If you're really on a budget, you might also want to consider leasing. You can get them as cheap as $300/month, roughly.<p>5 figures is right, but low five figures. A uPrint starts at $14,500. However, for really low cost stuff, check out a company called M-Cor. They're not available here yet, but coming soon. They print with regular A2 printer paper and glue, and you end up with a material that's comparable to wood. If I remember right, the machine is $30k, but you're talking a dollar or two per part.