If you pony up enough money for a 3-D printer at home (and that's not as much money as it used to be, as the newly released MakerBot Replicator proves), can you print whatever you like? The answer is that you can't--at least, not without some risk of infringing someone's copyright, as one 3-D printing fan found out last year when he created a CAD file that would allow a prop from the movie Super 8 to be printed via Shapeways. The shutdown of Megaupload underscores how sharp-toothed the argument about piracy has become, and 3-D printing is poised to be the next industry that gets intense oversight from corporate lawyers. The folks at Pirate Bay, home to countless torrents of every kind of media imaginable, intend to be at the cutting edge of that piracy discussion. They've announced that their site will host downloadable files for 3-D printed objects, a category they've named physibles. From the Pirate Bay site: "We believe that the next step in copying will be made from digital form into physical form. It will be physical objects. Or as we decided to call them: Physibles. Data objects that are able (and feasible) to become physical. We believe that things like three dimensional printers, scanners and such are just the first step. We believe that in the nearby future you will print your spare parts for your vehicles. You will download your sneakers within 20 years."

What companies like Audi and Adidas think about that idea could well shape the future of home-based 3-D printing. On the one hand, they may dive in and find it's a great way to keep and build their customer bases; or they may fob off the argument to their general counsels and government lobbyists and threaten would-be DIYers with lawsuits. Either way, it seems that 3-D printing will mean a major change for hobbyists, corporations, and attorneys. Which way do you think things will go? New business paradigms, or send it to the lawyers?

The MakerBot Replicator is small, powerful, and puts 3-D printing almost within the reach of casual users. There are single- and dual-extrusion models available (the dual-extrusion model gives you the opportunity to print in different colors or with different materials, at one time), and the MakerBot's makers have gone to great lengths to make the printer easy to use. For example, there's an SD Card slot as well as an LCD panel (no computer required to be attached) and a "video-game-style control pad." The machine's "build envelope" (the area where the printed object is printed) is about the size of a loaf of bread, so you can get some pretty big items printed. If you want to design your own printable objects, you'll need the right software and some level of graphic-design skills; but if you want something that someone else has already designed, you've got the world of Thingiverse at your disposal, with objects ranging from cat toys to walking robots. So how affordable is the MakerBot Replicator? Only $1,749 for the single-extruder model, $250 more for the double extruder; replacement ABS plastic (what Legos are made from, according to the MakerBot site) comes in one kilo spools that cost about $43.

Brother has slightly upgraded its HL-3070 color LED printer with the HL-3075CW, which isn't really faster or smaller, and doesn't offer any other options than the earlier (and now likely much cheaper) model. It's a single-function printer that offers wired and wireless networking and PictBridge support and not much else. That's not a complaint--single-function LED or laser printers can be office workhorses and can make life a lot easier when they're easily networkable. But it's interesting to see how some inkjet printers (such as the HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Plus) are eating into the laser-printing space with similar speeds and final quality. For more pros and cons of Brother's HL-3075CW color LED printer, read the Full Review.

There's a lot to like about HP's new OfficeJet Pro printer, the 8600 Plus. It's an all-in-one inkjet printer geared to small- and home-based offices, since it provides a lot of extras aimed at that audience, from wired and wireless networking to an add-on duplexer to a hefty automatic document feeder. But it's no slacker when it comes to speed, either, with print speeds rivaling those of some laser and LED printers. Speed is great--but it's meaningless if quality is not up to par. Fortunately, you'll find that quality isn't an issue here either. All in all, a best buy recommendation. Read more in the Full Review of the HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Plus All-in-One Printer.