When Your Prints Go Sideways (Sometimes Literally!)
3D printing can sometimes feel like equal parts science and wizardry. One day you’re producing perfect miniatures and functional parts, and the next you’re staring at a blob of plastic that resembles a modern art exhibit more than the phone stand you were trying to print.
Fear not! Most 3D printing problems are surprisingly fixable once you know what you’re looking at. Let’s break down the most common printing problems we see customers struggling with and how to get your prints back on track without pulling your hair out.
Layer Shifting: When Your Print Suddenly Goes Sideways
You’ve checked on your print and somehow, halfway up, everything has shifted to the side like a misaligned stack of books. This layer shifting problem can transform your carefully designed model into a weird staircase.
What’s happening: Your print head is moving in ways it shouldn’t, usually because:
- Belts are too loose (or rarely, too tight)
- Pulleys are slipping on motor shafts
- Print speed is too ambitious for your machine
- The print head hit something during printing
The fix:
- Check and tighten loose belts—they should twang like a low guitar string when plucked
- Ensure all pulleys are properly secured to motor shafts
- Lower your print speed, especially for taller objects
- Make sure the print head moves freely throughout its entire range without hitting cables or debris
Stringing: When Your Print Grows Hair
Those fine, wispy strands between parts of your print make your Millennium Falcon look more like it’s been abandoned in a spider’s web.
What’s happening: As your printer moves between separate parts of your model, molten filament is oozing from the nozzle and getting dragged along.
The fix:
- Increase retraction settings—this pulls filament back into the nozzle during travel moves
- Lower printing temperature by 5-10°C increments
- Enable “combing” in your slicer settings to keep travel moves within the model when possible
- Print a “temperature tower” to find the ideal temperature for your specific filament
Warping: When Your Print Curls Up at the Edges
Nothing’s more frustrating than a print that starts perfectly flat but ends up with corners curling up like old sandwich bread.
What’s happening: As plastic cools, it shrinks slightly. When upper layers cool faster than lower ones, they pull on the lower layers, causing corners to lift.
The fix:
- Use a heated bed (if your printer has one) set to the appropriate temperature for your filament
- Apply proper bed adhesion—hairspray, glue stick, or specialized print surface
- Add a brim or raft in your slicer settings
- For stubborn materials like ABS, consider an enclosure to keep ambient temperature more stable
- Reduce cooling fan speed for the first few layers
Under-Extrusion: When Your Print Looks Hungry
If your print has gaps between lines, thin walls, or generally looks starved for plastic, you’re dealing with under-extrusion.
What’s happening: Your printer isn’t pushing out enough filament, which can happen because:
- Nozzle is partially clogged
- Filament diameter setting is incorrect
- Extrusion multiplier is too low
- Printing too fast for your hotend to melt filament effectively
- Idler pressure is too low
The fix:
- Do a “cold pull” to clean your nozzle (plenty of tutorials online for this)
- Check that your filament diameter in slicer settings matches your actual filament
- Increase flow rate/extrusion multiplier in 5% increments
- Slow down print speed
- Check that your extruder gear is clean and gripping the filament properly
Over-Extrusion: When Your Print Gets Chubby
Prints with blobs, zits, and generally imprecise details may be suffering from too much filament.
What’s happening: Your printer is pushing out more plastic than needed, causing excess material to build up.
The fix:
- Decrease flow rate/extrusion multiplier in 5% increments
- Calibrate your extruder steps (e-steps)
- Double-check filament diameter settings
- Ensure you’re using the correct nozzle size in your slicer settings
First Layer Problems: When Things Go Wrong From the Start
If your first layer isn’t sticking or looks messy, the rest of your print doesn’t stand a chance.
What’s happening: The foundation of your print isn’t being laid down properly, which can be caused by:
- Incorrect bed leveling
- Nozzle starting too far from or too close to the bed
- Bed temperature issues
- Print surface needs cleaning
The fix:
- Re-level your bed (yes, even if you just did it—trust us on this one)
- Adjust Z-offset in tiny increments until first layer has proper squish
- Clean your print surface with appropriate cleaner (isopropyl alcohol works for most surfaces)
- Check bed temperature is appropriate for your filament type
- Try slower first layer speed (20-30mm/s is a good starting point)
Elephant’s Foot: When the Base Bulges Out
That wide bulge at the base of your print might look like a feature, but it’s actually a common problem.
