How do I measure TD myself?

Print a stepped swatch (0.2mm increments from 0.2 to ~4mm), backlight it evenly, and find the step where brightness stops changing visibly. That thickness approximates the TD. Phone light-meter apps make the judgment more objective.

My print looks muddy — is TD the problem?

Usually. Muddy midtones mean a filament's real TD is lower than the value you entered (light dies too early). Banding means a TD set too high. Re-measure the actual spool, not the brand's published number.

Does layer height change TD?

The TD property doesn't change, but your slicer's layer count per color band does. HueForge plans in physical depth — keep your layer height consistent between calibration and print.

Does nozzle temperature affect TD?

Slightly — hotter printing increases crystallinity changes and can shift translucency a touch. Calibrate at the temperature you'll print at.

The Complete HueForge TD Guide: Measure, Calibrate, Print

Updated 2026-06-11 · by Jay

Published TD values get you 90% of the way. This guide is about the last 10%: verifying values for your spools and fixing the prints that still come out wrong.

Where values come from

FilaScope's TD database aggregates brand-published data and community measurements, each with a confidence level. Use it to shortlist — then trust your own swatch for the spool in your hand, because pigment load varies by batch.

Measuring a spool in 20 minutes

Print the swatch: a strip stepping from 0.2mm to 4mm thickness in 0.2mm steps, single filament, your normal layer height and temperature.
Backlight it: a phone flashlight behind a diffuser (paper works) in a dim room.
Find the cutoff: the step where the glow stops visibly dimming — that thickness is your working TD.
Record it on the spool and in your HueForge filament library.

For repeatability, a lux-meter app pointed through each step turns "looks about the same" into numbers.

Calibrating HueForge

Enter measured TD per filament, keep layer height identical to your swatch, and reprint the preview strip after any change of: spool batch, nozzle temperature (±10°C), or layer height. Three checks that prevent most disappointments.

Troubleshooting by symptom

Muddy, dark midtones: entered TD too high for reality — light dies early. Lower the value (or your "mid" color is secretly low-TD).
Visible banding between colors: entered TD too low — color transitions happen in fewer layers than planned.
Washed-out highlights: white's TD overestimated, or the white layer budget is too thin. Measure the white first; it's the print's engine.
A color renders gray: that filament is more opaque than its published value (common with matte variants) — re-measure.

The shortcut version

Buy filaments with verified TDs, measure your white and black yourself, trust the database's mid-range values until a print disagrees — then measure that one spool. It's 20 minutes that saves 20-hour prints.