Every color change costs filament, and the purge is part of the print
A multicolor printer loads several filaments at once and switches between them during a print, and the way it switches decides both the result and the running cost. The common arrangement feeds every spool into a single nozzle and swaps them there, which means the old color has to be pushed out before the new one lands on the part — the purge, a waste of filament that grows with every change and that a maker describes, if at all, in a tower or a chute rather than a figure. The alternative is several toolheads that park and swap, which wastes far less and costs more to build. The number of filaments the unit loads is published, and whether the feeding unit is sold with the printer or separately is a real price difference. Material compatibility matters more here than anywhere: a feeder that handles rigid filaments well may not accept flexible ones, and the listing that says so saves a jam. Then the usual printer specifications — build volume as declared, enclosure, leveling — and the software, because color is assigned in the slicer before it reaches the machine. We compare filaments loaded, switching method, purge handling, build volume, enclosure, material limits and whether the feeder is included.
Enclosed CoreXY · AMS multicolor · 500 mm/s · 20,000 mm/s² · automatic leveling · PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PET, ABS, ASA
The enclosed Bambu Lab P1S sold with its AMS unit, for multicolor and multi-material printing, including ABS and ASA, at a stated 500 mm/s.
Best for: A maker who wants color prints in engineering plastics, in one enclosed machine.
≈ $479
CoreXY multicolor FDM · 4 colors · 220 × 220 × 220 mm · 600 mm/s · 300 °C direct drive · 0.25 to 0.8 mm nozzles
The lowest-cost multicolor system here: a CoreXY printer loading 4 colors, with a 220 mm cube volume, a 300 °C direct-drive extruder and four nozzle sizes.
Best for: A hobbyist who wants four-color prints without paying for a large combo.
≈ $349
Multicolor FDM with CFS · 260 × 260 × 260 mm · 600 mm/s · up to 16 colors with 4 CFS · AI camera · 95% pre-assembled
Creality’s K2 with its CFS color unit: a 260 mm cube volume, a stated 600 mm/s, and up to 16 colors if you chain four CFS units.
Best for: A maker who wants more build height and may grow into many colors.
≈ $646
Large multicolor FDM with CFS · 350 × 350 × 350 mm · 600 mm/s · 30,000 mm/s² · 350 °C nozzle · 60 °C heated chamber · dual AI cameras
The big machine on this shelf: a 350 mm cube volume, a 350 °C hardened nozzle, a chamber held at up to 60 °C, and CFS color switching.
Best for: A workshop that prints large color parts or demanding engineering filaments.
≈ $1199
Four machines in five must publish the value before a column is raised. Below that, it would be comparing absences.
| Model | Price | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| FLASHFORGE AD5X | $349 | 24.2 lb |
| Bambu Lab P1S Combo | $479 | 47.5 lb |
| Creality K2 Combo (A) | $646 | 65.9 lb |
| Creality K2 Plus Combo | $1199 | 70.4 lb |
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for maker machines and tools and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: November 1, 2026.
A price quoted in the text of a MakerVerdict page dates from the day that page was written; the live figure beside each product is fetched while you read and replaces it.
