Great discussion here! I work for Shapeways and can tell you a few things. Our printers are incredibly expensive and precise (many are over $500,000) and the majority of our products are built using powder and lasers, not filament like in a desktop printer. Our margins are also very thin, we literally do everything in our power to make 3DP as affordable as possible. The quality of our materials and the resolution we can achieve on the micron level is unparalleled by anything else in the 3D printing market.

Thanks for inquiring!