I didn’t try many printers / software to commend you recommendt one but I can say that I have used creality CR-10S and had 0 problems with it. I use Cura software because it supports Linux but it works on windows too

I’m eyeing this https://www.prusa3d.com/product/original-prusa-mk4-2/ as my second printer

If you want something to just print without tinkering, the new Bamboos are what’s hot right now, but if you want to learn and tinker with 3D printing, I wholeheartedly recommend Prusa. I followed 3D printing for years before finally deciding to buy one and I got a Prusa MK3S+ early last year and it has been a workhorse. So much so that I just bought a 2nd one a few months ago. You can buy the kit for cheaper and put it together yourself and you’ll learn a lot about how they work. I’ve got tons of mods done to mine plus a printed enclosure for one and I’m working on the 2nd one. The main selling points for me is they are open source and Prusa the company and owner are really involved in the community.

They also run printables.com which is a huge repository of print files. Also Prusaslicer is their slicing software that works great. Lots of people use it even without Prusa printers. They can be finicky at times, but I think that’s all printers really. Good thing about Prusa is everything is replaceable or printable and aftermarket mods are plenty. (Revo nozzles especially if you like to switch nozzle sizes often). I just like how open they are and how heavily involved in the community they are. That means so much more to me than a “just works” printer. If you do go with Prusa, they just came out with the MK4 which has lots of improvements. I’m also planning on picking up the XL sometime when I have extra monies. Shoot me a DM if you want to chat about it.

For your first printer I would recommend getting something you can build from scratch if you have the time. You’ll learn about all the different parts of a printer so you have an idea of what to do when something goes wrong. Prusas are great in that aspect as they have wonderful documentation and assembly instructions and it’s easy to buy replacement parts if you need it, plus they’re pretty low-maintenance once built. In your price range I think the MK4 kit would be a good option, just keep in mind that assembly can take upwards of 10 hours depending on how fast you go.

However, if you want to buy something and just forget about it, one of Bambu Lab printers would probably be a better option. Their parts are more proprietary and you won’t get the same learning experience, but its dead simple to setup and use. (Not to mention incredibly fast).

Either way, you’ll be getting a solid printer that should last you for a while, so have fun and be sure to post here if you have any more questions!

I think something like an Ender 3 is sufficient for your use case.

I use a Prusa i3 MK3s+ and I love it, but Prusa printers are expensive and you can get more value from things like the Ender 3. If you want to go Prusa, you can get the Prusa mini.

Also, I’ve never had a problem with having my printer next to a window, maybe filaments degrade faster that way but I don’t really know.

I use Blender for making models, and PrusaSlicer for slicing those models to send to my printer.

I don’t think Blender is a good choice for 3d Printing but I just use it because I know it.

I highly recommend Prusaslicer though, and it works for a lot of non Prusa printers like the Ender 3.