12" i3v for first printer

[AbuMaia]

It's really something like veneered MDF or other hardboard material.

Huh, so that's why the wood shavings from when I drilled out my fan/light/power switch holes looked like paper.

[AbuMaia]

I painted mine with spray paint. But I'm in the flats of CO, so humidity isn't a worry.

[gmay3]

Wow 12"! I bet you could cook a pizza on that heat bed if you wanted to!

[printbus]

One thing to watch for is that some of the build guide for the 12-inch printer hasn't been fully updated. The section on adjusting the stepper drivers, for example, still reflects the trimpot process used with the RAMPS board. Rambo uses a digital/firmware adjustment, so a completely different procedure would apply, should adjustment of the stepper motor drive levels be required.

Early adopters of the 10-inch printer typically found their MEGA2560 & RAMPS to be preloaded with firmware for the 8-inch printer, not 10-inch. The changes to fix this were minor, but it was still a frustration for some when sides of initial large prints were arbitrarily missing. At least with the 12-inch printer, the use of a different electronics suite should help ensure the boards arrive preconfigured with the right firmware.

[JohnA136]

I run the XL LCD Display on my Kossel and the Full Graphical Display on my i3Prusa. Both give the same information but the Graphical is easier to read and I like that better. We use the Ramps 1.4 on my i3Prusa and all of the kits we build in our Seminars while my son's i3 Prusa uses a Ramps. He just wanted to see if that was any better/different but they both seem to work the same.

[WhiskeyTango]

All the reviews I've watched and read all point to Makerfarm as being one of the best kits you could ever buy. I have a 12" i3v on the way now and while it isn't my first 3D printer, it looks like it will far outshine my heavily-modified Printrbot Simple which has been my workhorse for the past year. I would think if you are at all handy with tools you'll be fine with it...I've been studying the online instructional videos and they look great, plus others here (Printbus particularly) have some great build tips/guides so it looks like you'd be in good hands.