I am considering using a single motor, probably servo and two ballscrews/pulleys on the X (longer) axis. Before I go ahead, it has been mentioned on another thread that there is a preference for putting the pulleys at the back.
I suppose it depends what you call the front or the back as you could operate the machine from the side. I don't see any difference where you mount the motor. Depending on the layout it could be mounted underneath the machine.