As 3D printers morph from workshop machines to desktop tools, many are taking on forms that mimic the sleek laptops and other devices that already have a home on the average desk. The Form 1+, which was released in June by Cambridge startup Formlabs, is one of the most beautiful printers ever built. It’s also one of the most functional and reliable, and over three weeks of testing I found it to be a great choice for an advanced consumer 3D printer.

The $3,299 Form 1+ is the successor to Formlabs’ first printer, the Form 1, and actually doesn’t look very different. But it is designed to print up to 50 percent faster than the Form 1 with a laser that is four times more powerful.

The Form 1+. Photo by Signe Brewster.

What’s a laser doing in a 3D printer? Well, the Form 1+ isn’t the same type of printer as a…