The Best 3D Printer for Cosplay

The Best 3D Printer for Cosplay

Ian Mutuli
Updated on
Ian Mutuli

Ian Mutuli

Founder and Managing Editor of Archute. He is also a graduate architect from The University of Nairobi, Kenya.
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If you are a comic fan, you've undoubtedly heard of costume play, or better known as cosplay. It is dressing up as your favorite comic or sci-fi character.

Have you tried to purchase the costumes and found them to be rather expensive? We have good news now; you can make your own even if you are not an experienced designer. All you will need is a good printer that supports 3D creations.

Read on to learn which 3d printer you can get to create your best comic outfit easily. This article will discuss the top 5 printers in the market, their pros and cons, and the features you should consider when buying a 3D printer for cosplay.

Best 3D Printer for Cosplay

1. Best Overall: Dremel Digilab 3D20 3D Printer

Sale
Dremel Digilab 3D20 3D Printer, Idea Builder for...
  • Countless hours of high quality printing with the most reliable...
  • Quickly and easily make your 1st print out of the box with...
  • Far superior safety compared to competition with fully enclosed...
  • Compatible with brand new Dremel Digilab 3D Slicer based on cura,...
  • Accompanied by unparalleled local Dremel customer service support...

This Dremel Digilab 3D printer is ideal for printing all types of costumes and easy to be used by an amateur cosplayer or a professional cosplayer.

It comes as a preassembled printer that is ready for use out-of-the-box. It features a durable design with a fully-enclosed plastic housing to protect your work from dirt and even prevent children from accessing the printing space.

It has an SD card slot and a USB port so you can download or connect your printer to an electronic gadget such as your computer to feed it the designs you want to work on. Best for beginners, this printer features an easy-to-use 3.5-inch IPS display screen that lets you interact with the printer as it works and also allows you to modify settings for a more comfortable printing experience.

It also features a fan on the printhead that cools your printed parts faster. It comes with non-toxic plant-based PLA filament that guarantees stable, high-quality printing. It can also work with wood, stone, and metals since it has a printing temperature of 230 degrees.

The printer features a printing surface f 230 × 150 × 140 millimeters (LxWxH) and comes with the Dremel Slicer software, though it is also compatible with the Simplify3D software.

This Dremel printer is an ideal one to own if you are looking for an easy-to-use, visually appealing, and fast working 3d printer.

Pros:

  • Durable plastic housing
  • Easy to clean
  • Easy to use as it comes pre-installed
  • Works great with PLA or wood filament
  • An intuitive screen gives you control over how your printing will be done
  • Features slots for SD Card and USB do you can source for designs online
  • Fully-enclosed housing to protect your designs
  • Ideal for amateur cosplayers
  • 1-year warranty
  • UL-certified

Cons:

  • Lacks a heating bed, so you can't use it with ABS filaments.

2. Best for Children: Official Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer

Sale
Official Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer with Removable...
  • REMOVABLE BUILD SURFACE PLATE: Provide all-round protection to...
  • SAFE POWER SUPPLY: Ender 3 Pro comes with a branded power supply,...
  • RESUME PRINT FUNCTION: Ender 3 Pro can resume printing from the...
  • SEMI-ASSEMBLED KIT: This easy-to-setup kit comes partially...
  • WHAT YOU GET: Ceality Ender 3 Pro 3D pinrter, lifetime technical...

This is a fully open-source printer that is most ideal for amateurs and can even work well as a child's gift. It comes as a semi-assembled printer that will introduce your young one to the world of 3D printing and inspire creativity.

It is a black printer made with aluminum material and features slots for SD Card and USB to allow you to source for designs online or transfer them from your laptop so the printer can work on them. It also comes with a removable build surface plate as well as a UL-certified power supply that protects your printer from unexpected power surges.

This Creality printer also has a resume printing feature that allows it to resume printing from its last recorded position in case of power outages or if you decide to make new changes along the way. It has an excellent build volume of 220 x 220 x 250mm and features a magnetic bed. It also has a tight filament pathway that makes it compatible with different materials.

