I'd look at something used off Facebook first.

by ReginaldVelJohnson , Thursday, June 04, 2026, 17:10 (4 days ago) @ okerland

And I'd stick with either Prusa or Bambu. If you can find a Prusa MK3s or better, or a Bambu A1 (full size) for under $200 that would be a solid starter printer with a full size bed. Otherwise I'd look at something like a Bambu A1 mini, which you can get for under $250 new. Prusa is better for people who like to tinker, Bambu is more "set it and forget it".

There's a lot of angst out there about Bambu and their business practices w/r/t open source, etc. But if you're just looking to print stuff, it's a good choice. And getting something small/cheap is the way to go to see if he likes it. Then you can get into larger/faster printers, often with multicolor support (though some, like the A1, will allow you to add multicolor support later).