Prusa XL/en
ℹ️ Already printed on the Prusa MK3S?
This page builds on the basics from the Prusa i3 MK3S page (PrusaSlicer, supports, infill, brim). Here we only cover what is different on the XL: large objects, multiple colors and multiple materials in one print.
ℹ️ What can you print?
The Original Prusa XL has 5 print heads (toolchanger): there is a separate print head for each color or material, and the printer switches between them automatically. Thanks to input shaping, it also prints much faster than the MK3S.
- Build volume: 360 × 360 × 360 mm
- Print heads: 5 – 4 of them permanently loaded with PLA, the 5th freely selectable
- Material: PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU – others on request
- Nozzle: 0.4 mm – other diameters on request
- Layer height: 0.1 – 0.3 mm
- Enclosure: official Prusa Enclosure – ensures an even temperature, especially important for ABS
- Number of printers: 2
🚨 Important
On the Prusa XL you cannot start prints yourself. You upload your job in the Members Portal and the Happylab team starts it for you.
You have to assign colors and materials correctly in PrusaSlicer yourself. We do not check before the start whether the assignment is correct.
The printers are used at your own risk. If a print fails, there is no refund.
🎨 Print head assignment
| Print head | Material | Color |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PLA | White |
| 2 | PLA | Black |
| 3 | PLA | Red |
| 4 | PLA | Blue |
| 5 | freely selectable: PLA, PETG, ABS or TPU | freely selectable – when uploading in the Members Portal |
Print heads 1–4 are permanently assigned and cannot be changed. For print head 5 you choose a different PLA color or a different material when uploading.
⚠️ Other materials or nozzles
Would you like to use a different material – e.g. nylon, which we have already printed with successfully – or print with a different nozzle diameter? Please contact the Happylab team beforehand and we will find a solution together.
Abrasive filaments – e.g. with carbon or glass fibers or glow-in-the-dark – are not possible because they damage the nozzles.
🎬 Video tutorials
Add the XL profile in the configuration wizard and set the filaments of the print heads.
A file that already consists of multiple parts: assign a print head to each part.
Import multiple files at once and load them as one object with multiple parts.
Split a model into its individual parts to give them different colors.
Place text or symbols on the model and assign them to their own print head.
🧭 Process overview
Set up the XL profile (one-time) → Assign print heads (PrusaSlicer) → Set colors on the model → Slice and export → Upload in the Members Portal → The Happylab team starts the print
💻 Step 1: Add the Prusa XL in PrusaSlicer (one-time)
- Open Configuration → Configuration Wizard.
- Click Prusa Research on the left.
- Scroll down to the XL Multi-Tool family and tick Original Prusa XL – 5T Input Shaper with 0.4 mm nozzle.
- For the filaments, tick the Prusament profiles for PLA, PETG, ABS and TPU (Flex).
- Finish with Finish.
After that, select Original Prusa XL – 5T Input Shaper 0.4 nozzle as the printer at the top right.
🎨 Step 2: Assign print heads in PrusaSlicer
After selecting the XL profile you will see five filament fields on the right – one per print head. Filament 1 belongs to print head 1, filament 2 to print head 2, and so on.
- Filament profile: Select the matching profile for each print head. We got the best results with the Prusament profiles (e.g. Prusament PLA).
- Color: Click the small colored square next to the filament and set the real color of the print head (see assignment). This way the preview shows you what the print will really look like.
- Print head 5: Set profile and color to the material you will choose when uploading – e.g. Prusament PETG.
💡 Tip: Save your own preset
Save the finished assignment as your own printer preset (floppy disk icon next to the printer profile). Then you do not have to set profiles and colors again every time.
🖌️ Step 3: Set colors on the model
All methods are shown step by step in the video above – you will find the chapters after each section.
