ELEGOO has set up shop at New York Comic Con with a printer dressed for the occasion and two machines it isn't naming yet. In a press release distributed through PR Newswire on October 9, the Shenzhen-based company said it is showing the ELEGOO x emoji edition of its Centauri Carbon 2 Combo at Booth 3161 in the Javits Center. It is also giving show-goers a first look at a new resin 3D printer and what it calls a "secret product in a new category." ELEGOO describes both as global debuts at NYCC, which runs October 8 through 11.
That's the whole announcement. Nobody has put a name, a spec sheet, a price or a ship date on either new machine. For now this is a teaser campaign staged on a convention floor, and makers should read it that way.
A Printer in Costume
The machine in the booth's spotlight isn't new hardware. VoxelMatters notes that the emoji-themed Centauri Carbon 2 Combo launched this past summer. NYCC is a second stage for a product that is already out, put in front of an audience that ELEGOO evidently sees as a natural fit.
According to the press release, the emoji edition is a co-branded, full-system design. The body is finished in silver-white with emoji textures. The package comes in gift-style packaging, the interface is emoji-themed, and the build plate has an emoji pattern. ELEGOO pairs it with a 17-color emoji PLA collection, so the filament matches the theme too.
The release describes these as design and branding elements and makes no claim about changes to how the printer extrudes plastic. What it does show is a direction that has become common in consumer printing: the printer sold as a lifestyle object as much as a tool. Whether an emoji-patterned build plate appeals to you is a matter of taste.
Why Comic Con
Fan conventions and desktop 3D printing have long overlapped. VoxelMatters framed ELEGOO's appearance in those terms, noting that the technology has had a place in cosplay since the early days of desktop printing, from armor to prop weapons, and describing the booth as aimed at cosplayers. The company is running live printing demos and a brand gift draw for visitors, including a draw to win the emoji-themed printer, and the release adds that visitors can meet popular cosplayers.
Kevin Wang, ELEGOO's co-founder and vice president, put the company's case this way in the release: "Fandom has always been about making ideas personal and tangible." That's marketing language, but it sums up the strategy. The release says ELEGOO aims to present 3D printing "not simply as a technical tool, but as an accessible creative medium for fans, cosplayers and makers." The audience is different from a maker-focused trade show: according to the company, many visitors were experiencing 3D printing for the first time.
The company's own day-one recap supports that reading. Per the release, many visitors were surprised that a capable printer costs around $300 to $400. VoxelMatters reports a similar reaction, with visitors surprised that a good desktop printer is available for under $500, and notes that the Centauri Carbon 2 Combo with four-color printing currently retails for $399. That says more about the audience than the product. To people who follow the hobby, sub-$500 machines that print well out of the box are old news. To a general fan crowd, the idea apparently still seems new. Visitors also asked about ease of use, footprint and whether a printer could fit in an apartment.
We'd add one caution. The $300-to-$400 figure in the release describes what visitors were surprised to learn about printer pricing in general. It is not an official price for the emoji edition, and ELEGOO's announcement does not list one. Check the current price with retailers before you treat any number as definitive.
The Two Unnamed Machines
The more interesting part of the news is what ELEGOO didn't explain. The release promises a first look at a new resin printer, and says the new machines "expand ELEGOO's portfolio into new possibilities for creators seeking true-to-life replica of their favorite characters but with less efforts." Resin printing is commonly used for fine-detail miniatures and figure work, and a convention full of fans and collectors is a sensible place to show one. The release also says there was strong interest in ELEGOO's upcoming machines on day one.
Beyond that, we know nothing: no name, no resolution, no build volume, no light source, no price, no release window. Anyone hoping to judge whether it is an incremental update or a new platform will have to wait for a formal launch.
The "secret product in a new category" is even less defined. ELEGOO hasn't said what the category is, and we won't guess. Until ELEGOO puts specifications on the record, it's a teaser and nothing more.
The Company Behind the Booth
The release gives some context on scale. ELEGOO says it was founded in 2015, is based in Shenzhen, and had total sales revenue above 300 million US dollars in 2025. It also says it has more than 1,000 employees and has sold millions of products in more than 100 countries and regions. Those are company figures, not independently audited data, and the company lists consumer 3D printers alongside laser engravers and STEM kits in its business.
What It Means for Makers
If you're shopping for a printer this week, the NYCC news changes little. The emoji Centauri Carbon 2 Combo is a themed edition of a machine that launched this past summer. If you like the look, the matching 17-color PLA set and the patterned build plate are the reasons to pick it over a standard unit. Neither affects print quality as far as anything ELEGOO has published shows.
If you print miniatures or fine-detail parts, the resin teaser deserves a bookmark, not a pre-order. ELEGOO has said only that the machine exists and was shown at the convention. Wait for real specifications and independent reviews before you plan around it.
The broader takeaway is about where the company is aiming. ELEGOO is pitching to fan communities as much as to engineering forums, and it is shaping products, colorways and marketing to match. For established makers, that may mean more themed editions and more emphasis on ease of use. For newcomers, it suggests the barrier to printing that first helmet or prop is lower than many assumed, which is what ELEGOO says its booth visitors found out.
We'll cover the new resin printer and the mystery product once ELEGOO publishes names and specifications.
