Choosing Colours for Your 3D Print: Single, Multi-Colour and Painted

Colour is the first thing anyone notices about a print, and it is also the decision most people leave to the last minute. There are three very different ways to get colour onto a 3D printed object, and each one changes the look, the price and the timeline. Here is how to choose.

Option 1: a single filament colour

The simplest and most affordable route. The whole model is printed from one spool of coloured plastic, so the colour goes all the way through and never chips or fades from handling. Filament comes in hundreds of shades, and a few finishes deserve special mention:

• Standard PLA or PETG in flat colours: black, white, grey, red, blue, and so on. Clean and predictable.
• Marble: white or grey base with dark speckles that reads as stone. Our Warhammer 40K and Arthas book nooks use it for exactly that reason; see how marble filament works.
• Silk: a glossy, metallic-looking sheen that makes vases and ornaments look expensive.
• Matte: hides layer lines better than any other finish.
• Wood-fill, glow-in-the-dark, translucent: niche, but perfect for specific projects like lamps.

Single-colour is the best choice for vases, planters, organisers, phone stands, most book nooks and anything with a clean design. It is also the fastest to produce.

Option 2: multi-colour printing

Modern FDM printers can swap between several filaments while printing, so a model can come off the printer with a red body, black eyes and a white belly, with no painting at all. The colours are crisp, repeatable and durable, since they are solid plastic.

What it is good for:

• Logos, signs and lettering with two to four flat colours.
• Keychains, badges and merchandise in bulk.
• Toys and figurines with simple colour blocks.
• Lithophanes and panels with a coloured frame.

What it is not good for: gradients, skin tones, weathering or anything painterly. Each swap also costs time and a little wasted filament, so a model with many colour changes takes longer than the same model in one colour. The mechanics are explained in how multi-colour printing works.

Option 3: painting

Painting has no limits. A miniature can get realistic skin, a helmet can be weathered like it survived a battle, and a vase can be given a metallic patina. The print itself is usually made in a neutral grey or white so the primer and paint have a clean base.

The workflow is: sanding, priming, base coats, shading, highlights, and a protective varnish. It is slow and it is skilled work, which is why painted pieces cost more than the print alone. The full process is in sanding, priming and painting.

Painting is the right call for display figurines, cosplay armour, busts, dioramas and any piece where realism matters more than speed.

Comparing the three

	Single colour	Multi-colour print	Painted
Look	Clean, uniform	Flat colour blocks, crisp edges	Any finish, gradients, realism
Durability	Colour is solid through	Colour is solid through	Surface coat, protected by varnish
Relative cost	Lowest	Moderate	Highest
Time	Fastest	Longer, depends on swaps	Longest
Best for	Vases, organisers, book nooks	Logos, merch, simple toys	Figurines, cosplay, dioramas

How to describe the colour you want

A few habits make the order painless:

• Send a reference photo or a hex code (like #1E3A8A) rather than "dark blue".
• Say whether you want gloss, matte or silk. It changes the look more than the shade does.
• For multi-colour, mark which parts are which colour on a screenshot.
• For painted work, share a reference image of the style: clean and cartoony, or gritty and weathered.
• Remember that screen colours and plastic colours differ. Ask the studio to show a photo of the actual spool under daylight.

What Fantasy Lab 3D offers

Fantasy Lab 3D prints in a wide range of single-colour filaments including marble, silk and matte, produces multi-colour prints for signs and merch, and hand-paints figurines, helmets and dioramas on request. If you are not sure which route fits your model, send the file and a reference image, and we will recommend the option that gets the look you want at the most sensible price. The final cost depends on the size, the material and the finish you choose.

Ready to order?

Tell us what you are printing and the colours you have in mind through the contact form, and Fantasy Lab 3D will suggest single-colour, multi-colour or painted, with a quote for each if you like. You can also DM us on Instagram at @fantasylab3d.almaty.