Single-color 3D prints are so passé. Colorize your prints with rainbow PLA and read on to learn about the best brands!
Single-color prints can get a little boring after a while, and using a multi-color setup is expensive and complicated. Printing with multicolor filaments can be a great way to color up your 3D prints without having to switch spools or create separate models as you would for dual-extrusion printing.
There are many types of multicolor filaments. Rainbow ones include a full range of colors and, sometimes, multiple hues of the same colors. There are also bicolor and tricolor filaments. You can even find filaments that are two colors at once or that change colors based on exposure to UV rays or temperature changes.
Printing with multicolor filaments does have some drawbacks, however. Color changes are somewhat gradual, and the distance between them isn’t exact. If you’re trying to print models with color changes at specific points, you’re out of luck, but for an easy way to make parts in multiple colors, rainbow filament is the most straightforward option. There aren’t many printing considerations specific to it, and for the most part, it prints like regular PLA. So, here are our favorite multicolor filament brands!
Sunlu
Sunlu is a popular 3D printing company that makes a wide array of filaments and printer parts. Changing through the full spectrum of the rainbow every 15 meters or so, its multicolor PLA filaments are truly a rainbow. The first color on the spool, however, is random.
According to the manufacturer, the filament doesn’t bubble, clog, or jam. Additionally, it has a great diameter tolerance of just 0.02 mm. There are options for standard PLA, silk PLA, and silk PLA+.
An Amazon reviewer found that the filament sticks to the bed very well, and a review on Sunlu said the filament takes a long time between color changes, but it looks great for large prints.
- Average price/kg: $23-$30
- Color change distance: 15-18 m
- Size: 1.75 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.02 mm
- Color options: Various rainbow options
- Nozzle temperature: 190-230 °C
- Bed temperature: 0-80 °C
- Print speed: 50-100 mm/s (30-60 mm/s for PLA+)
XVICO
XVICO is a Chinese brand that offers a variety of products and services, including 3D printers, parts, and a 3D printing cloud platform. Its rainbow filament touts gradient color changes every 20 to 30 meters or so; it cycles through seven different hues to produce a vibrant rainbow.
The filament has a 0.02 mm tolerance, which is surprisingly good for such an affordable price. A confirmed customer commented that this filament yields a glossy finish, but isn’t as shiny as silk filaments. Another reviewer claims that this filament doesn’t have frequent enough color changes, and most prints are still single-colored.
- Average price/kg: ~$28
- Color change distance: 20-30 m
- Size: 1.75 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.02 mm
- Color option: Rainbow
- Nozzle temperature: 180-240 °C
- Bed temperature: 0-80 °C
- Print speed: 50-100 mm/s
TTYT3D
TTYT3D is another brand that produces five types of rainbow filament in shiny silk PLA. One rainbow option boasts a particularly fast color gradient change that’s drawn praise from makers on forums such as Reddit.
According to the manufacturer, the color of these filaments changes every 5-10 meters, with the fast-change filament reducing this to 3-5 meters. In addition to its color-change characteristics, the manufacturer mentions that this filament is eco-friendly and compatible with most FDM printers. It shouldn’t clog your printer’s nozzle nor warp on the print bed.
- Average price/kg: $30-$40
- Color change distance: 5-10 meters
- Size: 1.75 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.05 mm
- Color options: Various rainbow options, blue-purple, orange-red, yellow-green
- Nozzle temperature: 190-230 °C
- Bed temperature: 0-80 °C
- Print speed: Not specified
Eryone
In addition to 3D printers, accessories, and resins, Eryone makes a variety of PLA, PETG, and TPU filaments. Their multicolor filaments include five different rainbow options, including traditional bright rainbows and the more muted steampunk and lagoon.
As these filaments are silk PLA, they yield a gleaming and partially translucent finish. The starting color on each spool is random, and Eryone states that the filament is non-toxic and made from 100% organic material.
- Average price/kg: ~$33
- Color change distance: 10 m (rainbow), 13-15 m (steampunk, lagoon)
- Size: 1.75 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.05 mm
- Color options: Various rainbow options, steampunk, lagoon
- Nozzle temperature: 190-220 °C
- Bed temperature: 55-70 °C
- Print speed: 30-60 mm/s
eSun
eSun’s rainbow PLA is a silk filament that yields a shiny and glossy luster. Changing from green to yellow to brown in gradient color shifts, the filament is more tricolor than a true rainbow.
According to the manufacturer, their filament is very tough and has good mechanical properties. It’s also non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and has little odor. During printing, eSun says the filament doesn’t tangle or clog, and it shouldn’t warp on the print bed.
