3D printer revolution? Prusa ColorMix offers new possibilities for color printing

3D printing in multiple colors is now possible even with relatively affordable devices without having to change individual filaments manually. If only one print head is used, however, cutting the filament and therefore generating waste is unavoidable. Users are also naturally limited to the colors they have available as filament. Prusa ColorMix, a new system released under the MIT license, has now been introduced and could significantly simplify multicolor printing in terms of material requirements.

The basic principle does not fundamentally differ from conventional two-dimensional color printing. The human eye has limited resolving power, so differently colored dots effectively blur into a mixed color. However, Prusa ColorMix does not alternate the dots across the surface but in depth. The layers stacked on top of each other then form the mixed color. There are limitations. For example, the mixing ratio cannot be freely selected, and the number of colors that can be produced this way is also limited. According to Prusa, the workflow itself has been significantly simplified, with the corresponding settings available directly in PrusaSlicer and EasyPrint.

A CMYKW set is also in development, which could lead to more reproducible results. Optimal results should only be expected if the source filaments match the same shade across batches, not just the same basic color. The integrated color mixing model is intended to predict which color will actually be produced in a print. In such cases, a monitor that is not necessarily calibrated but at least reasonably color-accurate could become relevant. Prusa’s blog post is also recommended beyond the announcement itself, as it discusses various color mixing models and the insights gained during development.