The Short Answer
Multicolor printing used to mean either manual filament swaps mid-print or spending €1,000+ on a machine with a multi-material unit. That's changed. In 2026, there are three genuinely good ways to get color or multi-material prints for under €500, and each takes a different approach to the same problem: getting more than one filament into a single print without babysitting it.
- Bambu Lab A1 Mini Combo (with AMS Lite): ~€449 — four colors, the most polished software, smaller build volume
- FlashForge AD5X: ~€399 — four colors built into the price, larger build volume, rougher software
- Sovol M1D: ~€259 — two colors via IDEX dual extruders, least waste, cheapest entry point
"Multicolor" covers two very different mechanisms: AMS-style systems (Bambu, FlashForge) feed different filaments through one nozzle and purge between colors, while IDEX systems (Sovol) use two separate nozzles. The right choice depends on whether you need more than two colors per print, and how much you care about filament waste.
Bambu Lab A1 Mini + AMS Lite — ~€449
The A1 Mini Combo pairs the easiest-to-use budget printer with the easiest-to-use budget AMS. Slicing a four-color model in Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer is close to automatic — assign filaments to color slots, hit slice, and the software handles tower placement and purge volumes. It's the system to recommend to someone who has never done multicolor before.
- Most polished multicolor slicer workflow
- Largest community for troubleshooting
- Reliable filament tracking and RFID
- Good print quality straight out of box
- Compact footprint
- Smallest build volume here (180mm)
- AMS Lite has no active drying
- Purge waste on every color change
- Requires Bambu account / cloud
- 4-spool limit, no chaining on Mini
The build volume is the real trade-off here. At 180×180×180mm, you're limited to smaller models — but for multicolor prints like figurines, signage, and small functional parts with color-coded components, it's rarely a problem. If you outgrow it, the full-size Bambu A1 with AMS Lite (~€479 combo) gives you a 256×256×256mm volume with the same color workflow.
For more on how AMS Lite compares to the full AMS used on Bambu's X1 and P1 series, see our AMS vs AMS Lite guide.
FlashForge AD5X — ~€399
The AD5X bundles its four-color material system into the printer itself rather than selling it as a separate add-on, which means the all-in price for four-color printing is lower than the A1 Mini Combo. The build volume is also noticeably larger. The catch is software polish — FlashForge's slicer (an OrcaSlicer fork) is functional but less refined, and color calibration takes more manual tuning.
- Four colors included in base price
- Larger 220mm build volume
- Built-in filament drying chamber
- AI camera monitoring included
- Open material system (less locked-in)
- Slicer less polished than Bambu's
- Smaller, less mature community
- Color calibration needs manual tuning
- Purge waste similar to AMS systems
- Firmware updates less frequent
The built-in drying chamber is a genuine advantage over both AMS Lite and the Sovol M1D's open spool holders — filaments like PETG and TPU that absorb moisture stay printable longer without a separate dry box. If you're choosing based on raw build volume and total included hardware per euro, the AD5X is hard to beat.
Sovol M1D — ~€259
The M1D takes a completely different approach: instead of one nozzle and a filament-swapping unit, it has two independent toolheads (IDEX) that can move separately. Each stays loaded with its own filament, so there's no purge tower for two-color prints — a major waste reduction compared to AMS-style systems. The trade-off is a hard cap of two colors per print.
- Lowest price of the three by far
- Minimal filament waste on 2-color prints
- Copy/mirror modes double as a bonus feature
- Decent 220mm build volume
- OrcaSlicer support out of the box
- Hard 2-color limit per print
- IDEX calibration is fiddly
- Smaller community than Bambu/Creality
- Build quality less refined
- No active drying
For two-color prints — which covers a large share of what people actually want from multicolor printing, like a logo in a contrasting color or a model with separate accent parts — the M1D's near-zero purge waste is a real practical advantage. If your projects regularly need three or four colors in the same print, though, the hard cap rules it out.
Full Comparison Table
| Printer | Price | Build Vol. | Max Colors | Waste | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu A1 Mini + AMS Lite | ~€449 | 180×180×180 | 4 | Moderate (purge) | Easiest workflow, beginners |
| FlashForge AD5X | ~€399 | 220×220×220 | 4 | Moderate (purge) | Larger volume, value per color |
| Sovol M1D | ~€259 | 220×220×200 | 2 | Low (IDEX) | Cheapest entry, 2-color prints |
How to Choose
Buy the Bambu A1 Mini Combo if you want the smoothest software experience, you're new to multicolor printing, and a 180mm build volume covers your typical print sizes.
Buy the FlashForge AD5X if you want four-color printing with a larger build volume and built-in filament drying, and you're comfortable with a less polished slicer.
Buy the Sovol M1D if budget is the deciding factor, most of your prints only need two colors, and minimizing filament waste matters to you.
Purge waste adds up fast on AMS-style systems. A print with frequent color changes can waste 20-40% of total filament as purge material. Both the A1 Mini Combo and AD5X let you reduce this by grouping color changes and using "flush into infill" settings, but it's worth factoring into your running costs.
For most buyers entering multicolor printing for the first time, the Bambu A1 Mini Combo is the right call. The slicer workflow removes nearly all the guesswork, the community support is unmatched, and the AMS Lite's four-spool capacity covers the vast majority of multicolor projects.
If the 180mm build volume is too restrictive and you want more space for the same color count at a slightly lower price, the FlashForge AD5X is the better fit — especially if its built-in drying chamber matters for the filaments you use most.
And if you're testing the waters with a tight budget, or your projects are mostly two-color, the Sovol M1D gets you into multicolor printing for roughly half the price of the others, with the bonus of minimal purge waste.