What’s happening: The weight of the upper layers is squishing down on the still-soft first few layers, causing them to spread out.
The fix:
- Lower bed temperature slightly
- Enable “initial layer horizontal expansion” with a negative value in your slicer
- Raise the nozzle very slightly for the first layer
- Make sure cooling kicks in after the first few layers
Pillowing: When the Top Surface Has Holes
If the top surface of your print looks like the surface of the moon with small holes and bumps, you’re experiencing pillowing.
What’s happening: The top layers aren’t cooling quickly enough or there aren’t enough of them to create a solid surface.
The fix:
- Increase top layers (try 5-6 minimum)
- Increase cooling fan speed for top layers
- Lower printing temperature for top layers
- Decrease printing speed for top layers
Z-Banding: When You Can See Regular Layer Lines
Visible horizontal lines at regular intervals throughout your print can ruin an otherwise perfect model.
What’s happening: Your Z-axis movement isn’t smooth, which can be caused by:
- Z-rod binding or misalignment
- Z-motor skipping steps
- Mechanical issues with Z-axis components
The fix:
- Ensure Z-rods are properly lubricated
- Check that Z-rods are parallel to frame and not bent
- Loosen or tighten Z-coupler (depends on printer design)
- Adjust Z-motor current if possible
- Ensure all Z-axis components are properly aligned
Support Material Won’t Come Off: When Your Print Is Stuck in Scaffolding
You’ve printed a beautiful model, but now the support material seems permanently bonded to it.
What’s happening: The interface between your model and supports is too strong or not designed optimally.
The fix:
- Increase support Z distance in slicer settings
- Adjust support interface density
- Try different support patterns
- Consider using support blockers in areas where supports are difficult to remove
- For dual-extruder setups, use soluble support material if available
Printing Takes Forever: When Your Print Becomes a Time Investment
While not technically a “problem,” excessively long print times can be frustrating.
What’s happening: Your slicer settings are optimized for quality at the expense of speed.
The fix:
- Increase layer height (0.2mm instead of 0.1mm cuts print time almost in half)
- Decrease infill percentage (20% is sufficient for many models)
- Use adaptive/variable layer height features
- Optimize wall thickness (2-3 perimeters is usually enough)
- Increase speed for non-critical parts of your model
When All Else Fails: The Nuclear Options
Sometimes the standard fixes just don’t cut it, and you need to take more drastic measures:
- Replace the nozzle: Even with cleaning, nozzles wear out and can cause persistent extrusion problems
- Check for firmware updates: Printer manufacturers often fix bugs in newer firmware versions
- Try a different slicer: Sometimes switching to a different slicer resolves stubborn issues
- Re-seat all connections: Electronic gremlins often come from slightly loose connections
- Machine calibration: Perform a complete calibration sequence including e-steps, flow rate calibration, and mechanical alignment to reset your printer to optimal settings
- Print a known model without errors: Test with a standard model like Benchy that’s specifically designed to reveal printer issues—if this prints perfectly, the problem might be with your specific model
- Ask for help: Bring your printer by our store (or at least bring failed prints and your settings), and we’ll help diagnose particularly stubborn problems
Final Thoughts: Persistence Pays Off
Remember that 3D printing still has a bit of “magic” to it, and even experienced makers occasionally end up with spectacular fails. Each failed print teaches you something new about the process, and eventually, you’ll develop an almost supernatural ability to spot problems before they ruin an 18-hour print.
Keep a notebook of what works for your specific printer and materials—every machine has its own quirks and preferences. And don’t hesitate to swing by our store with your problem prints! Our staff has collectively seen just about every 3D printing disaster imaginable and probably made most of them ourselves along the way.
You can also attend any of our free Bambu Bootcamp Classes each month here at the store for guidance. https://events.gigaparts.com/
Happy printing, and remember—sometimes the best solution is simply to try again with your new knowledge!