The new most funded project in Kickstarter history is not something I expected

Digital Trends

5 days ago

Popular crowd-funding site Kickstarter has crowned a new 'most funded project' in its history. And yes, it's a printer. I know, wild right?
The Eufy Make E1 has managed to raise a staggering $44 million from almost 17,000 backers at time of writing, and there are still three days of crowd funding to go. That's considerably more than the $500,000 goal it had set out to raise.
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The printer has wrestled back top spot from the non-tech, four novel series by author Brandon Sanderson project which amassed a hugely impressive $42 million of funding back in August 2024.
That book series absolutely blew the previous record holder out the water, as the Pebble Time (remember that) had held the most funded project title since December 2016, having raised just over $20 million.
What I didn't have on my 2025 bingo card was for a printer to be quite so gosh darn popular.
This must be a pretty good printer, right?
Well, you'll be pleased to know this isn't your run-of-the-mill inkjet printer. The Eufy Make E1 is a 'personal 3D-texture UV printer', and yes, I didn't have a clue what that meant at first either.
So what does that mean? Eufy says the Make E1 'is the first consumer-grade UV printer capable of printing 3D textures up to 5mm thick', noting that it's '90% smaller than conventional UV printers.'
The Make E1 can print on a wide range of surfaces, including metal, wood, fabric, canvas, leather, and acrylic, printing textures on these surfaces to give you a tactile feel to the finished product.
You can print directly on objects such as mugs and flasks, and the neat thing about UV printers is their ability to accurately reproduce millions of colors.
Now if you're thinking that sounds a bit much for printing out homework or the latest finance report, you'd be right. This isn't a printer which is designed for every home.
The Make E1 is aimed at creators and entrepreneurs, folks who run small businesses or want a side hustle selling unique prints, but its compact size means it can probably fit in your home if you're intrigued.
Eufy is an established technology brand as well, making a range of smart home products including robot vacuums, smart cameras, security systems and video doorbells.
Some things in the printer world don't change though. You'll still need to purchase ink cartridges (which are $42.99 for 100ml), with six colors required for the full gamut of options. That's $257.94 for a complete set of ink. If you're planning on printing a lot, the ink cost is going to quickly start adding up.
The Eufy Make E1 will currently set you back $1,899 and you've got until 6:57 AM PDT / 9:57 AM EDT on June 28 to place an order via Kickstarter.