Preparing your printer and print bed before printing
Most first-layer defects come from a dirty plate or a wrong nozzle-to-bed distance. Two minutes of preparation save hours.
Checklist before every print
- Clean the plate with isopropyl alcohol of at least 90% [1].
- Do not touch the surface with your fingers.
- Check the nozzle is clean and free of filament residue.
- Use dry filament and the right profile (see why dry).
- Apply glue stick if the material needs it (see below).
- Run automatic levelling if your printer has it.
- Watch the first layers: that is when to correct things.
Cleaning the plate
- Every time: isopropyl alcohol, at least 90% [1].
- If adhesion drops: on smooth PEI, a few drops of dish soap in warm (not hot) water, dried well; it removes oils and residue that alcohol misses [1].
- Acetone: smooth PEI only, at most once a month, and not before printing PETG. Never on textured plates [1].
- Glue: a basic PVA glue stick is enough. Not needed for PLA; advisable for nylon, PETG, PC, ABS, ASA and flexibles. Wash it off with soap and water; do not use superglue [1].
These tips come from Prusa: if you have another brand, read your plate’s manual.
Nozzle distance and the first layer
- If no plastic comes out in the first layers the nozzle is probably too close: adjust Z offset in small steps [1].
- Do not compensate for poor adhesion by lowering Z offset too much (“squishing” the first layer): it can damage the plate [1].
- Slow down: about 75% speed for the first three layers [1] (or 30 mm/s as in the warping guide).
- If the material will not stick, raise the bed 5–10 °C [1].
- On large parts add a brim before other aids [1].
Periodic checks
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Every print | Isopropyl alcohol on the plate |
| When adhesion drops | Dish soap and warm water on smooth PEI |
| At most once a month | Acetone, smooth PEI only |
| After many print hours | PEI wears out: after a couple of hundred hours adhesion can drop [1] |
If the first layer is still wrong
See warping, elephant foot and under-extrusion. While printing you can adjust some values: see what you can change during a print.
Sources last checked: November 2026. Values are indicative: always check your spool manufacturer’s data sheet.