Introduction

Some parts of this guide are tailored to printers running Klipper, but many pages work for other firmwares. See "Compatibility Icons" below.

This guide was originally written for the Voron community. Some notes and hardware troubleshooting tips are still Voron specific.

Notes

• My SuperSlicer profiles are located 📄here.
• If you have issues, comments, or suggestions about the guide, please let me know on GitHub issues or via Discord: 📄Ellis#4980
  • For issues not directly related to the guide content itself, or for troubleshooting & print help, please use the public help channels in the 📄Voron Discord (or the appropriate community for your printer).
• You can find the bed models and textures I am using 📄here. The bed texture I am using in some of the older screenshots is from 📄VoronUsers.
• Thank you to bythorsthunder for help with testing these methods and providing some of the photos.
• Support my drinking habits:
• Icons
  • ⚠️ = ❗Please pay extra attention to items marked with this.❗
  • 📄 = Link to another page.
  • 📌 = Jump to section (on same page).

Table of Contents

Compatibility Icons

• (:new_moon:) = Klipper or Voron specific.
• (:first_quarter_moon:) = Concept applies to all firmwares, but notable tips/commands/configs are Klipper or Voron specific.
• (:waxing_gibbous_moon:) = Applies to all firmwares, but some minor details (commands, configs) may differ (often noted).
• (:full_moon:) = Applies to printers, or all Marlin/Klipper printesr.

Before We Begin

• Before We Begin
  • ⚠️ Important Checks
• A Note About Line Width
• Setting Expectations

Print Tuning

Essentials. Read/follow these in order shown.

• Build Surface Adhesion (:full_moon:)
• First Layer Squish (:waxing_gibbous_moon:)
• Pressure Advance ("Linear Advance" in Marlin) (:full_moon:)
  • Why PA is Needed
  • What PA Does
  • Pattern Method
  • Fine-Tuning and What to Look For
  • Tower Method (:new_moon:)
• Extrusion Multiplier (:full_moon:)
  • Background
  • Method
  • Rationale & Dimensional Accuracy
• PA / EM Oddities (:waxing_gibbous_moon:)
  • Slight Perimeter Gapping
  • Slight Corner Gapping
• Cooling and Layer Times (:full_moon:)
  • Signs of Overheating
  • How to Fix It
• Retraction (:full_moon:)
  • If You Are Having Persistent Issues
    • With PETG
• Infill/Perimeter Overlap (:full_moon:)

Printer Tuning

Mostly optional. For pushing limits, or for troubleshooting.
"Voron V2 Gantry Squaring" is the only essential.

• Determining Maximum Volumetric Flow Rate (:full_moon:)
  • Why?
  • Approximate Values
  • How Volumetric Flow Rate Relates to Print Speed
  • Formulas
  • Method
  • Flow Dropoff
• Determining Motor Currents (:waxing_gibbous_moon:)
  • Determining Initial run_current
  • Determining Maximum run_current
  • Determining hold_current
• Determining Maximum Speeds and Accelerations (:new_moon:)
  • Method
  • Usage of the TEST_SPEED Macro
• Voron V2 Gantry Squaring (:new_moon:)

Miscellaneous

• Stepover (:full_moon:) (The black magic secret for better overhangs)
• Useful Macros (:new_moon:)
  • Conditional Homing
  • Conditional QGL
  • ⚠️ Hotend Fan RPM Monitoring
  • My Pause/Resume Macros (For Runouts, Filament Swaps, and Manual Pauses)
    • Pause
    • Resume
    • Cancel
    • Octoprint Configuration
    • M600 (Filament Change) Alias
    • Example Filament Sensor Config
      • Basic Filament Switch Sensor
      • Smart Filament Sensor
    • Filament Sensor Management
  • Beeper
  • LCD RGB
  • Parking
  • Off
  • Shut Down Pi
    • As option in LCD menu
  • Dump Variables
  • Get Variable
  • Replace M109/M190 With TEMPERATURE_WAIT
• Passing Slicer Variables to PRINT_START (:new_moon:)
  • Passing Temperatures
    • SuperSlicer
    • Prusa Slicer
    • Cura
• Controlling Slicer Temperature G-Code Order (Simple Method) (:full_moon:)
• My Setup (since people ask a lot)

Troubleshooting

Even without issues, you should look through these to familiarize yourself with things to look out for.
Especially thermal drift under "First Layer / Squish Consistency Issues"

Extrusion Patterns / "Wood Grain"(:first_quarter_moon:)

• Extruder Backlash
• Other Factors
• Clockwork 1
• Mini Afterburner

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Bulging (:full_moon:)

• Bulging Layers

  • 

• Bulges at STL Vertices

  • 

• Bulging around features (SS)

  • 

• Bulging Patterns on Overhangs (SS)

  • 

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Crimps (:full_moon:)

Error: "Command Format Mismatch" (:new_moon:)

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Extruder Skipping (:first_quarter_moon:)

First Layer / Squish Consistency Issues (:new_moon:)

• ⚠️Thermal Drift
• First Layer Conistency
• Squish Consistency (Between Prints)

Layer Shifting (:first_quarter_moon:)

• Mechanical
• Electrical
• Speeds and Accelerations

Perimeter Separation (:full_moon:)

PLA is Overheating (:full_moon:)

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Pockmarks (:full_moon:)

VFAs (Vertical Fine Artifacts) (:new_moon:)

• Repeating VFAs With ~2mm Spacing
• Repeating VFAs With Non-2mm Spacing

Slicer is Putting Heating G-codes in the Wrong Place/Order (:first_quarter_moon:)

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Small Infill Areas Look Overextruded (:waxing_gibbous_moon:)