The Elegoo Jupiter 2 ($949) enters the growing class of large-format resin 3D printers with a focus on scale, automation, and a production-ready workflow. With a massive build volume, 16K resolution, and features like automatic bed leveling and integrated resin management, it aims to reduce the friction traditionally associated with printing at this size. Having recently reviewed Elegoo's excellent Mars 5 Ultra and the Saturn 4 Ultra 16K, I approached the Jupiter 2 with high expectations. In testing, it showed flashes of potential, delivering strong detail and making a compelling case for batch production when properly dialed in. But inconsistent automation, a confusing UI, and build quality that leans more plasticky than premium ultimately hold it back. Most people would be better off with the Editors' Choice-winning Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Max.

Unboxing and Setup: Secure Packaging

Elegoo gets the fundamentals right with the Jupiter 2’s packaging. The printer arrives well-secured, with a layered foam system that securely holds internal components in place during transit. Key parts like the build plate and resin vat are separately protected and immobilized within the chamber using dense foam blocks and additional cardboard bracing, minimizing the risk of shifting or damage.

This attention to detail translates into a reassuring unboxing experience, especially for a machine of this size and weight. Large-format resin printers can be particularly vulnerable to shipping issues, but the Jupiter 2 feels thoughtfully packed to withstand the journey. Nothing arrived loose, misaligned, or at risk.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

Elegoo includes the expected set of basic accessories to get started, covering safety, maintenance, and day-to-day workflow. In the box are disposable gloves and face masks for handling resin, along with a standard toolkit that includes both metal and plastic scrapers, a set of Allen keys, and replacement screws for routine adjustments. You'll also find workflow essentials like a filter funnel for pouring and cleaning resin, a USB flash drive preloaded with files and Elegoo's slicer software, a power adapter, and a user manual. It’s a familiar but complete package that ensures you have what you need to begin printing without immediately sourcing additional tools.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

Also included: a 4.4-pound (2-kilogram) external resin bottle and pump assembly that mounts to the rear of the machine, along with the necessary data cable and rubber transfer lines. An additional bottle is handy for transferring resin from smaller standard containers, allowing the system to automatically keep the large resin vat topped off during printing. This secondary bottle includes its own lid, barbed elbow fitting, internal pickup tube, and a set of labels for clearly marking resin types, a helpful touch for managing multiple materials. The bottle holder and pump assembly slide onto mounting tabs at the rear of the printer, with spring-loaded hose clamps securing the lines to the barbed connections below.

Elegoo sent us a bottle of its 8K water-washable Space Grey resin for testing.

Design: You Might Need a Bigger Bench

As a large-format resin printer, the Jupiter 2 has a fully enclosed chassis and a substantial footprint designed to support higher-volume output. With the rear-mounted resin bottle and pump assembly installed, the machine measures 18.3 by 20 by 25.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 63.7 pounds, reinforcing its position as a printer intended for a dedicated workspace rather than casual desktop use. But you'll actually need a lot more space than just the printer's footprint with its two access doors closed. These doors swing out to the left and right, not up and back like most large-format resin printer doors do. Working with these doors on a cluttered workbench is like sitting in the middle seat of an airplane and fighting for the armrest with the passengers on either side. 

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

The Jupiter 2 uses a 14-inch monochrome LCD with 16K resolution, delivering an XY resolution of approximately 20 by 26 microns across an 11.7-by-6.4-by-11.8-inch build volume. This combination enables detailed prints at scale, making the system suitable for both large single-piece models and full-plate batch production.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

The optical system pairs a chip-on-board (COB) light source with a Fresnel lens array to promote even light distribution across the entire build area. Print speeds are rated up to 2.8 inches (70mm) per hour, with support for fine layer heights down to 0.01mm, aligning the Jupiter 2 with other high-resolution printers in the large-format resin category, including the Photon M7 Max.

A key focus of the design is automated resin handling. The system supports both resin feeding and recycling through an external pump assembly, allowing material to be transferred into and out of the vat as needed in the left rear corner with a nozzle that cocks back out of the way when removing the resin tray. A heated resin tank is also integrated to help maintain consistent material conditions during operation. 

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

Wi-Fi connectivity and an integrated camera for remote monitoring round out a feature set that positions the Jupiter 2 as a large-format resin printer designed with both scale and workflow management in mind. A light (shown in the photo below) stays on during printing, allowing the unit to monitor for failed prints and take time-lapse photography of prints. A USB port for plugging in a memory stick to load files is on the right side of the machine.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

The unit has dual handles on the massive build plate, as well as a T-clamp that locks the build plate to the riser assembly with a solid and positive snap. But it lacks hooks or angled risers to let you take finished build plate prints and let them drip into a corner. Machines like the Photon M7 Max integrate hangers like this to help the resin drip away quickly prior to removing the build plate and eliminate the risk of dripping uncured resin on the machine or worktable.

The grab handles, as well as much of the build plate assembly, are covered with plastic, which gives the machine a less-than-premium feel.

The LCD touch screen is approximately 2 inches by 3.5 inches, and the text is easily viewable with buttons large enough to enter Wi-Fi passwords, for instance. The menus are relatively intuitive, with large icons directing you to where you want to go for things like homing the Z-axis, performing multiple timed exposures to help identify ideal times, and exposing the entire screen for a cleaning sheet. It also allows you to update the firmware.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

However, some of the icons are confusing. For example, the resin recycling icon made me think the machine was about to dispose of the resin somewhere, versus pump it back up into the tank above. To even access that function, you must find the Accessibility icon (which infers…access?), and then look for the pump controls. 

