Modular Filament Swatch Palette

Color matters everywhere — in design, manufacturing, printing, and even in the mating rituals of birds. It’s a tool, a language, and often — a deciding factor. That’s why the industry has long relied on swatches and catalogs: Pantone, RAL, CMYK, and other systems have been helping printers and designers match the right shades for decades. Plastic manufacturers aren’t far behind — many offer their own sample catalogs. Because screens can lie. Lighting, color correction, screen calibration — all of it affects how we perceive colors online. And reality often tells a different story.

Filaments come in all sorts. And not every color works well with another. When you’re designing something that combines three or four colors, it helps to have something physical to compare. A real swatch. Something tangible.

I’ve looked through tons of models. None of them worked for me. Too bulky, awkward to use, or just didn’t unfold well. I needed something simple and intuitive — like a fan deck, a color reference that opens up, lets you compare shades, find matches. So I made my own version — the Modular Filament Swatch Palette .

What is it?

It’s not a set of colored tiles — those come from the manufacturer. This is the frame, the platform, the palette into which those samples snap. Mine are from Bambu Lab. But I also created a version for printing your own samples from other brands. I liked the form factor so much that I decided to make it universal.

Construction

Just two unique parts: a top cap and a base segment, which you can copy and stack as many times as you need — depending on how many samples you’ve got. The segments snap together with neat little clips built into the inner ring. They work like tiny springs and hold everything tight with minimal play. The fan opens smoothly and doesn’t loosen over time. I recommend adding a drop of XY2 grease — it’ll keep it gliding quietly for years to come.

I recommend printing with a 0.2 mm nozzle. Especially for the clips — they’re tiny, and larger nozzles might struggle. I’ve printed them with a 0.4 mm nozzle too — it works, but 0.2 mm gives that crisp, clean, satisfying result. And it matters — this is a tool you’ll probably be using for years. Might as well make it nice.

Extras

In the 3MF file , I’ve included hooks you can use to hang up the palette — I’ve shared them before, but this time I printed them specifically to go with this model.

I also came up with a simple way to label samples from other brands. You can engrave them with a laser if you’ve got one handy — great if the filament isn’t transparent. But I went lazy: I used a portable Nimbot label printer with clear round stickers. On one, I printed a QR code linking directly to the product page in the manufacturer’s store. On the other, placed diagonally, I added the filament name and brand. Clean, organized, and fast.

That’s when I realized how many spools I actually had. I thought maybe 40. Turns out — over a hundred. Some I had already forgotten I owned. This kind of physical catalog helps not only to visualize colors — but to remember what’s in your inventory. I can definitely recommend it.

Final thoughts

Color isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about feeling. Mood. Atmosphere. It’s a choice — about what emotion you want your design to carry. Color affects how we perceive shape. Even texture. The way a plastic catches light, how it looks matte or glossy — you only see that in person. No website can show you that. Only a swatch. Only the real thing.

That’s why I made the Modular Filament Swatch Palette. Hope it turns out to be as useful to you as it is to me.

See the video for details:

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Parts links below:

• ESUN Filament PLA
• ESUN Filament PLA HS
• Lubricant for Plastic Gear XY-2
• Strong Adhesive Sticker D20mm

Links to used tools:

• Niimbot D110 Label Maker Printer
• NIIMBOT Thermal Round Label
• NOGA deburring tool and Blades

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