- Average price/kg: ~$26
- Color change distance: Not specified
- Size: 1.75 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.05 mm
- Color option: Tricolor (green-yellow-brown)
- Nozzle temperature: 185-220 °C
- Bed temperature: 45-60 °C
- Print speed: 40-100 mm/s
Amolen
Amolen is a neat brand of filament that offers many specialty materials, such as glow-in-the-dark and color-changing filaments. In its Silk & Shiny range, Amolen offers several gradient and rainbow options, all of which are shiny and lustrous.
Amolen’s filaments have a great tolerance of just 0.03 mm. According to the manufacturer, the raw plastic used to create the filament is high quality, eco-friendly, and sourced from the US. Amolen also points out that the filament doesn’t bubble, jam, or warp when printed.
- Average price/kg: ~$36
- Color change distance: 5-15 m
- Size: 1.75 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.03 mm
- Color options: 11 rainbow and gradient variations
- Nozzle temperature: 190-220 °C
- Bed temperature: 0-50 °C
- Print speed: 30-60 mm/s
Flashforge
Flashforge is a popular manufacturer of 3D printers, such as the Flashforge Creator Pro, and it also manufactures its own brand of filament. Flashforge’s PLA rainbow filament comes in both a regular and a silk version, with the latter yielding shinier prints.
Besides the shine, though, the two variations of rainbow PLA also vary in their colors. While the regular PLA version alters between red, orange, blue, and green, the silk rainbow PLA spool has more gradual color changes. In fact, some reviewers have mentioned that the color changes happen over too long a span of time.
Still, both filaments excel when it comes to their diameter accuracy, with a tolerance of just 0.02 mm. Additionally, there are many customer reviews mentioning that the Flashforge filament, including both rainbow options, prints very well!
- Average price/kg: ~$25
- Color change distance: 30-40 m
- Size: 1.75 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.02 mm
- Color option: Rainbow
- Nozzle temperature: 190-220 °C
- Bed temperature: 25-60 °C
- Print speed: 40-60 mm/s
Locyfens
Locyfens is a perhaps lesser-known filament manufacturer that sells a rainbow option. Actually, they sell a range of gradient and rainbow PLA filaments, ranging from different shades of blue to a full five-color rainbow. All the options offer terrific visual appeal for prints, but this brand of filament is a bit on the pricier end of the spectrum.
Still, you might find it worth it for the price considering some of the features of the filament, like its 0.02-mm diameter tolerance. Additionally, according to the manufacturer, the color changes are pretty fast to allow for more color variation within prints. And on this note, there are many positive reviews about the colors and color changes.
If you’re looking for some other material properties, the same brand also offers a rainbow PETG filament.
- Average price/kg: ~$34
- Color change distance: 10 m
- Size: 1.75 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.02 mm
- Color options: Rainbow, vintage metal, blue-purple-green, and more
- Nozzle temperature: 190-220 °C
- Bed temperature: 0-60 °C
- Print speed: 30-60 mm/s
Tecbears
Tecbears isn’t as well known as some other options on our list, but the company makes an impressive and affordable rainbow PLA filament. This offers a vibrant visual appeal, covering basically the whole rainbow.
The distance between color changes isn’t specified, and some reviews talk about how the color changes take too long to easily be seen on prints. On the other hand, the very gradual change makes the transition look smoother than with some other filaments. A number of reviews mention that achieving proper bed adhesion with this filament was a breeze, and with the impressive 0.02 mm diameter tolerance, printing Tecbears rainbow PLA filament should be pretty easy.
- Average price/kg: ~$23
- Color change distance: Not specified
- Size: 1.75 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.02 mm
- Color option: Rainbow
- Nozzle temperature: 190-210 °C
- Bed temperature: 60-80 °C
- Print speed: Not specified
UniCoFil
UniCoFil is a German company that specializes in making filament, and they offer a wide variety of multicolor filaments, including 1 tricolor, 4 rainbow, and 10 bicolor options. Their rainbow filament comes in both normal and silk PLA, and the manufacturer says each spool cycles through the full rainbow 16 times, with color changes every three meters.
All of UniCoFil’s filaments come in both 1.75-mm and 2.85-mm diameters. These filaments have a 0.05 mm tolerance, and models printed in the material can retain their shape up to 60 °C.
- Average price/kg: $25-$40
- Color change distance: Various
- Size: 1.75 mm, 2.85 mm
- Tolerance: ±0.05 mm
- Color options: 1 tricolor, 4 rainbow, and 10 bicolor options
- Nozzle temperature: 200-230 °C
- Bed temperature: 40-60 °C
- Print speed: Not specified