I don't play any more. But, I have an opinion or two to proffer.
A 3d printer nowadays is about as costly -- if not cheaper -- than a requisite set of minis. Given the draconian and regressive business models of major wargaming companies right now in the face of this development, which otherwise would open a universe of possibility for any forward-thinking game company with business sense that doesn't rely on copyright claim abuse, it would be open season for any gaming company with the investment capitol and ethics to seize on the proliferation of 3d printing.
The first gaming company that focuses primarily on rulebook publication, selling CAD files for at-home model printing, and/or print-on-demand retail, is going to revolutionize the industry and make a killing doing it.
I've seen this argument (valid, IMO, even if I personally dislike it) on the various minis-gaming forums I frequent.
The issue I take with it is that... as is, 3D-printing minis is essentially a hobby in and of itself (those among my old gaming group have six printers among themselves and they all consider printing an additional hobby or a hugely substantial phase of the minis-gaming hobby at the very least). While the cost side of things is gradually moving over towards savings (what with GW's aggressive pricing policies, the rising cost of white pewter, the inherently high cost of transferring to hard plastic tooling etc.), for a lot of people, myself included, a 3D printer isn't really worth the effort of investing into because of budget set aside for minis and accessories (I only buy in to two games one of which is relatively low model count and the other has a slow release cycle, so it is completely not worth the effort of buying a printer, spending the time to learn how to use it and spending the money for all the resources and excess, a pittance though it may be, but the shipping is likely going to be the dent in my wallet). The main thing is the time. I'm an adult, I have two jobs, other hobbies besides, and a rather small apartment (I'm led to believe printers generally give off at least a base level of unpleasant fumes and are noisy to boot). And though this is more particular to myself, I'm sure others will share my situation of being in a minis-gaming wilderness (the local community, hell, the national community is miniscule and literally no-one is interested in 3D printing, so I can't even rely on a local gamer printing on my behalf). Because of how much time is required to come to fully understand the ins and outs of 3D printing, coupled with the printing and cleaning processes, it's not an attractive option for those who want to have minis straight in hand to play because they've got barely enough time to game, much less print(/assemble) and paint.
As a counter to this, I am aware this state is improving for luddite users like myself (once we get to a state of 'push 'n print', I might be interested, I'm that technophobic) but because of the base cost involved in buying a printer and the risk we 'won't agree with it' and knowing better printers will be on the market in a couple years' time, it's not an appealing choice at present. That said, I believe FLGS's will maintain a role in the future as providers of a printing service (even if it isn't viable now, I believe it will be in the not too distant future) and being allowed to be more system agnostic given how GW shoves their product down most stores' throats and demands restrictions for the privilege.
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