Basic Print Settings

TL;DR

Choose layer height for appearance vs time, set walls before infill for strength, and only add supports where orientation can’t solve overhangs. Then sanity-check the slicer preview and run a small test; temperature/cooling/speed must match or everything else becomes unreliable.

Layer height (detail vs time)

Layer height sets how thick each vertical step is. Smaller layers reduce visible layer lines on slopes and capture small Z features, but increase print time and make first-layer and Z calibration more demanding because there are more chances for small errors to show. Larger layers print faster and are often fine for brackets, jigs, and other functional parts where you care more about fit and strength than cosmetics.

Walls/perimeters (strength where it counts)

Walls are the solid shells around the outside of the part (and around holes). For many real loads (bending, impacts, screw holes), stress concentrates at surfaces, so adding walls often increases strength and durability more efficiently than raising infill. If a part cracks, splits, or breaks around a hole, add walls (or wall thickness) and reconsider orientation before jumping to high infill.

Infill (support and stiffness, not a magic strength dial)

Infill supports top surfaces and adds bulk stiffness, but it doesn’t automatically make a part “strong” in the way extra walls do. Low-to-medium infill is often enough when you have adequate walls and top/bottom layers. Increase infill when you need better support under wide top spans, more compressive stiffness, or local solid areas (often better handled with modifiers or extra top/bottom layers rather than making the whole part dense).

Supports (printability vs cleanup/finish)

Supports let you print overhangs that would otherwise droop, but they cost time, filament, and surface quality on the supported faces. First try rotating the part to put critical surfaces facing up and to reduce overhangs. When supports are necessary, the biggest “feel” controls are how much they touch the part (Z distance), whether you use an interface, and how dense they are—too close/dense can weld and scar; too far/sparse can fail to support.

Temperature, cooling, and speed (the reliability gate)

The nozzle must melt plastic fast enough to match your chosen speed and layer height. If you print too fast for the temperature (or too cold overall), you get under-extrusion and weak layer bonding; if you’re too hot, you get stringing, blobs, and saggy overhangs. Cooling helps bridges and overhangs by solidifying plastic quickly, but excessive cooling can reduce inter-layer bonding on some materials; adjust with small tests per filament rather than guessing on a long print.

What each setting mostly affects

Surface detail

Layer height, cooling, outer-wall speed

Strength

Orientation, wall count/thickness, temperature (bonding), top/bottom layers

Printability

Supports, first layer, temperature, cooling

Time and filament

Layer height, speed, walls, infill, supports

Sane starting workflow (new filament or new part type)

1. Decide the goal: cosmetic, functional, or fast prototype; pick layer height accordingly.
2. Set walls/perimeters first (commonly 2–4) based on how the part will be loaded.
3. Set infill for top-surface support and stiffness; avoid using infill as your main strength lever.
4. Minimize supports by re-orienting; add supports only where droop would ruin the part.
5. Start temperature and cooling from the filament’s guidance; keep speed realistic for your hotend’s flow.
6. Use slicer preview to inspect: number of walls, thin features, bridges/overhangs, and where supports touch.
7. Print a small test (or a cropped section) and change one setting at a time based on what you observe.

If the print result is not what you expected