Pros:

  • Relatively affordable
  • Easy to assemble and start printing
  • Excellent build volume of 220 x 220 x 250mm
  • Comes in a compact design
  • Ideal for hobbyists and beginners
  • Features a power recovery mode
  • A tight filament pathway allows you to use different flexible materials
  • High-quality printing outcomes and upgradeable software

Cons:

  • Not everyone will love the magnetic bed
  • Difficult to level the print bed
  • You may encounter brittle filaments

3. Best for Cosplay Helmet: ANYCUBIC Mega S 3D Printing Machine

ANYCUBIC Mega S Upgrade FDM 3D Printer with Extruder...
  • WORKS OUT OF THE BOX: 3 steps to set up ANYCUBIC Mega S 3D...
  • UPGRADED EXTRUDER DESIGN: Titan extruder provides precise...
  • RESUME PRINT & SENSOR DETECTION: Mega S 3D Printer can resume...
  • ANYCUBIC ULTRABASE: Patented 3D printer printing platform surface...
  • MORE FUNCTION: ①ANYCUBIC MEGA S is an all-in-one frame 3D...

If you are a professional cosplay artist, nothing will work better for your helmets and gear than this 3D printer from the AnyCubic company.

It is one of the easiest-to-assemble 3D printers, only requiring three steps, and you'll be ready to start printing.

  1. Install its material rack
  2. Fix 8 screws
  3. Plug 3 wires

It works with a Fused Deposition Modeling(FDM) technology to offer very high precision and features an intuitive TFT touch screen to guarantee easy operation. It comes with a large print volume of 210mm x 210mm x 205mm to offer your more creative space.

It is designed with a metallic body frame that provides enough stability while you print. Its printing platform supports heating and is also coated with a patented microporous coating that makes it stronger and more stable to perform repeated tasks without losing any performance.

It is also equipped with a Titan Extruder that provides smooth filament feeding. And because it is not easy to jam, the high-grade titan extruder is compatible with flexible filament. This Mega S 3D printer also boasts a suspended filament rack made with oxidized metal to guarantee smooth filament feeding and better filament storage and workplace organization.

This 3D printer is ideal for professionals looking to make fantastic masks and helmets. It is also an ideal machine for any beginner looking to learn about 3D printing because it has a large build volume for more creative space.

Pros:

  • Easy to assemble
  • Large build volume for professional cosplay printing
  • Durable design using metal
  • Guaranteed high precision from the FDM technology
  • Encourages workplace organization with the suspended filament rack
  • Compatible with different filaments such as TPU, PLA, Wood, and ABS
  • Compatible with reliable slicer software such as Cura, Smplify3D, and Repetier-HOST
  • Supports memory card and cable connection
  • Printing speeds of between 20~100mm/s Layer resolution of 0.05-0.3mm
  • Different software input formats
  • Superb printer with an affordable price tag

Cons:

  • None

4. Best on a Tight Budget: Monoprice - 15365 Select Mini 3D Printer

Monoprice Select Mini 3D Printer v2 - White With Heated...
  • Support for All Filament Types: The heated build plate and wide...
  • Compact Desktop Design: Featuring a small footprint and basic,...
  • Ready to Print: Unlike most other low-cost 3D printers, this...
  • Sample Filament diameter- 1.75mm, Filament size spool/sample-...
  • Heated aluminum build plate nozzle cooling fan for printing all...

If you feel like Halloween will come too soon for your budget, you have the option of buying this affordable 3D printer from Monoprice, and it is a decision you won't regret.

It is a small mini printer you can use to make your favorite cosplay outfits and cosplay props. Also best for beginners, the printer comes fully assembled and with a free PLA filament sample. It has a port for your SD card and even comes with one that contains pre-loaded 3D printable models to practice with before making your designs.

It features a heated build plate that works on different extruder temperatures that allow the machine to work with all filament types. It also occupies very little space and features an open-frame design. It is also Wi-Fi compatible and comes with a USB port to allow you source for design online. Additionally, this 3D printer features a 3.7" IPS color screen that allows you to make adjustments as you see fit.

It is also compatible with slicer software such as Cura and Repetier.

