Which text color is readable on which color?
Filament Readability Checker — see whether your text will be readable before you print.
Pick a background and text color
Heading
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 0123456789
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 0123456789
…
Most readable text colors on this background
Click a color to try it in the preview.
Compare your own filaments
Add the filaments you have — for example the ones loaded in your AMS — and see every text/background pair ranked. Your list is saved in this browser.
How is readability calculated?
Readability depends on the lightness difference between text and background, not on how different the colors are. Red text on a green background of similar lightness looks very different, yet it's hard to read — and close to invisible for many color-blind readers.
We use the WCAG contrast ratio, the international accessibility standard: 1:1 means no contrast (the same color), 21:1 is black on white. Because we measure filaments with a spectrophotometer, the ratio is computed from the real filament color, not the brand's product photo.
- Very readable ≥ 7:1 Comfortable even for small text
- Readable 4.5–7:1 Fine for normal-size text
- Large text only 3–4.5:1 Only for big letters and headings
- Hard to read < 3:1 Avoid for text
Tips for printing text
- Printing light text on a dark background? Make the text at least 3–4 layers thick (0.6–0.8 mm) so the dark color doesn't show through.
- Prefer matte filament for lettering; silk and glossy surfaces reflect light and wash out the text at some angles.
- With a 0.4 mm nozzle, keep letter strokes at least about 0.8 mm wide (two extrusion lines) for clean letters.
- Screens show colors only approximately — trust the ratio more than how the preview looks on your monitor.