Software: A Work in Progress

Elegoo’s Satellite slicer software is the company’s attempt at a fully integrated resin printing platform, designed to handle everything from model preparation to support generation and slicing within a single interface. It includes features such as automated support generation, built-in model repair, and a guided workflow intended to streamline the process for both new and experienced users. The software also integrates closely with Elegoo’s hardware ecosystem, offering preconfigured resin profiles and connectivity options that align with the company’s broader push toward a more unified printing experience.

(Credit: Elegoo)

You can read more about it in my reviews of the Mars 5 Ultra and the Saturn Ultra 16k. In practice, Satellite feels like a first-generation effort that is still evolving. While the foundation is solid and the feature set is competitive, the interface and overall workflow lack the refinement and clarity of more established slicers like Chitubox and Lychee. I had to hunt and peck to find where I was supposed to change the layer heights or the exposure times, echoing the flaws of the UI on the touch screen of the machine.

Printing: Excellent Quality, But Cumbersome Bed Leveling

My very first print was a rook file that was preloaded on the printer when it arrived. I had a failed print at first because the part didn't adhere to the build plate. I went back, cleaned off the build plate, lightly scuffed the laser-etched surface with fine-grit sandpaper, and then wiped it down with isopropyl alcohol. I believe the protective sheet that covers the build plate during shipping leaves an adhesive residue that has caused a failed first print on each of the Elegoo machines I’ve tested. Once I put the build plate back and hit print a second time, I got the rook to print fine at 0.1mm resolution with a 30-second bottom-layer exposure and a 2.5-second layer exposure. 

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

Next, I ran the XP2 resin test tile at a layer height of 0.05mm with the same exposure times. It had good detail out to the extremes, with the pins and dowels printing out to the smallest and thinnest towers. The finish was even, with no visible warping or artifacts on the surface.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

The Amerilabs test print, also on the 0.050mm slicer setting, had good definition and precision down to the 0.1mm gaps and tabs, with good outputs on the tiniest of the “hair” towers.

Next, things went a little wonky. I decided to swing for the fences and fill up the build volume with a large Optimus Prime Autobot bust. But I was met with an error on the touch screen, shown below.  

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

I was given the choice of either stopping the print or something cryptic called Mandatory Printing. The printer offered no instructions on how to fix the error or what to do next, so after several retries, I hit Mandatory Printing and hoped for the best.

Under duress, Optimus printed out, and I thought I was good to go when I saw his supported structure lattice hanging from the giant build plate. I was wrong, though. The base of the print was nearly permanently etched to the surface of the build plate, having printed too closely to it. I had to chip away with a tiny razor and break the file free. When it did, the results were stunning, despite my hands and arms being covered in tiny gray flecks of uncured resin.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

I made several more prints, each with a nearly impossible-to-detach base layer that took at least 30 minutes to peel back to the fresh build plate surface without destroying the print itself.

Next up, a build plate of an entire droid army of miniatures.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

It was particularly satisfying as I could output the whole platoon in one shot. I could fill the plate with the soldiers and their supports from edge to edge, versus having to piece-meal them out five or six at a time on a smaller machine.

I wanted to test the finer detail limits, so I chose a 0.05mm layer height and printed this warrior angel.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

The detail in the wings is amazing. You can see the veins in the feathers and the striations in the muscles of the arms and legs, as well as the vent lines in the visor of the helmet. But again, I spent about 30 minutes peeling away a few millimeters at a time at the base, having chosen the Mandatory Printing option.

Things started to get worse from here. I attempted to print a large print of the Decepticon Megatron. I chose Mandatory Printing and walked away, only to come back and find that the print got 75% of the way through before falling apart. Moreover, the FEP film was damaged in one area and was no longer smooth across its entire surface. 

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

Still, the quality was good. Parts of the model, like the leg, were printed with more detail and smoothness than I had experienced from any other resin printer, aside from the considerably more expensive Formlabs Form 4.

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

Elegoo suggested that manual build-plate leveling would resolve the issues I experienced. I was instructed to remove the build plate, as well as the left and right plastic side wings, exposing two screws to the left and two screws to the right of the center clamp. It’s worth noting that one of the plastic guards on the build plate gantry simply fell off; its side plastic clamps are not very strong. With the screws exposed, the procedure—located in an obscure menu, several levels deep in the UI on the screen—had me turn or loosen each of the small screws until the force reading on the screen for each of them was within 10 Newtons of each other. 

(Credit: Michael Lydick)

I was able to get all four corners to within 2 Newtons when a Complete message appeared on the screen, and the build plate rose, having been manually leveled to the machine’s satisfaction. It’s worth noting that when you first enter this process, the instructions flash and disappear immediately, not returning until you touch a screw. It felt less like instructions and more like solving a puzzle. By this time, I had also damaged the FEP film while attempting to pull the failed prints out of the tray. Elegoo doesn’t include any extra sheets in case this happens, so I had to wait for a replacement to be shipped. 

In the meantime, I wanted to see how the quick-release FEP film system worked, and noted that the resin tray had side clamps that snapped down and away from the tray’s main body. I was excited by the prospect of not having to take a bunch of tiny screws off to get to the film and eagerly snapped the side wings away.

The FEP film frame dropped away, and then I realized that there were still plenty of tiny screws left to uninstall and reinstall, unlike the screwless Hoopat system with trays. The Jupiter 2 system gets you halfway to the Hoopat system, and you still need about 20 minutes and a small hex head key to replace the plate.