3D printers are super cool, but they usually take up a lot of space and are prohibitively expensive. But MakerBot is looking to change that.

The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based 3D printer maker this week began taking pre-orders for its smallest, most affordable model yet — the Replicator Mini(Opens in a new window). Priced at $1,375, the device is compact enough to fit on a small desk, and was designed for ease of use. It will be manufactured in Brooklyn, and is expected to begin shipping this spring.

“Reflecting on the future of our products, I imagine a lot of them will look like the MakerBot Replicator Mini,” Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, said in a statement(Opens in a new window). “We’ve been working hard for years to make 3D printing easy; now, with the MakerBot Replicator Mini, it is easy. We view the MakerBot Replicator Mini as a versatile and tidy 3D printer that can fit almost anywhere — up at the Space Station, at an elite institution, or in a preschool.”

The Replicator Mini runs MakerBot’s free desktop software, which lets you print, manage, and share 3D creations from a Mac or PC. It has a build volume of 75 cubic inches and prints at a 200-micron resolution, while the flagship MakerBot Replicator, priced at $2,899, has a 456-cubic-inch maximum build volume and can print at 100-micron resolution for larger, more realistic prototypes and models.

The Replicator Mini is optimized to print with MakerBot’s own PLA Filament material, which comes in more than 17 colors so you can get creative. The printer also lets you download 3D models from the company’s Thingverse.com(Opens in a new window) community, which boasts more than 200,000 digital designs.

MakerBot says the device is so simple to use that you’ll be able to start printing right away with “virtually no learning curve.” You can create your own things to print with the company’s Printshop tablet app(Opens in a new window), which is launching at the same time as the Replicator Mini, or you can buy collectible 3D models starting at $0.99 from the MakerBot Digital Store(Opens in a new window).

At this point, you can only send print files via the included USB cable, though MakerBot said that Wi-Fi support is “coming soon.”

The device also has an onboard camera, so you can monitor your prints while you’re away using the app, and easily share your creations to the Thingverse community and social media sites. The printer automatically takes reference photos of your final prints and saves them to your cloud storage library.

The new, user-friendly model comes after MakerBot late last year launched an initiative to put a 3D printer in every school in America. Teachers around the U.S. can visit the online charity site DonorsChoose.org(Opens in a new window) to request a MakerBot bundle, and those interested in supporting the program can choose which schools they want to fund.

For more on MakerBot, check out our virtual tour of the company’s 3D printer factory in Brooklyn in the slideshow above.