Prusa Orange Color Number  

There isn't a single correct color code.

Caution: RGB color, whether hex codes or any other notation, cannot fully describe the color of a physical object. RGB color describes a color of visible light, like the screen you're looking at produces; but the light that reflects off a colored object depends both on the wavelengths of light the object absorbs, and the wavelengths present in the light source — and there's a lot more of those combinations than just “red, green, blue”. (This is why color rendering index is a thing.) Or for a simpler case, light sources have different “color temperatures” affecting the balance of colors — that can be seen just in RGB terms.

Not only that, Prusa Orange fluoresces orange under UV — which means it will appear as a brighter orange under sunlight than a non-fluorescent material. (This is not very unusual — white paper and white clothes also commonly contain fluorescent dyes to make them “look whiter”.)

To be clear, I'm not saying that you won't find a matching orange; only that there cannot be a single correct hex code that describes Prusa Orange or any other filament, unless you pick a specific lighting environment and test model.

I also think filament colors appear slightly different based on the surface texture. At least to my eyes, Prusamemt Orange looks different when printed on the smooth sheet compared to the textured sheet.

And Bob, thanks for the link to the filaments colors site. Very useful to get at least some sense of how close colors from different manufacturers might be. 

Crazy Price Markup

Wow.  Buying it from Prusa is $26.99, and the Amazon seller wants $56.99!!!  I know there is an advantage to importing it and then shipping domestically, but it's not $30 worth of a difference.  That Amazon seller is either nuts, or is counting on the idea that people don't know how to buy directly from Prusa.  Sheesh.

Kev

Amazon sellers are often opportunists

You'll see incredible markup on Amazon. A lot are just opportunists who buy up what they know (or think) to be in demand, then hope uninformed or desperate customers will pay ridiculous prices.

Would rather have the real thing...

Bob, thanks for that pic comparing what I can get from my supplier and what Prusa themselves is selling (and presumably what they use as well).  I'm used to paying $8.99/kg, so it's going to hurt a little, but I would rather have the right color than just "close enough", so I'll grin and bear the price diff.

The primary reason I want it is to print Nefritti and some other Prusa staple parts, for replacements for parts that get nicked, cut, or otherwise damaged, and I do have ONE customer part that uses a similar orange.  But, I might just get the "close enough" for $8.99/kg because it's just "orange" not "Prusa orange" in the part.  (I sell 3d printed flight sim controllers, and one of our throttle units has orange buttons in it, though I'm thinking about making that a customer selectable option...)

Thanks everyone, quite the warm welcome for a forum noob!

Kev

Prusa Orange Color Number

Posted by: @kevykevtpa

I have a regular supplier I use for my filament, and they have 2 different Oranges.  One is color #FF7B15 and the other is #FF582D.

My eyes say the first one is close to, or maybe an exact match to "Prusa Orange", but I've learned the hard way that trusting your eyes when it comes to things like color matching is a crapshoot...  Sometimes once you get what you thought you ordered, the color is totally wrong.  So, does anyone know if either of those are close, or even an exact match, to the actual color number for "Prusa Orange"?  

Does anyone reading this happen to know what the actual number is?  Google either failed me, or I failed Google by not asking the right question, because I got bupkis from them.

BTW, my very first post ever on this forum, so...  Hi everybody!!!

 

Kev

@kevykevtpa

Welcome to the forum.

Colors for plastics are defined according to the RAL system. Prusa Orange corresponds exactly to RAL2005. Look for a filament that corresponds to RAL2005, if the manufacturer can be trusted the color should match. Unfortunately, Prusa also deviates from its standard depending on the batch. 

Digital color numbers such as # FF2300 can only be used to a limited extent, which requires a precisely calibrated monitor and graphics card.

List_of_RAL_colors

Holger 🙂 

Color codes and picky selections

Posted by: @kevykevtpa

Bob, thanks for that pic comparing what I can get from my supplier and what Prusa themselves is selling (and presumably what they use as well).  I'm used to paying $8.99/kg, so it's going to hurt a little, but I would rather have the right color than just "close enough", so I'll grin and bear the price diff.

I've found "close" is usually good enough. As others have noted, the RGB color codes are really meant for illuminated screen displays, and you'd want to use codes suited for solids to get an exact match. That said, without more info, you're probably going to just convert from RGB to RAL (or similar) so lose any precision there. I'm not a graphics artist, but I know they spend a lot of time calibrating between screen (additive) and print (subtractive) colors.

The primary reason I want it is to print Nefritti and some other Prusa staple parts, for replacements for parts that get nicked, cut, or otherwise damaged, and I do have ONE customer part that uses a similar orange.  But, I might just get the "close enough" for $8.99/kg because it's just "orange" not "Prusa orange" in the part.  (I sell 3d printed flight sim controllers, and one of our throttle units has orange buttons in it, though I'm thinking about making that a customer selectable option...)

You might just offer the option to the customer and let them know "Prusa Orange" costs a bit more than "Pretty Close Orange". I bought some PETG filament from 3DXTech that they more-or-less advertised as "Pretty Close to Prusa" and it looks fine. Unfortunately, it's no longer offered.

Thanks everyone, quite the warm welcome for a forum noob!

Have fun with it!

Orange

I also like the orange PETG from Atomic.  It is not as close to Prusa as the 3DXTech, but it is a good orange.  

Close enough is good enough

You might just offer the option to the customer and let them know "Prusa Orange" costs a bit more than "Pretty Close Orange". I bought some PETG filament from 3DXTech that they more-or-less advertised as "Pretty Close to Prusa" and it looks fine. Unfortunately, it's no longer offered.

That is not a bad idea, but I decided just to order the original from Prusa themselves.  I'll still use the $8.99/kg stuff for customer parts, but I for the stuff for me, I want it to be just so and perfect.  Most of my customers have probably never even heard of Prusa and won't care about the nuances.  

Kev