Getting Started with 3D Printing

A practical, project-oriented guide from the Make: community that gets you printing quickly. Liza Wallach Kloski and Nick Kloski are the cofounders of HoneyPoint3D, and they bring a hands-on teaching style shaped by years of helping complete beginners discover the maker world.

Why This One

Where “3D Printing For Dummies” gives you the full encyclopedia, this book gives you the fast track. At 219 pages, it is focused and efficient. The Kloskis understand that most people buying their first 3D printer want to make things, not read about the history of additive manufacturing. The book gets you from setup to finished prints with minimal detours.

The Make: series has a reputation for clear, accessible technical writing, and this book lives up to it. It covers the essential hardware decisions (which printer to buy, what materials to start with), walks through the software workflow (from downloading models to slicing), and includes enough projects to build real confidence.

This is also a strong pick if you are interested in the broader maker ecosystem. The Kloskis connect 3D printing to other making disciplines and show how it fits into a creative practice rather than treating it as an isolated skill.

What to Expect

A quick, encouraging read that prioritizes doing over theory. You will not get the same depth of troubleshooting advice as in Horne’s book, but you will get printing faster. The writing is warm and assumes no technical background. A good choice if you learn by doing and prefer to pick up details as you go.