Printing text
Hi,
So I want to print text on a flat surface, using a color for the text and another for the base. I've tried with debossed text, but because the text is narrow the result doesn't look good. I'm thinking it may look better if the text and surface were on the same level, printed face on the bed, but I have no idea how to do that short of painting the text in the slicer. I've tried smart painting the throughs of the text, then cutting the lower layer, but then the multimaterial painting is deleted.
Is there any way to modify the objet either in the CAD program (I use Blender) or in Prusaslicer, or to configure Prusaslicer, to print multicolored text, either debossed or flat?
RE: Printing text
If you're happy with the text options in PrusaSlicer, you can use a text modifier to achieve this.
Right click on your model, select 'Add modifier' -> 'Text', and create your text object. Use the Rotate tool to turn it to face the build plate, and use the 'Part Manipulation' section (bottom right panel) to define its Z position as zero, and to define its height (remember to 'unlock' the padlock so that you can define its dimensions independently of each other). I suggest using a height of 0.4mm, so that it uses two layers of the 0.2mm layer height.
Then, in the right hand panel, select the desired extruder for the text. Whenever I do something like this I get best results if I print the text/detail first, and to achieve this you'd need to make the text print from the numerically lowest extruder.
You can also do this by creating the text in CAD - subtract it from the model to create a space in the model, and also export it separately so you have an STL for the text. Then import the STLs for the model and the text together, and provided they share the same coordinate system you will be asked if you want to treat them as a single object with multiple parts. If you do that, you can then assign different extruders to each part.
RE: Printing text
Thanks for your reply.
Unfortunately I can't use the text modifier as I don't have the font (I made the object with blender), but your advice got my playing around with the text modifier and I'll probably use it in some other project (too bad there doesn't seem to be a way to curve the text).
I created a positive of the text which I imported in prusaslicer with the object, and indeed it works and the text is much more visible. I didn't know about the extruder order.
Thanks for the tips!
Do you usually print with the text facing the plate, or facing up?
RE: Printing text
If the text is on a flat face then personally I would always print it facing the plate. That face will take the texture of the build plate, and if it's anything other than a smooth plate the texture will tend to hide the individual filament lines and give a better appearance. Even a smooth plate is likely to give a better finish than if the text was facing up on the top layer.