# How do I stop oozing between moves?

Shorten retraction to about 0.5–1 mm on a direct drive and 4–6 mm on a Bowden, lower the nozzle temperature inside the spool’s listed range, dry the filament, and turn on wipe or coasting. Bambu’s PLA Basic sheet lists retraction at 0.6–1.0 mm, inside the direct-drive band.

Ooze between travels is pressure left in the nozzle. Retraction, temperature, and a dry spool are the three levers this consensus actually names.

## Retraction by extruder

Direct drive: about 0.5–1 mm. Bowden: about 4–6 mm. The [P1S](/printer/bambu-lab-p1s) and [P1P](/printer/bambu-lab-p1p) records describe a direct-drive extruder, so they take the short band. Bambu PLA Basic TDS V3.0 lists retraction of 0.6–1.0 mm at 20–40 mm/s, which sits in that band. The sheet does not say the number is universal.

A retraction that is long for the extruder is also on the [clog](/answers/clog) list. Do not “fix” ooze by adding several millimeters on a direct drive.

## Temperature and moisture

Lower the nozzle temperature inside the row you loaded. [Prusament PLA](/brand/prusament/pla) stores 205–225 °C (401–437 °F), so 200 °C (392 °F) is outside that row even if another PLA allows it. [PolyLite PLA](/brand/polymaker/polylite-pla) stores 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) and drying at 55 °C (131 °F) for 6 h. Dry before you decide the slicer is wrong. The [drying guide](/answers/drying) has the material bands.

Wipe or coasting is the travel cleanup the consensus adds after those two. This import does not store a wipe distance or a coast volume.

## What to calibrate next

If the blobs stay on the seam after retraction is in band, that is [blobs and zits](/answers/blobs) and [flow and pressure advance](/answers/flow), not a longer retraction. Stringing that is still there after a dry spool is the [stringing guide](/answers/stringing).

Updated 2026-10-15. Sources accessed 2026-10-15. Use case: Troubleshooting.

## Ranked filaments

| Rank | Filament | Nozzle | Bed | Price per kg |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Bambu Lab PLA Basic | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 35–45 °C (95–113 °F) | — |
| 2 | Polymaker Polylite PLA | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 25–60 °C (77–140 °F) | — |
| 3 | Prusament PLA | 205–225 °C (401–437 °F) | 40–60 °C (104–140 °F) | — |
| 4 | Polymaker Polylite PETG | 220–250 °C (428–482 °F) | 70–90 °C (158–194 °F) | — |

## What the community says

The consensus is to tune retraction, about 0.5–1 mm on direct drive and 4–6 mm on Bowden, lower the temperature, dry the filament, and enable wipe or coasting.

## Sources

- [Bambu PLA Basic technical data sheet V3.0](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0584/7236/6216/files/Bambu_PLA_Basic_Technical_Data_Sheet_bf3411ce-be39-4db7-9669-1b4671d2196b.pdf?v=1734060943) (datasheet)
- [PolyLite PLA technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_PLA_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf) (datasheet)
- [PolyLite PETG technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_PETG_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf) (datasheet)
- [Community source, r/3Dprinting 105sfr7](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/105sfr7/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/FixMyPrint 1dz9tey](https://www.reddit.com/r/FixMyPrint/comments/1dz9tey/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/BambuLab 178627o](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/178627o/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/FixMyPrint un6als](https://www.reddit.com/r/FixMyPrint/comments/un6als/) (reddit)
- [Community source, r/FixMyPrint vslh1y](https://www.reddit.com/r/FixMyPrint/comments/vslh1y/) (reddit)

HTML: https://filamentfacts.com/answers/ooze