Desktop 3D printer prices will rise

I think this is still the cheapest solution (edited for links):

If you are interested in building a repstrap to bootstrap the RepRap project, or are just looking for the quickest and most cost effective way to start 3D printing, you need a clonedel. For the uninitiated, it is a fork of the Prusa Mendel, optimized for easy casting and updated by the UW Solheim lab and Metrix Create:Space. This project is fully Open Source, and is designed to be both the fast track and the cheap track to 3D Printing.

http://wiki.metrixcreatespace.com/clonedel

http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_Mendel

Start designing in Inkscape:

http://inkscape.org/download/?lang=en