It’s funny that you describe printing as additive, because when we’re talking about color, it’s subtractive - printing on paper is all about pigments removing the colors you don’t want to see
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I would say thermal printing is a modified version of additive. You are applying heat to surface to create a change of state on the material. It’s not removing material. It’s still not a subtractive. process, so yes. A printer.
One of the reasons I even talk about this and like to remind people exactly what a SUBTRACTIVE process does, is that I used to teach at Gnomon, and Otis and I have used lathes, mills, cnc mills, routers, cnc routers, table saws, dremels, and all sorts of subtractive process machines to create ALL sorts of things for movies, TV, and a whole lot of other things.
I would not consider ANY of those other machines printers in any way either.
Laser cutters and ALL of the other machines I named REMOVE material to leave behind what users want. Cutters, blades, bits, sandpaper…they are ALL versions of tools that separate small amounts of material from the larger block of material.
A question I used to ask my students was “Would you consider a chisel in an artist’s hand being used against marble a printer?”
…because that’s what’s happening on a microscopic level when you are using a laser cutter.
So…Not a printer. It’s technically a micro sculptor / shaper.
I’ve used micro shaping or molecular sculpting to describe laser cutters in the past…
How about making your costume into a controller for Dark Forces?
Laser cutters at fairly low power settings on most materials doesn’t remove material, just changes state. For example my 40W laser on wood at around 10% power isn’t removing wood as far as I can tell.
Firing it at anodized aluminum even at 100% isn’t removing the aluminum, but it changes the color.
Firing at at slate (stone) doesn’t remove anything either, but does change the color.
As an aside, it requires a surprising amount of power to actually cut cardboard (I prototype designs on cardboard sometimes, it is a fair bit cheaper then wood, and immensely cheaper then acrylic).
I tend to actually cut more then do any of those things, but I have done those form time to time. So I guess I “print” on slate, and cut wood (or at low power maybe I print on the wood too…). I tend to say “engrave” or “cut” though, but I assume “print” would not be totally inappropriate for some uses.
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I just used white glue to affix the sides and the acrylic top. The glue was clear enough for me when it dried. And you are right, there’s no bottom. I wanted easy access to the USB ports (to plug a mouse, keyboard, USB joystick when needed, and to the microSD card.) Please feel free to ask any other questions. I’d love to see you make this and am happy to help.
I don’t own a glowforge but my workplace has a commercial 60W laser cutter/engraver that I have access to. I was curious of the wood and acrylic used. The acrylic looks like 1/8"? What type/thickness of wood?
removing…or adding voids? 
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A glowforge (and other 30W to 40W) laser cutters are going to all be cutting 1/8" or thinner. Some of this is available power, but some of it is also how the focus works (and thus might apply to a 60W cutter as well, depending on how yours works…I think fiber laser cutters have a much wider focus range).
NOTE: my experience is with Full Spectrum Laser devices, and Epilog devices. If the glowforge can cut wood (or plexiglass!) significantly deeper then 1/8", please glow forge owners educate me!
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