If you have ever tried printing something in color on a desktop 3D printer, you will know the drill. Swap filaments. Pause prints. Paint afterward. Hope gradients somehow survive the process. It works. Sort of. But it is hardly the “push print and walk away” future we were promised.
Enter the inew3d Desktop Full-color 3D Printer [CH], a machine that skips most of that workflow entirely.
Instead of juggling multiple filaments like a circus act, this printer uses material jetting technology that mixes color at the droplet level. The result is up to 500,000 colors printed directly into the object itself. Not painted afterward. Not layered as an approximation. Printed as part of the model from the start.
It also leans heavily into AI-assisted creation. Feed it an image, and the system helps generate a textured 3D model ready for printing, which lowers the barrier for anyone who does not live inside CAD software.
Under the hood, the printer runs a six-channel material jetting system using cyan, magenta, yellow, white, transparent material, and support resin. Layer thickness goes down to 30 microns, while print resolution reaches 720 × 2880 DPI, putting it closer to industrial color systems than typical desktop machines.
Supports are water-soluble, too. Instead of snapping fragile structures off by hand, you rinse them away. Much less stressful for delicate prints like figurines and miniatures.
Build volume comes in at 200 × 160 × 80 mm, which makes it clear this machine is designed for collectibles, product mockups, medical visualization models, and small prototypes where surface finish and color accuracy actually matter.
The printer also includes an integrated activated carbon filtration system to help manage resin odors, which is always welcome when something like this is expected to live on a desk instead of in a workshop.
Full-color material jetting used to be the territory of industrial systems that cost significantly more. The inew3d Desktop Full-color 3D Printer is attempting to bring that capability into a desktop format aimed at creators, designers, and studios that want presentation-ready prints without sending files out to a service bureau.
Early backers can secure the machine starting from US$7,199, with a planned retail price of US$9,999. If you want one, you may have to act fast because the campaign has just 7 days to go. The campaign has been funded with over 220 backers contributing almost US$1.5 million in funding.
As always with crowdfunding, this is not the same as clicking “add to cart.” Projects can shift, schedules can move, and outcomes are never set in stone. A little due diligence goes a long way.
Images: SIMBA 3D [CH].