What spray paint colours can my 3D print come in?

Spray painting puts accurate, even colour onto a 3D print, a prop or a signage letter. Pick a colour from our stock chart below, or send a Pantone code or hex value and we mix it to match.

Stock colours

Our stock range is Nippon Pylox, from primaries and brights to the flat blacks, greys and whites used on product mockups and architectural models. Every colour has a name and a number, so when you tell us which one you want, we spray exactly that one. Screens shift colour, so treat the swatches as a guide; for colour-critical work, send a Pantone code or a physical sample to match against.

One colour all over? Get an instant price and pick it in the quote

Pantone and custom mixes

For an exact brand colour, send the Pantone code (the numbered colour standard brands use) or the hex value from your brand guide, and we mix it to match. It comes in 1k paint, which is single-component and air-dries, or 2k, which is mixed with a hardener and cures into a much tougher shell. If a stock colour is close enough, we tell you.

Matching a brand colour? Send us the code

Metallic, fluorescent and special finishes

See them in the chart above: Fluorescent, Metallic and Special. Metallic paints are made with aluminium flakes for extra sparkle, and read as metal from a step away; for a true mirror, see metal finishes for 3D prints. Fluorescents suit display and high-visibility work indoors; they fade faster than standard colours in strong sun. The special finishes are heat-resistant paints and an anti-rust primer for bare metal parts. Heat-resistant paint protects the coating, not the plastic: a PLA print still softens at around 60°C, so for a part that gets hot, pick a heat-tolerant material first.

Need a special finish? Tell us about the part

Prep and clear coats

Good colour starts under the colour. A part fresh off the printer shows layer lines, seams and support marks, so it is filled and sanded and primed before any colour goes down. Sanding softens layer lines a great deal but doesn’t erase every trace, and a gloss coat shows what is left more than satin or matte does. The colour is then sealed under a clear coat in your choice of sheen:

• Matte: flat, no glare, suits scale models and signage.
• Satin: a soft sheen and the usual pick for product mockups, in 1k or 2k.
• Gloss (Standard): wet and bright, hand-polished where needed.

Our finishing guide walks through choosing the paint and the sheen.

Picked your sheen? Get an instant price with paint

Indoors or outdoors

Standard paint and a clear coat handle indoor display and normal handling without trouble. Parts that live outdoors or take the Singapore sun get 2k paint, which resists scratches, chemicals and UV far better; our Yamaha bike panels are 2k for exactly that reason. Whether a part also needs a protective topcoat depends on the part, so tell us where it will live and we spec the coat to suit.

Touch-dry takes 15 to 30 minutes, with full cure at 24 hours. With the prep and every coat, a painted part typically takes 12 to 18 working days in all, print included.

Spray, plate or UV print?

Spray paint gives accurate colour across the whole part: props, product mockups, scale models and signage. For the weight and shine of real metal, electroplating wins; for a logo or photo on the surface, ultraviolet (UV) printing. The finishing guide compares every option.

How painting is priced

Painting is priced by the part’s surface area and the prep it needs, with no minimum order, and our pricing page has the starting prices. Upload the file to the instant quote for a price with paint, or talk to us about a signage run. Self-collect or islandwide courier from our studio at 994 Bendemeer Road, open Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:00.