Troubleshooting
How do I fix stringing?
First in this ranking: Bambu Lab PLA Basic.
- Nozzle190–230 °C (374–446 °F)
- Bed35–45 °C (95–113 °F)
- Speedup to 300 mm/s
- Dry50 °C (122 °F) for 8 h
- Density1.24 g/cm³
Ranked filaments
| Rank | Filament | Material | Nozzle | Bed | Price / kg | Datasheet | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bambu Lab PLA BasicBambu PLA Basic technical data sheet V3.0. Nozzle 190–230 °C (374–446 °F), bed 35–45 °C (95–113 °F), blast-oven drying 50 °C (122 °F) for 8 h. The same sheet lists retraction of 0.6–1.0 mm at 20–40 mm/s. That distance is this spool's sheet, not a Bowden setting. | PLA | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 35–45 °C (95–113 °F) | — | Datasheet | |
| 2 | ELEGOO PLA PlusELEGOO PLA Plus US product page, checked 15 October 2026. Nozzle 200–230 °C (392–446 °F), bed 35–65 °C (95–149 °F), drying 50 ± 5 °C (122 ± 9 °F) for 8 h. Retraction length is not in our sources. | PLA+ | 200–230 °C (392–446 °F) | 35–65 °C (95–149 °F) | — | — | |
| 3 | Bambu Lab PETG HFBambu PETG HF technical data sheet. Nozzle 230–260 °C (446–500 °F), bed 65–75 °C (149–167 °F), drying 65 °C (149 °F) for 8 h. Retraction length is not in our sources. Lower the nozzle inside 230–260 °C (446–500 °F). | PETG | 230–260 °C (446–500 °F) | 65–75 °C (149–167 °F) | — | Datasheet |
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Dry the spool before you edit retraction. Wet filament strings in a way that looks like a slicer bug. The drying guide has the community bands. PLA Basic lists blast-oven drying at 50 °C (122 °F) for 8 h. ELEGOO PLA Plus lists 50 ± 5 °C (122 ± 9 °F) for 8 h. PETG HF lists 65 °C (149 °F) for 8 h.
Temperature inside the catalog range
Lower the nozzle toward the bottom of the row you loaded. PLA Basic stores 190–230 °C (374–446 °F). ELEGOO PLA Plus stores 200–230 °C (392–446 °F). PETG HF stores 230–260 °C (446–500 °F). A temperature tower belongs inside that range. This catalog does not store a tower result, and this page does not invent one.
Retraction by extruder
Bowden needs more distance than direct drive. The only retraction length in these three records is on the PLA Basic sheet: 0.6–1.0 mm at 20–40 mm/s. Leave that number on that sheet. Ooze already separates the community direct-drive band from the Bowden band. Flow and pressure advance is the next calibration after retraction is in a sane range for the extruder.
What the comments are
Two of the cited threads drew joke replies. This page does not quote them and does not turn a joke about travel speed into a travel-speed setting. The summary does not give a travel speed or a coast distance.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Drying comes before retraction, which is the order the summary gives.
- The temperature step stays inside each catalog range.
Cons
- The highest-scored comments on two cited threads are jokes. They are not the process.
- Retraction length is stored on the PLA Basic sheet and missing on the ELEGOO PLA Plus and PETG HF rows. This page does not copy 0.6–1.0 mm onto those rows.
Printer considerations
- Bowden and direct drive need different retraction distances. This cluster does not publish a millimeter value of its own.
- A lower nozzle temperature still has to sit inside the row you loaded. 200 °C (392 °F) is inside PLA Basic's 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) and outside PETG HF's 230–260 °C (446–500 °F).
- The P1S and P1P records describe a direct-drive extruder. Do not paste a long Bowden retraction into that setup.
What the community says
The editorial summary is that stringing is usually wet filament or a nozzle that is too hot. Dry the spool first, then tune retraction, and run a temperature tower inside the manufacturer range. The caveat is that Bowden and direct drive need very different retraction. Top comments mention PLA, TPU, and PETG. This page ranks the PLA and PETG rows that have catalog temperatures. It does not add a TPU retraction distance.
- Community source, r/3Dprinting 105sfr7
- Community source, r/ender3 10sw6kh
- Community source, r/FixMyPrint 1ol83cb
- Community source, r/FixMyPrint y8qwjl
Sources & notes
Accessed 15 October 2026.
- Bambu PLA Basic technical data sheet V3.0 datasheet
- ELEGOO PLA Plus US product page manufacturer
- Bambu Lab PETG HF technical data sheet datasheet
- Community source, r/3Dprinting 105sfr7 reddit
- Community source, r/ender3 10sw6kh reddit
- Community source, r/FixMyPrint 1ol83cb reddit
- Community source, r/FixMyPrint y8qwjl reddit
Related questions
- How do I get good PLA prints?PLA
- How do I get good PETG prints?PETG
- Do I need to dry filament, and how?Drying
- How do I calibrate flow rate and pressure advance for a new filament?Troubleshooting
- How do I stop oozing between moves?Troubleshooting
Questions
What retraction distance fixes stringing?
This cluster does not publish one. The Bambu PLA Basic sheet lists 0.6–1.0 mm at 20–40 mm/s. ELEGOO PLA Plus and Bambu PETG HF do not store a retraction length. Bowden needs more distance than direct drive. The ooze guide records the community bands by extruder type.
Are the top comments the consensus?
No. On two of the cited threads the highest-scored comments are jokes. The process on this page is the editorial summary: dry first, then temperature inside the catalog range, then retraction.