Multicolour Prints Without an AMS: The Manual Method

Harry S.

Colour Without the Gadgets

Multicolour printing is often associated with expensive AMS or MMU systems, but some of the most impressive multicolour prints are still made on completely standard single extruder printers. Often, you do not need additional hardware at all. A few simple manual techniques are enough to create clean colour transitions, layered graphics, logos, and surprisingly complex visual effects with the printer you already own.

These methods do come with limitations. Most work best when colour changes occur at specific layer heights rather than constantly throughout the print. Even so, the results can look genuinely impressive, especially when paired with thoughtful model design and well chosen filament colours. They are also some of the most satisfying techniques to learn because they add a huge amount of visual impact without requiring a major investment.

The approaches range from extremely simple manual filament swaps through to more advanced slicer based colour assignment tools. Learning all of them gives you a surprisingly flexible toolkit for multicolour printing without needing dedicated hardware.

The Filament Swap Method

The simplest and most widely used technique is the manual filament swap.

At a chosen layer height, the printer pauses, moves the toolhead away from the print, and allows you to manually unload one filament colour and load another before continuing. Most slicers handle this through an M600 “Filament Change” command.

In Cura, this can be added through:
Extensions → Post Processing → Add Script → Filament Change

In PrusaSlicer, right click the desired layer height in the preview window and insert custom G-code using M600. OrcaSlicer works almost identically.

Once the pause is triggered, the printer waits while you swap spools and purge the remaining material from the nozzle until the new colour runs cleanly. After resuming, the print continues exactly where it left off.

This technique is ideal for:

• text or logos on flat surfaces
• layered signs
• colour separated display pieces
• board game tokens
• simple multicolour decorative prints

The biggest limitation is that you need to be physically present for the filament changes. On long prints with multiple colour transitions, this can mean staying nearby for several hours waiting for pause points.

Even so, for such a simple technique, the final results can look surprisingly professional.

Paint Bucket and Region Assignment

PrusaSlicer and OrcaSlicer both support “Paint on Model” functionality, which allows you to assign different filament colours directly onto specific parts of the model before slicing.

On AMS or multi extruder systems, this creates automatic tool changes. On a standard single extruder printer, the slicer instead converts those colour regions into planned filament- swap pauses at the appropriate layer heights.

This allows for much more advanced colour placement than with simple horizontal transitions. Logos, geometric patterns, layered graphics, and surface details can all be assigned individually depending on the shape of the model.

It is one of the easiest ways to create prints that genuinely look far more advanced than the hardware used to produce them.

Using multiple OzFDM PLA colours works especially well here because consistent print behaviour and colour saturation help keep transitions cleaner and more predictable across different filaments.

Post Print Painting: The Ultimate Multi Colour Method

For maximum colour freedom, painting remains the most powerful multicolour technique available.

Printing in white or light grey and then painting the model afterwards gives you complete control over colour placement, gradients, shading, weathering, and detail work without any printing related colour limitations.

This approach is particularly effective for:

• miniatures
• cosplay props
• display figures
• terrain pieces
• decorative models
• detailed artistic prints

Matte PLA works especially well as a painting base because the surface accepts primer and acrylic paint far more cleanly than glossy materials. White matte PLA in particular creates an excellent foundation for painted finishes with minimal preparation required.

Of course, this method shifts the challenge away from printing and into finishing work. It takes patience, artistic skill, and proper paint preparation to achieve high quality results. But for highly detailed colour work, painting still offers a level of flexibility that no consumer multicolour printing system can fully match.

For more advanced finishing techniques, see our full finishing guide and miniature painting guide, which cover priming, sanding, painting workflows, and sealing techniques specifically for 3D printed models.