Pros:

  • Best 3D printer on a budget
  • Features a main cooling fan plus a nozzle cooling fan
  • It can connect to Wi-Fi and has ports for a memory card and USB
  • Works with Windows and Mac so you can explore the internet finding preferred designs
  • Easy-to-use color screen
  • Fully assembled in the box
  • Heated build plate
  • Excellent print speeds
  • Print resolution of 100 - 300 Microns 120 x 120 x 120mm printer build size
  • Compatible with any filament
  • Manual leveling calibration

Cons:

  • Not ideal for professional cosplay artists

5. Best for All experience levels: Creality CR-10S Pro V2 3D Printer

Creality 3D Printer CR-10S Pro V2 with BL Touch...
  • BL TOUCH AUTO LEVELING: Matrix automatic bed leveling, quality...
  • 500W MEANWELL POWER SUPPLY: The CR-10S Pro V2 3d printer comes...
  • UPGRADED SILENT MAINBOARD:Creality 3D printer Cr 10s Pro v2 comes...
  • HIGH-QUALITY EXTRUSION MECHANISM: Upgraded gear extrusion...
  • CAPRICORN BOWDEN TUBING: Imported Capricorn PTFE tube with high...

This Creality CR 10s 3D printer comes with great features to support your learning curve and support your career in printing cosplay costumes. It is a sleek and stable printer that offers excellent printing precision. Its print bed heats up quickly to hasten your printing time and save performance. It comes in a compact design that doesn't require a lot of space.

It features two slots, for an SD Card and USB. It is also easy to assemble, requiring a few steps;

  1. Screwing in the gantry
  2. Plugging in a few wires

It comes with an automatic leveling calibration that uses the BL-Touch sensor to notice when the layers need uniformity. The 3D printer also needs a 480W power supply to get the components to work correctly. Unlike other printers, this Creality CR-10 features an imported blue Bowden Tube that makes the printing process smoother.

The printer also features an LCD touch screen that allows you to control how your printing goes. It also works with the Cura slicing software, also called the Creality Slicer for Creality brands, to give you three options to use depending on your experience level.

It is compatible with PLA, ABS, PETG and other flexible filaments. It is also compatible with Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux operating systems so that you can surf the internet for new designs. This printer is driven by Z-axis double screw rods to stabilize 300*300*400mm build volume for its durable design.

Pros:

  • Automatic leveling
  • Excellent V2.4.1 motherboard with updated TMC 2208 ultra-mute driver for noise-free operation
  • Powerful 480W Mean Well power supply
  • High-temperature resistant Bowden tubing
  • Improved filament runout sensor
  • Has a resume-print function
  • Comes with a dual gear intrusion for smooth filament feeding
  • Uses FDM technology
  • Easy to assemble
  • Made with aluminum for durability
  • SD Card, USB, Windows, Mac, and Linus compatible
  • Ideal for professional designers and cosplay enthusiasts

Cons:

  • Build plate view may keep disappearing
  • Sticky print bed
  • Quite costly

Factors to Evaluate Before Buying the Best 3D Printer for Cosplay

Buying a cosplay 3D printer is not an easy task, especially if you are new to the art of cosplay gear design or don't know what features and factors to look for. The following are the most vital features you want in 3D printer models to help you make the best prints.

1. Type of filament

Depending on what you want to print, you need to understand the different types of filament your preferred 3d printer supports. While you can find a printer that is only compatible with one filament, most options will work with two or more types of filaments.

There over a dozen types of filaments such as ABS, PLA, PET, PETT, Nylon, PVA, Wood, Metal, Sandstone, HIPS, Magnetic Iron, TPE, Carbon Fiber and more. The best 3D printers for cosplay can print at least three of these filaments, which allows you to get more creative with your cosplay designs, enabling you to make realistic costumes.

2. Build Volume

The best build volume depends on the type of printing you want to do. For instance, if you are new to printing 3D costumes, you could opt to start with a smaller printing capacity and expand as you master the art.

3. Ease of use

If you are new to cosplay costume printing or are a professional, you should get a printer that you can use without tedious assembly.

Also See: 3dprinters

Apart from the assembly, it is also good to get a printer that keeps track of basic information like remaining filament, temperature, and print speed to learn faster and estimate what you need for your entire project as a professional.

3D printers for cosplay that feature a Touch screen are also better than those without because the screen shows you print progress and allows you to control the settings.

4. Other essential features of a 3D printer for cosplay

The following are vital features in your best 3D printer for cosplay that will speed up your printing project and eradicate most printing errors.

  1. Quality of resolution
  2. An automated print bed
  3. Automatic leveling and adjustable temperature
  4. Filament diameter
  5. Number and location of fans
  6. Printing layer thickness
Ian Mutuli

About the author

Ian Mutuli

Founder and Managing Editor of Archute. He is also a graduate architect from The University of Nairobi, Kenya.
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