Dull Colors

I'm getting pretty good quality from my printer but the color of the object seems to be a bit dull. A friend of mine has a printer and we have been using plastic off the same spool but his color is much richer than mine. I've tried adjusting the temp. I've tried several time with a range of 12 or 15 degrees but it doesn't seem to make a differenance in the color. When I extrude in the air, the color looks good.

Any ideas?

If you're using PLA, then infill density, number of shells, and extruder steps-per-mm can all effect color. The more dense the print the more rich the color.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I am using ABS.

The commnet about PLA makes since though. Thanks.

Temperature can dull it with ABS too. Lower yours a little bit and see what happens.

I've dropped the temp over several tests as much as 12 - 15 degrees and I can see no visible difference.

Are your printed pieces magnetic? Maybe there is some contamination? Old black plastic residue in the nozzle somehow?

I find layer height makes a difference in shine.

Thick layers = shiny
Thin layer = dull

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