Slicer settings
0.6 vs 0.4 mm Nozzle: What Changes, in Numbers
Line width, layer height ceiling, flow demand, print time and detail for a 0.6 mm nozzle against a 0.4 mm, from Prusa, Bambu Lab and OrcaSlicer docs.
Guides
How to get a setting, a price or a material choice right, with the numbers worked through.
3D Print Tolerances: Clearance for Parts That Fit
Published clearances for sliding, loose and press fits on FDM printers, why holes print small and first layers flare, and how to find your own number.
3D Printer Electricity Cost UK: Real Pence per Hour
What a 3D printer costs to run in the UK at the Ofgem price cap from 1 October 2026, using maker-published average power, not the spec sheet maximum.
Bambu Lab A1 vs A1 mini: What the Extra $80 Buys
Bambu Lab A1 and A1 mini specs side by side from the manufacturer's pages: build volume, bed temperature, footprint, power and price, and who each one suits.
First Layer Not Sticking: Fixes That Work, in Order
Clean plate, right plate type, bed temperature by material from maker data sheets, nozzle height and first layer speed, per Prusa and Bambu Lab.
How Much Filament Is on a 1 kg Spool, in Meters
Meters per kilogram for 11 materials in 1.75 and 2.85 mm, worked out from data sheet densities, plus how to tell whether a part-used spool will finish a print.
How Much to Charge for 3D Printing: A Worked Formula
Price a 3D print with one formula: material, energy, machine wear and your time, corrected for failed prints, then marked up. Full worked example.
How to Dry Filament: Temperatures, Times and Methods
Drying temperatures and times per material from maker data sheets, why 10 degrees too hot ruins PLA, and dryer vs oven vs printer bed with sources.
How to Fix 3D Print Stringing, in Order of Likelihood
The causes of stringing ranked, with the retraction lengths, temperature steps and drying figures that Prusa, Bambu Lab, OrcaSlicer and Klipper publish.
Infill Percentage and Strength: Walls Matter More
What Prusa, OrcaSlicer and Protolabs Network say about infill versus walls, the little test data there is, and where the plastic is best spent.
Layer Height vs Nozzle Size: The Real Limits
What Prusa, Bambu Lab and OrcaSlicer each state as the layer height range for a nozzle, why they differ, and how volumetric flow sets the real ceiling.
PETG vs ABS vs ASA for Outdoor Parts
Heat deflection at stated load, UV behavior as the makers describe it, and enclosure needs for PETG, ABS and ASA parts that have to live outside.
PLA vs PETG: Which to Use, With Data Sheet Numbers
PLA vs PETG compared on maker data sheets: temperatures, drying, density and heat deflection at a stated load. Plain advice on which to use where.
Pressure Advance Explained, and How to Calibrate It
What pressure advance does, how to tune it with Klipper's tuning tower or OrcaSlicer's three tests, and the value ranges the firmware docs publish.