this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2023
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Before you take the plunge, do some research and consider what you will be printing for most often.
This is an overgeneralization but there are two main types of printing methods-- vat polymerization and material extrusion.
The set up pictured in this post is VP. It uses light and mirrors to cure resin layer by layer. I think the main advantage to this method is fine detail and less post production polish. The main disadvantage is, unless you have a lot of money, you have a smaller printing space. Excellent method for artistic works such as miniatures.
The other way is basically pushing a plastic wire through a hot nozzle layer by layer. The main advantage is that it's faster, cheaper, and offers more printing space at entry level prices. The disadvantage is that the lines will be quite apparent and will require more post processing work for a clean look. Really good for rapid prototyping and functional prints.
Although it is a helpful skill to have, you don't need to know how to make 3d models. There's a ton of free models for just about anything you can think of.