On Sat, 09 Dec 2017 04:22:28 -0500, Tom Gardner wrote:

I know nothing! Where is the place to start on 3-D printing? I called
some of my old friends in my old business and they said that they knew
nothing but had a whole bunch of projects that 3-D printing would
benefit. Things like simple representations of prototypes and such. I
need to make some parts for one of my wacky inventions. So, can I learn
enough and make a good purchase decision? I wouldn't mind having a
little desk-top business for a few clients that I know have a LOT of
money and do things by throwing it around.

I just went through this about a month ago from the basis of complete
ignorance. Curiosity was the primary motivator. Other that a couple of
doodads I didnt have any needs.

Considering only low end desk top printers:

The Creality CR-10 seems to have the best reviews. It is about $350 from
china with a coupon - like buying something from Harbor Freight.

The Wanhao duplicator seems to have a good reputation as a work horse. It
is about $300 from MicroCenter and elsewhere.

Going on down:

The Anet A8 is very popular. About $150 - $200. There are millions of
gimcracks to pimp up your printer (www.thingiverse.com)

I bought the Tronxy p802MA with automatic bed leveling (About $170)
because the two reviews I looked at said it was only good for spare
parts. Seemed appropriate for me. It is a kit. Everything was there.
The instructions, in retrospect, were adequate but sparse. It took a long
time to assemble and requires a good Erector Set background. It works
just fine although it took another day or so to figure out how to use it.
No actual problems other than numerous cockpit problems.

A bit of advice: Automatic bed leveling is a must! A heated bed is also
advisable.

Also, it takes forever (hours) to print something. I suppose that is
logical since you print at 0.004" per layer. There is no instant
gratification.

Good luck.