Assign parts to a print head
If your model consists of multiple parts, each part gets its own print head: in the object list on the right, select the print head for the part in the Extruder column. (Video 04:35)
- Multiple files (e.g. housing and lettering as separate STLs): Import them all at once and, when asked whether to load them as one object with multiple parts, answer Yes – otherwise they will be arranged next to each other. (Video 08:05)
- One object made of separate bodies: Right-click the object → Split → To parts. (Video 10:38)
Paint surfaces
For a model made of one piece, you can paint areas directly: select the model, choose the Multimaterial painting tool on the left (key N) and color the surfaces with the brush, Smart Fill or Bucket Fill. (Video 12:23)
Text and symbols
Right-click the model → Add part → Text (or a symbol as SVG). Then assign the new part to a print head as above. (Video 15:03)
Wipe tower
At every print head change, the XL first prints a small wipe tower. There the nozzle is wiped clean by printing, so that no residue of the previous color ends up in the model. PrusaSlicer creates it automatically – do not delete it, only move it on the print bed if needed.
💡 Tip: Save print head changes
Every print head change costs time and some material. Colored details that extend over the whole height of the model need many more changes than, for example, lettering only on the top. After slicing you can see the print time and material consumption per print head at the bottom right.
🧪 Step 4: Combine multiple materials
With print head 5 you can combine different materials in one print. What matters here: different plastics adhere to each other differently well.
| Combination | Adhesion | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| PLA + PETG | poor | Easily detachable supports with a clean underside |
| PLA + ABS | poor | Easily detachable supports |
| PLA + TPU | poor | Flexible areas such as hinges, grips or dampers – only with interlocking (see below) |
Detachable supports
To make supports come off cleanly, it is enough to print only the contact layer between support and model from the other material:
- Enable supports as usual.
- In the tab Print Settings → Multiple Extruders, select print head 5 for Support material/raft interface extruder.
- Leave Support material/raft/skirt extruder on the print head of the model.
This way only a little of the second material is used and fewer print head changes are needed.
Flexible parts with TPU (interlocking)
TPU hardly adheres to other materials. To make the parts hold together anyway, PrusaSlicer interlocks the materials layer by layer:
- Switch to Expert mode at the top right.
- In the tab Print Settings → Multiple Extruders, enable interlocking in the Interlocking section.
More on this in the Prusa help page on interlocking (in German).
ABS
ABS is more prone to warping than PLA on large parts. The enclosure helps with this, but still use a brim.
📤 Step 5: Slice and upload
- Click Slice now at the bottom right and check the preview: are the colors and materials correct? Is the wipe tower present?
- Save the file with Export G-code – the Members Portal accepts .bgcode and .gcode.
- In the Members Portal, create the job for the Prusa XL and upload the file.
- When uploading, select material and color for print head 5 – exactly as you set it in PrusaSlicer.
- The Happylab team starts the print for you. You can follow the status in the Members Portal, and when the print is finished you will receive an automatic email.
✅ Your first XL print
Checklist
☐ Printer profile Original Prusa XL – 5T Input Shaper 0.4 nozzle selected
☐ Filament profiles and colors set for all 5 print heads
☐ Parts or surfaces assigned to the correct print heads
☐ For material combinations: support interface or interlocking set
☐ Sliced, preview checked, wipe tower present
☐ G-code exported and uploaded in the Members Portal
☐ Material and color for print head 5 selected when uploading
❓ Troubleshooting
| Problem | Possible cause / solution |
|---|---|
| Wrong colors in the finished print | Check the assignment in PrusaSlicer: filament 1 = print head 1, etc. Set colors according to the assignment |
| Print head 5 prints the wrong material | Filament profile 5 in PrusaSlicer and the selection when uploading must match |
| Multi-part model is arranged side by side | When importing, load it "as one object with multiple parts" |
| Very long print time | Many print head changes – only use colors where they are needed |
| TPU parts come loose from the rest | Enable interlocking |
| Supports are hard to remove | Use print head 5 with PETG as the support interface |
If you have questions, our Lab Managers will help you during the front desk service hours.
📖 Further information
🖨️ Basics
You will find PrusaSlicer basics, material properties of PLA and PETG, as well as CAD programs and platforms for 3D models on the Prusa i3 MK3S page.
📚 Multi-material printing
💶 Costs / Prices
💶 Current prices
You can find the current prices for machines, memberships and consumables on the Happylab website.
👉 Prices
Happy printing!