendly materials to choose from, such as hemp, seaweed, soy, wood fiber, and even filaments made from oysters and coconuts!

There’s also the question of fuel use in the manufacturing process itself. 3D printers run off electricity, which can be generated from renewable sources. The usual process of creating a product en masse and delivering it to the end-user involves dozens of steps, whereas there’s just a few with a 3D printer involved.

If it’s not already obvious, the things you can do with a 3D printer are really exciting. Enthusiasts are creating their own action figures, chess boards, tabletop games, and even miniaturized machines of war like catapults and crossbows. It’s also quite easy to make Legos, fidget spinners, model trains and cars, or even fully articulating figurines.

For some users, researching the most cost efficient machines, investigating which free CAD software is the most popular and user friendly, and examining filaments is an exciting journey in itself. Learning new things stimulates your mind and releases endorphins that reward pleasure centers in your brain. It also instills a sense of confidence and accomplishment as a way to reward you for your hard work.

One of the best things you can do with a 3D printer is to invite your family and friends to join in on the hobby with you. Having someone help create a design and then see it come to life before their eyes is a great way to demonstrate exactly how useful and interesting the equipment can really be.

If you’re looking for inspiration and can’t think of anything practical, consider some of your other hobbies or interests for motivation. Favorite video games, television shows, or movies are great places to start. You can also think about your favorite cities or vacation spots. Creating an object inspired by the love of another passion or memory is a great way to begin.

Let’s consider a hypothetical situation. At a time when more people than ever are working from home, office chairs have become something of a necessity. What if the wheel on the bottom of your swivel mount breaks? You might be able to rig up a short term solution like a few books under the leg to keep it level – but why suffer?

It could take weeks to get a replacement directly from the manufacturer, and shipping delays have become all too common. Compare the grueling 15 or 20 days you might spend waiting on a lousy wheel to the few hours your 3D printer requires to produce a replica you mocked up in less than 30 minutes.

With the above in mind, it’s easy to understand why there’s a 3D printer onboard the International Space Station. Sometimes, it’s a lot easier to make the item yourself than blast a rocket into orbit because your screwdriver’s broken.

There’s also the raw cost of some niche items to consider. Shipping fees alone can triple the price of ordering a specific brass doorknob that matches the rest of the fixtures in your house. But with 3D printing, you can not only get the doorknob within hours, but you can also eliminate the unnecessary cost.

These days, it seems like people are always looking for a “side hustle.” While 3D printing can be educational, rewarding, and fun—it can also be a way to make some extra money. Plenty of people have even started booming businesses and transformed their hobby into a successful company.

Being able to design and print an object exactly to a buyer’s specification is a valuable service. Aside from taking custom orders, though, lots of hobbyist-turned-entrepreneurs are selling board games, children’s toys, statues of popular heroes or characters in pop culture (such as Groot or Baby Yoda), and more.

Learning the skills appropriate to monetize the profession can also be profitable all by itself. Teaching classes on 3D printing, making guides to sell online, and even creating and selling your original designs for popular items can all be other ways to make money with your printer.

Making money is also a way to expand your ability to engage in the hobby. You’d almost definitely want to invest in a more expensive, higher-quality printer and expand your list of available filaments if you were fulfilling orders for paying customers. Gone would be the guilt in spending what some might see as an excessive amount of money on a hobby if you could feasibly recoup your investment in a short time.

You might have asked yourself, “If I can get someone else to 3D print for me, do I need to invest in a printer myself?” But there’s a catch when you outsource the job to someone else. Aside from removing the educational, self-improvement, cost-saving, and most of the environmental benefits of having your own 3D printer, you’ve also lost the ability to control the quality of your product.

Even professional services can make mistakes during the printing phase of a project.

Having your own 3D printer will put you in charge of the process from beginning to end. A learned 3D printing hobbyist can avoid these mistakes just by adjusting the settings and keeping an eye on their gear. And in the cases where a mistake is made, it’s a learning experience rather than a headache of having to communicate with customer service and negotiate replacements and returns.

Most of us carry a certain amount of dread and anxiety when it comes time to plan birthdays and Christmas for our loved ones. It can be intimidating to try and sort through the millions of items being marketed to us daily and trying to find just the right one for someone that already seems to have so much.

Of course, there’s always the worry your loved one might already have the item you’re buying, too.

But if you make them something unique and original from your 3D printer, you won’t have to be concerned you’re giving them a duplicate. People are also more receptive to personalized gifts made specifically for them, too. It exemplifies a certain kind of understanding about someone to create an original item for them, and thoughtfulness always wins brownie points.

If you need some ideas to get your imagination jumpstarted, consider something on our list of Cool 3D Printed Gift Ideas.

Investing in any kind of technology can be intimidating – what if it quickly becomes obsolete or outdated? Fortunately, experts in the field tell us that 3D printing, while widespread, is still in its relative infancy. The speed with which the technology is being adopted by universities, hospitals, and engineers alone should tell us all we need to know. It’s only going to get bigger, more popular, and better.

3D printing has already transformed the world irrevocably into a time clearly split between before and after the technology was widely available. Much like the internet, things will continue to expand. So buying a 3D printer and learning how to use it will prevent you from falling behind and getting lost in the past.