Print problems: diagnosis by symptom
Each troubleshooting page starts from what you see on the print, lists the causes that the printer makers and slicer developers document for it, and gives an order to check them in, cheapest test first.
Many defects share causes. Wet filament, for example, shows up as stringing, rough surfaces and weak layers, so the pages link to each other and to the calibration guides that fix the underlying setting.
13 guides
- Stringing and oozing: rule out wet filament, then tune temperature and retraction
Why thin strands and blobs form during travel moves, and the order to check moisture, nozzle temperature, retraction, travel paths and pressure advance.
12 sources
- Tracing under-extrusion from the spool to the nozzle tip
Gaps, thin walls and weak layers traced to their cause: spool drag, extruder tension, partial clogs, volumetric limits, flow ratio, e-steps or diameter.
12 sources
- Why print corners lift off the bed, and what keeps warping parts flat
Warping comes from uneven shrinkage as layers cool. How plate prep, bed heat, cooling, drafts, enclosures, brims and mouse ears each reduce corner lift.
13 sources
- Clogged nozzles and heat creep: cold pulls, needle cleaning and chamber heat
Tell a partial clog from a full jam, run a cold pull on Prusa and Bambu Lab printers, and prevent PLA heat creep and buildup from filled filaments.
16 sources
- Diagnosing layer shifts: belts, pulleys, nozzle collisions and stepper limits
Read the shape of a layer shift, then check pulleys, belts, collisions, speed and motor current, using Prusa, Bambu Lab, Klipper and Marlin documentation.
14 sources
- Elephant's foot on the first layer: Z offset, bed heat and slicer compensation
Measure first-layer flare, fix Z offset and bed temperature, then set Elephant foot compensation in PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer or Bambu Studio.
9 sources
- First layer not sticking: Z offset, a clean plate and the right surface
Fix prints that will not stick to the bed: nozzle height, cleaning the plate the way its maker specifies, plate and filament pairing, bed heat and speed.
14 sources
- Over-extrusion and its look-alikes: flow ratio, e-steps and filament diameter
Ridged top layers, blobs and oversized walls from too much plastic: how to confirm over-extrusion and tell it apart from pillowing and elephant's foot.
14 sources
- Weak layer bonds and delamination: what heat, cooling, enclosures and moisture change
Why printed layers crack or peel apart, how to check temperature, cooling, layer height and moisture, and what data sheets publish about Z strength.
19 sources
- Wet filament: warning signs, which materials absorb the most, and drying
Popping, bubbles, stringing and rough surfaces from moist filament, absorption figures from Bambu Lab data sheets, and when makers say to dry first.
22 sources
- Pillowing on top surfaces: shell count, infill support and internal bridge settings
Bumps and pinholes on flat tops come from solid layers sagging over sparse infill. Settings to change in PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer and Bambu Studio.
12 sources
- Ringing and ghosting after sharp corners: input shaping, acceleration and belt checks
Ripples that echo edges come from frame and belt resonance. Check the mechanics, then tune input shaping in Klipper, Marlin, Prusa or Bambu Lab firmware.
12 sources
- Z-banding versus layer-time lines: sorting Z hardware from slicer and heater causes
Horizontal bands can come from lead screws, layer-time changes, flow changes or bed heater cycling. How to tell them apart and what each doc says to check.
13 sources