If you’re new to 3D printing and looking at buying your first machine, there’s another interesting printer about to enter the market — the Creality SPARKX i8.
The big selling point is four-colour printing. Instead of constantly pulling filament backwards and forwards during colour changes, the SPARKX i8 uses Creality’s new QuarTeks system, which keeps four filaments ready close to the nozzle.
Why could that matter?
Traditional multicolour printing can create quite a lot of wasted filament. Every time the printer changes colour, it normally needs to purge some of the previous colour first.
Creality claims its new system can change colours in under one second while significantly reducing this waste.
For somebody just getting into the hobby, that could mean:
🟢 Four-colour printing straight from one machine
🟢 Less wasted filament
🟢 Faster multicolour prints
🟢 Automatic bed levelling
🟢 Built-in camera
🟢 A useful 260 × 260 × 255 mm build area
🟢 Print speeds of up to 500 mm/s
Should a beginner buy one?
This is where I’d recommend waiting for the reviews.
The specifications look really promising, but this is new technology. We need to see how reliable the four-colour system is after hundreds or thousands of filament changes — not just during a demonstration.
Price will also be important. Creality hasn’t yet announced a normal UK retail price.
Our advice
Don’t buy your first 3D printer purely because it has the biggest numbers on the box.
Ease of use, reliability, replacement parts, software and community support can be far more important when you’re learning.
The SPARKX i8 definitely looks like one to watch, though. If Creality’s new multicolour system performs as well as claimed, 2026 could be a very interesting year for affordable multicolour 3D printing.
Gift & Receive – helping beginners understand 3D printing before spending their money.
