The Return of Licensed Home 3D Printers?

Sales of 3D printers have been spiking, especially entry-level consumer models, according to a report from Context. It found that Q1 2026 revenues for global 3D printers grew 32%, fueled by the entry-level segment (machines priced at $2,500 or less) with growth of 54%. In fact, entry-level machines have become the largest market segment, at least for now, exceeding the industrial, midrange, and professional categories in total revenues. (Home use accounts for a portion, but not all, of the entry-level segment.) Overall, the industry has seen weak sales for the last two years, so these figures mark a turnaround. Looking ahead, Context expects growth in all four segments for the full year 2026, with entry-level varieties again leading the way. 

Licensing in the 3D printing space, meanwhile, has traditionally leaned toward digital models that allow home users to create their own products featuring licensed characters or brands, as well as customizable 3D-printed products that are ordered, printed, and delivered by mail. There have also been a handful of licensed 3D printers over the years, although it has been almost a decade since property owners were entering this category in earnest. 

Until last month, that is, when Elegoo paired with the Emoji brand for a special-edition consumer 3D printer priced at $389, with a positioning of fun, creativity, and self-expression. The co-branded printer was based on Elegoo’s Centauri Carbon 2 Combo model, with the property integrated into the device on the exterior design, in the user interface, and in printable model files. Emoji’s U.K. agent, Big Picture Licensing, was responsible for the deal.

Here is an reminder of what the licensed and branded 3D printer landscape looked like in its past iteration: 

• In 2014, musician-entrepreneur-designer Will.i.am partnered with Coca-Cola and 3D Systems for a Coca-Cola–branded Ekocycle Cube printer whose cartridges contained filament partially made from recycled plastic soda pop bottles. It could print objects of six inches in any direction, in black, white, red, or natural. Will.i.am was 3D Systems’ chief creative officer at the time. 
• Also in 2014, Hershey partnered with 3D Systems on a branded ChefJet Pro 3D food printer called the CocoJet that would allow consumers to make edible shaped objects from chocolate. The device was billed as the start of a multi-year deal between the two companies, but the partnership did not produce much beyond the CocoJet. While the printer featured Hershey branding and a kitchen-friendly interface, it remained a prototype machine used for demonstrating the technology at Hershey’s Chocolate World and at technology and consumer products conferences. 
• In another 2014 example, Dremel marketed a branded 3D printer, the Dremel 3D Idea Builder, promoted as the most user-friendly example on the market at the time. The device benefitted from a strategic partnership with Autodesk, which contributed print-ready 3D models and design tools. Dremel is a brand of tools used for making three-dimensional creations from a variety of materials, so a 3D printer was billed as the next step in the brand’s evolution.
• In 2016, Mattel partnered with Autodesk to produce a 3D printer focused on toys, jewelry, and other small objects under its Thingmaker brand. Like the Dremel example, Autodesk created the software (which could be used on other home 3D printers as well) while Mattel manufactured the hardware. The device was priced at $300, much below the average consumer 3D printer price tag at the time, and was meant for use by families to customize and print their own objects. 
• Again in 2016, Polaroid released a lower-cost 3D printer called the ModelSmart 250S for the U.S. and Canada. Polaroid was a relatively major player at the time, following the ModelSmart with four more machines (each differentiated by size, ease of use, and features such as dual-color printing) in 2018 and a PlaySmart 3D printer for the European market in 2019. It also had a line of Polaroid Play 3D pens. Environmental Business Products and Coretech Printer Group were the licensees.

None of these efforts remained on the market for long. In the past decade, however, device costs have come down significantly, ease of use and features have been on the rise, and Maker culture has continued to strengthen, especially since the pandemic, leading to the recent sales spike and the return of licensing to the category after a nearly decade-long break. Do these trends signal that now is the time for home 3D printers to re-establish themselves as a category for licensing? It will be interesting to see what develops.