Abstract

While the recent emergence of 3D printing services has empowered many to print by insulating users from the costs and detailed technical knowledge necessary to operate and maintain printers, newcomers encounter barriers to finding introductory 3D printing resources and barriers to successfully collaborate with printing practitioners. This paper explores how to overcome these barriers through an observational study of stakeholders (n=20) in two university 3D printing shops, and through a focused lab study investigating how to introduce newcomers individually to 3D printing (n=21). We adopt Olsons’ framework for remote collaborations, proposed in Distance Matters, to analyze sociotechnical requirements for initiating collaborations with 3D printing services. We found that newcomers often require prior guidance about 3D printing procedures and websites (process common ground) before establishing what to print (content common ground) in collaboration with 3D printing services. Finally, we discuss how computational systems may empower a future where Anyone Can Print.