Planning guide

How to Estimate Multicolor Printing Waste

How much filament goes into the object and how much becomes extra material?

Work through the process

1. Read whether the slicer total already includes waste.
2. Separate model, support, purge and tower only where categories do not overlap.
3. Apply each color’s price to its total mass.

Formula and worked illustration

A color with 80 g model, 5 g support, 12 g purge and 3 g tower consumes 100 g. Enter 100 g in inclusive mode or 80 g in separate mode.

Inputs and limits

Purge settings, color transitions and plate layout change waste. The calculator accounts for inputs; it cannot predict transitions without sliced data.

For slicer terminology, see Prusa’s wipe tower documentation. Purge may be directed into a tower or another object; count each gram once.

Use the Multicolor & Waste Calculator to change the assumptions and compare your own inputs. Examples here are illustrative calculations, not results from a physical print test.