3D Printers now as cheap as laser printers were in 1985

Nat @ Radar writes –

Check out this perception altering post on the Ponoko blog. It really puts the current state of 3D printers in context: they’re now cheaper than laser printers were in 1985. It almost dares you to think of when you first saw a laser printer, and when your company first got one, and when you first owned one, and …. The implicit trajectory is irresistible. Open questions: how will the natures of design, commerce, distribution, manufacturing, and recycling cope with widespread mass distributed manufacturing? (PS, surfing the Ponoko site I found this awesome Nerd Brain Necklace)

When the The Apple LaserWriter first hit the mass market in 1985, the desktop publishing revolution was born. With a starting price of $6995 the unit weighed a hefty 77 lb (35kg) and was 11.5 x 18.5 x 16.2 inches the first desktop printer was not the lightweight, disposable peripheral printers have become today, in every classroom, business and home.