PLA Tri Colour Filament

PLA Tri Colour filament (also called tricolor or tri-color PLA) is a multicolour 3D printing filament with three colours co-extruded side by side in a single 1.75mm strand. As your printer lays it down, different faces of the model catch different colours — creating shifting three-tone effects with a silk sheen, from one spool, with no AMS, filament swaps, or multi-material setup required.

Read More

2 products

Why Choose PLA Tri Colour?

  • Three-colour shifting effect from a single, standard spool
  • Adjacent colours blend into rich intermediate tones — every print is unique
  • Glossy silk finish straight off the printer, no painting or post-processing
  • Prints with standard PLA settings, smooth extrusion, strong layer adhesion

What Models Print Best in Tri Colour?

The effect depends on face angles — the more a model's surfaces curve and turn, the more of all three colours you see. Best results come from:

  • Spiral vases and geometric vase-mode prints
  • Articulated dragons and organic fantasy sculpts
  • Low-poly models and faceted designs
  • Cosplay props, display pieces, and desk decor

Tri Colour vs Dual Silk vs Rainbow — Which One?

Tri Colour shows three tones at once that shift face to face, with more blending between them. Dual Silk gives the sharpest two-colour separation and contrast. Rainbow changes colour gradually along the print instead of by viewing angle, so bigger prints show more of the spectrum. Want maximum colour variety on one model? Tri Colour is the pick — or compare real prints in our Filament Photo Comparison.

Printer Compatibility & Settings

Our 1.75mm PLA Tri Colour filament prints on most FDM printers including Bambu Lab, Prusa, and Creality Ender at standard silk PLA settings (190–220°C). Our sample photos are printed on Bambu Lab X1C, P2S and H2C machines with 3 walls at 0.16mm layer height — extra walls deepen the colour, and slightly hotter and slower brings out more sheen.

Explore More Multicolour PLA

Looking for different effects? Try PLA Dual Silk filament for high-contrast two-tone prints, PLA Dual Matte for a soft, non-reflective finish, or PLA Rainbow filament for continuous gradients. You can also browse the full PLA filament range.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does tri colour PLA filament work?

Three colours run side by side down a single strand, and each face of your model catches a different colour depending on its angle. Where the colours meet, they blend and the blends can surprise you. First time we printed a blue/yellow/purple spool, the yellow mostly vanished into the mix and we ended up with blue, green and purple faces with just hints of yellow. Not what we expected, but honestly better. That's the nature of tri colour: the third tone is often one that isn't on the spool label.

How do I get the best three-colour effect?

Print a small cube or any little multi-faced object first. It takes minutes and shows you exactly which orientations catch which colours before you commit to a big print. Then rotate your model in the slicer to put the colours where you want them. Models with lots of flat faces at different angles are where tri colour really performs. Crystal-style models are our favourite: we've printed the crystal Switch dock holder and the classic crystal dragon, and every facet comes out a different colour. Smooth, boxy models will mostly show one or two tones.

Will the three colours blend together?

Yes, wherever colour zones meet you'll get in-between tones. That's inherent to co-extruded filament, not a defect. We've never had a complaint about it. If anything, customers tell us they're happily surprised by combinations they didn't expect. But if you want two crisp, clearly separated colours with no surprises, Dual Silk is the better pick.

What settings should I use for tri colour PLA?

Just your standard silk PLA profile, nothing special. Our sample photos are printed on Bambu Lab X1C, P2S and H2C machines with 3 walls at 0.16mm layer height. A touch hotter and slower deepens the sheen, but don't overdo it because silk starts stringing if you push the temperature too far.

Does tri colour filament work with an AMS or multi-material unit?

Yes, it runs through an AMS fine and you can use it as one slot in a multi-colour print. One thing worth knowing: if the strand twists on its way to the nozzle, the colour positions rotate around your model. This is honestly where quality filament shows. Well-made tri colour keeps its colour split consistent down the strand, while cheap stuff twists unpredictably and the faces come out scrambled.

Is tri colour PLA harder to print than normal PLA?

No. Same ease, same reliability, no hardened nozzle or enclosure needed. The only real skill is aesthetic: picking the right model and orientation. The printing itself is just PLA.

Will two spools of the same colour print identically?

Mostly, but not always perfectly. Different production batches can have the colours sitting on slightly different sides of the strand, which shifts where each colour lands on the model. Our advice is to print any single model from one spool rather than finishing it with leftovers from another, since a mid-print spool swap is where you'd notice the difference.