# What filament is best for signs and lettering?

Use PLA for an indoor sign, with a profile for that color. These threads do not crown a filament for outdoor lettering: a wood-PLA birdhouse post says that print lasted 3 years outside, and the outdoor guide still ranks ASA ahead of PLA for sun.

Use PLA for an indoor sign, with a profile for that color. These threads do not crown a filament for outdoor lettering: a wood-PLA birdhouse post says that print lasted 3 years outside, and the outdoor guide still ranks ASA ahead of PLA for sun.

Indoor letters can be PLA. A sign that stays in the sun is a different question, and this bank does not answer it with a datasheet.

## Indoor lettering

[PLA Basic](/brand/bambu-lab/pla-basic) lists 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) and a bed of 35–45 °C (95–113 °F). [PolyLite PLA](/brand/polymaker/polylite-pla) lists 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) and a bed of 25–60 °C (77–140 °F). [SUNLU PLA](/brand/sunlu/pla) lists 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) and a bed of 50–70 °C (122–158 °F), with drying at 50–55 °C (122–131 °F) for 8 h on the SUNLU wiki. Use a profile for the color you loaded. Two-color letters that change at a layer are on [multicolor printing](/answers/multicolor).

[r/BambuLab 1lsyhjh](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1lsyhjh/) is itself a small sign, a reminder of which build-plate side is PLA and which is PETG. The top replies say to wash the plate.

## What the outdoor thread reports

[r/3Dprinting 1w14zsq](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1w14zsq/) is a wood-PLA birdhouse. The poster says it has lasted 3 years outside, with 3 walls and 30% gyroid, and asks if the wood pulp helps with UV. A score-118 reply says their own PLA rarely fails in the sun, names a dashboard boomerang and a greenhouse seed starter as the failures, and says PLA+ on a Florida motorcycle has lasted over a year. That reply also says to try PETG if the part should last. A score-46 reply says PLA does not fall apart after 30 minutes of sun. Those are reports from the thread. [PLA outdoors](/answers/pla_outdoor) and [outdoor filament](/answers/outdoor) keep ASA as the sun-facing choice. [Bambu ASA](/brand/bambu-lab/asa) lists 235–260 °C (455–500 °F) and a bed of 90–110 °C (194–230 °F). [PLA](/material/pla) and [ASA](/material/asa) are the material pages.

## Threads that are not sign advice

[r/prusa3d 1q8oppv](https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/1q8oppv/) is a CORE One+ filament sensor pinching a PTFE tube. [r/3Dprinting 17m6bmr](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/17m6bmr/) asks someone to design an ABS mirror adapter. [r/FixMyPrint 1141uh6](https://www.reddit.com/r/FixMyPrint/comments/1141uh6/) asks if a cheese-like string means the hotend is too hot. The score-63 reply says melted plastic looks like melted plastic. [SUNLU](/brand/sunlu) and [Polymaker](/brand/polymaker) are the brand indexes.

Updated 2026-10-20. Sources accessed 2026-10-20. Use case: Outdoor.

## Ranked filaments

| Rank | Filament | Nozzle | Bed | Price per kg |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Bambu Lab PLA Basic | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 35–45 °C (95–113 °F) | — |
| 2 | Polymaker Polylite PLA | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 25–60 °C (77–140 °F) | — |
| 3 | SUNLU PLA | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 50–70 °C (122–158 °F) | — |
| 4 | Bambu Lab ASA | 235–260 °C (455–500 °F) | 90–110 °C (194–230 °F) | — |

## What the community says

r/3Dprinting 1w14zsq shows a wood-PLA birdhouse the poster says has lasted 3 years outside, printed with 3 walls and 30% gyroid, and asks whether the wood pulp adds UV resistance. A score-118 reply says their PLA rarely fails in the sun, names a dashboard boomerang and a greenhouse seed starter as the two that deformed, and says PLA+ on a motorcycle in Florida has lasted over a year. The same reply says to try PETG if you want it to last. A score-46 reply says PLA does not dissolve after 30 minutes in the sun. r/prusa3d 1q8oppv is a CORE One+ filament sensor whose PTFE tube is pinched. r/3Dprinting 17m6bmr asks for an ABS mirror adapter and the replies are design notes, not a filament comparison. r/BambuLab 1lsyhjh is a printed reminder of which build-plate side is for PLA and which is for PETG. The top replies say to clean the plate. r/FixMyPrint 1141uh6 asks if a cheese-like string means the printer is too hot. The score-63 reply says melted plastic looks like melted plastic. Later replies flag an Anet A8 power supply.

## Sources

- [Bambu PLA Basic technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0584/7236/6216/files/Bambu_PLA_Basic_Technical_Data_Sheet_bf3411ce-be39-4db7-9669-1b4671d2196b.pdf?v=1734060943) (datasheet)
- [Bambu ASA technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0645/5876/0155/files/Bambu_ASA_Technical_Data_Sheet.pdf) (datasheet)
- [PolyLite PLA product page](https://us.polymaker.com/products/polylite-pla) (manufacturer)
- [SUNLU filament wiki](https://www.sunlu.com/wiki/61) (manufacturer)
- [Community source, r/3Dprinting 1w14zsq](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/1w14zsq/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/prusa3d 1q8oppv](https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/1q8oppv/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/3Dprinting 17m6bmr](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/17m6bmr/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/BambuLab 1lsyhjh](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1lsyhjh/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/FixMyPrint 1141uh6](https://www.reddit.com/r/FixMyPrint/comments/1141uh6/) (reddit)

HTML: https://filamentfacts.com/answers/signs