3D printing, explained for the bench
The same original guides built into the Gyroid app, readable offline at the printer, with the real numbers you need.
Doing the math instead? All three free calculators cover cost per print, filament weight and length, and electricity.
Basics
Start here: what a print costs, how infill works, how much filament you need.
3D Printing Infill: What It Is & How to Choose
What 3D printing infill actually does, how density and pattern change a part's strength, and the starting settings that work for almost everything.
BasicsHow Much Filament Do I Need?
Convert grams to meters and back for any filament, work out how much is left on a partially used spool, and budget a project before you start printing it.
BasicsHow to Level a 3D Printer Bed
Level a 3D printer bed the manual paper way, then tune the Z-offset so first layers actually stick. Heat first, work corner to corner, log your numbers.
BasicsDialing In a Perfect First Layer
Get a first layer that sticks every time. Bed prep, Z-offset squish, speed, flow, and temps for PLA, PETG, ABS, and TPU, plus a repeatable tuning routine.
BasicsWhat Does a 3D Print Actually Cost?
Break a 3D print into filament, electricity, machine depreciation, labor and failure cost, with formulas and a worked example so you can price a part.
Settings
Temperatures, infill, and slicer settings: the numbers, and why they move.
Infill Patterns Ranked: Gyroid vs Grid vs Honeycomb
Gyroid, grid, honeycomb, cubic, lightning and the rest, ranked on strength, speed and filament use, plus the one pattern to default to.
SettingsWhat Infill Percentage Should You Use?
Recommended infill percentages for miniatures, display pieces, functional parts and load-bearing prints, plus why adding walls beats raising infill.
SettingsNozzle Temperature Chart for Every Common Filament
Nozzle and bed temperature chart for PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, nylon and PC, plus first-layer offsets, fan settings and how to adjust by symptom.
SettingsPLA Print Temperature: Nozzle, Bed, and First Layer
The right PLA print temperature for your spool: nozzle and bed ranges, first-layer offsets, reading a temperature tower, and what silk and PLA+ change.
SettingsSlicer Settings That Actually Matter (Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu, Orca)
The dozen slicer settings that matter, what each one changes, and their names in Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio and Orca so you can switch slicers.
Troubleshooting
When a print goes wrong: what it means and what to change.
3D Print Not Sticking to the Bed? Work Through These Fixes
A first layer that lifts or curls is the most common FDM failure. Work this checklist top to bottom, from a clean bed and Z-offset to brims and bed temps.
Troubleshooting3D Printer Not Extruding? Work Down the Blockage
Nothing from the nozzle, thin gappy walls, or a print that stops halfway: diagnose clogs, heat creep, under-extrusion and extruder skipping in order.
TroubleshootingHow to Fix Stringing in 3D Prints
Fix 3D print stringing for good: dry the filament, lower nozzle temps, tune retraction, and use test prints to dial in clean travel moves.
TroubleshootingWhy 3D Prints Warp and How to Stop It
Why 3D prints warp at the corners and how to stop it: bed temps, enclosures, fan settings, brims, and geometry fixes for ABS, PETG, PLA, and nylon.
Materials
Which filament to load, and how to keep it printing.
The Filament Material Guide: PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU and More
Compare common filament types by temperature, strength, heat resistance, and difficulty so you load the right roll: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, nylon, PC.
MaterialsFilament Storage and Drying: Keep Your Spools Printing
Learn how to dry filament at the right temperature, store spools with desiccant, and spot wet filament before it ruins a print. Material-by-material guide.
MaterialsPLA vs PETG: Which Should You Print?
PLA vs PETG compared on print difficulty, strength, heat resistance, stringing, drying, and cost so you know which filament to load for the job.
Maintenance
Keeping the machine honest so prints stay repeatable.
The 3D Printer Maintenance Schedule
A print-hours maintenance schedule for FDM printers: bed cleaning, lubrication, belt tension, nozzle swaps and firmware, with the reason for each.
MaintenanceWhen to Change Your 3D Printer Nozzle
How to tell when your 3D printer nozzle is worn, how fast abrasive filament eats brass, and how to swap a nozzle hot without snapping the heatbreak.