Core color workflow
Subject isolation with manual refinement, CMYK/CMYKW processing, optical blending, filament profiles, LAB comparison, Delta-E optimization, preview simulation, and model generation.
Full Spectrum CMYK for Multi-Material FDM
Print What
You See.
More colors than filament.
CMYKForge converts images into calibrated CMYK material distributions designed to reproduce more perceived colors from a limited filament set.
CMYK and optional white workflows. CMYKForge Standard is currently in active development.
Original
Real print
Evidence 01 Drag to compare the source image with a real print of the same project. Results depend on calibration and filament.
From image to physical print
Follow one project through the workflow.
Three honest checkpoints: the supplied source artwork, a labeled software preview, and the real physical print.
01 — Source
Start with the image.
The supplied artwork establishes the color and geometry CMYKForge is trying to reproduce.
02 — Preview
Review the simulated result.
The preview is a software simulation, not a photograph or a promise of exact printed color.
03 — Physical output
Judge the result in the print.
This is the real printed object from the same project. Calibration, filament, layer settings, and lighting still matter.
Product status
Current development build
Limited beta — not open yet
Planned
Current work, beta validation, and later plans.
CMYKForge Standard is working software in active development; public beta access is not open yet.
Validation with real users
Preview accuracy, 3MF export reliability, slicer compatibility, printability, and workflow clarity across real printers and filaments.
Later additions
Broader STL/OBJ export, advanced editions, and optional AI assistance. None are required for Standard or presented as available today.
The idea
Color planned before the first layer prints
Most image-based color printing is trial and error: loaded filaments, slicer behavior, translucency, and calibration all change the result after you hit print.
CMYKForge moves those decisions to the start. It analyzes your image, plans a CMYK-style material strategy around your actual filaments, generates a color-aware model, and exports slicer-ready files.
- Start from a photo, artwork, or logo
- Plan cyan, magenta, yellow, black + optional white
- Generate layered, color-aware geometry
- Export 3MF for real slicer workflows
A limited set of filaments becomes a full spectrum of color — planned, previewed, and prepared before the first layer prints.
Color separation
01 — Channels
Start with separated color.
CMYKForge reads your image and splits it into cyan, magenta, yellow, and key channels — the raw ingredients of a wider printable color range.
02 — Alignment
Matched to your filaments.
Each channel is planned around the real materials you’ve loaded, using their transmission distance and hex values.
03 — Print
One color-aware result.
The channels converge into a single color-aware model, ready for multi-material FDM printing.
How we test
Tested on real hardware, not renders
The print comparison at the top of this page is real. Every example follows the same repeatable process before it appears on this site.
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Real hardware
Physical examples come off a real multi-material FDM printer. Nothing is staged or simulated.
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Real slicer workflow
Generated files are opened and prepared in standard slicer software before printing, the same way you would.
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Measured filament profiles
Each filament is described by its transmission distance and hex color, so plans reflect the actual material.
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Calibration first
Printers are calibrated before comparison prints. Color depends on calibration, layer height, and material behavior.
Printed color is never guaranteed to match a screen. These examples show expected behavior, not a promise of exact reproduction.
AI is optional
AI Is Optional
CMYKForge Standard delivers the core local workflow without requiring local or cloud AI. Future editions may add optional AI assistance, but image preparation, color planning, model generation, previewing, and export remain part of the independent CMYKForge foundation.
Standard stays non-AI
The local-first version does not include cloud AI or local AI by default.
Core tools remain local
Image analysis, color planning, model generation, previewing, and export stay on your machine.
Optional AI may come later
Future AI editions may be offered separately for extra guidance.
FAQ
Questions Before Beta
Quick answers about CMYKForge Standard, the workflow, and future product plans.
Kickstarter
CMYKForge Is Live on Kickstarter
The campaign is live. Back CMYKForge on Kickstarter to support development — a new way to 3D print images.
Community
Follow CMYKForge
Follow development updates, print tests, beta news, and behind-the-scenes progress.
Latest video
Latest from CMYKForge
See the newest development updates, feature previews, print results, and announcements from the CMYKForge YouTube channel.
Help move CMYKForge toward beta.
Back the active campaign, review the real output, or follow the public development log.