3D Printer for Artists

[Feign]

I work with some of the older 3D Systems machines on a local campus, and helped my friend build a RepRap Mendel. I personally haven't bought a printer for myself, but I've got a pledge in for a MOD-T and a Peachy Printer (and I have the kind of patience needed to not complain about realistic delivery times).

For $2500 you're in the portion of the market currently dominated by the Form 1 and the Makerbot Replicator. Pretty much either an extremely solid and professional machine or a decent number of gimmics is what you need to distinguish yourself enough to break into that market.

Or a big print area... People love to brag about size, yanno.

EDIT: more seriously, surface quality is orders of magnitude more important to most artists than full color, as most artists would be more comfortable with a part that they must paint by hand than most consumers.