Everyone's gonna have an opinion, but honestly best advice?
Play with it. Play with your machine, your settings, your models, various filaments. Every 3d printer setup is bespoke
this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2025
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In terms of physical things:
- Printer
- A roll of PLA (take it easy with buying filament. First figure out how much you will print, only then stock up in filament. Filament has a shelf life of 1-2 years depending on the type. Don't buy too much or you might have to toss it. You can always buy more. Also, first master PLA, then get into other filaments.)
- A bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol (perfect print bed degreaser, makes your prints stick nicely to the print bed during printing)
- Pliers/tweezers/cutter knife to remove support and for simple post-processing
If you go more advanced (don't do that in the beginning:
- Filament dryer (required for PETG, TPU and some other filaments, usually not required for PLA)
- First PETG, then TPU, then after filaments if you need them. I print since 2017 and PLA, PETG, TPU have been all I needed.
- Hot air soldering station (awesome tool for post-processing)
Software side:
- A slicer is a must. If there's one that your printer's manual recommends, get that one for the start. Otherwise get PrusaSlicer or Cura.
- 3D editing software or CAD software are required to DIY your own models, but there's tons of models already available on the internet (checkout www.yeggi.com, it's a 3D model search engine), so that's not required in the beginning.
Btw, filament doesn't need to be from your printer manufacturer. There's lots of different manufacturers for filament. Just make sure the diameter is correct (usually 1.75mm) and that you shop for a material that's compatible with your printer (PLA, PETG works on all printers; TPU/TPE requires a direct drive extruder which most printers have nowadays; ABS/Nylon requires an all-metal-hotend that can go over 260°C and an enclosure; Carbon-filled filaments require a hardened nozzle).
I personally like spectrumfilaments.com a lot if you are from Europe.
If the filament shelf-life is 1-2 years does that mean the piece it creates becomes more brittle or breaks down as well, after 1-2 tears. Novice here.
Not trying to sound rude, but does your printer have a manual? If so, check it out. My Prusa printer came with a very good manual for beginners. It also came with a pre-loaded USB stick with pre-sliced models to print.
I think only Prusa still ships a real, honest to god printed manual anymore. Most printers come with just a pamphlet to setup and plug it in.
Paper costs money to print and to ship.
True. Not much comes with a manual. Most products just come with a slip of paper with a QR code on it.
That is the sad part. When I got my Prusa Mk3s kit way back during covid, it not only came with a users manual, but a hefty large assembly manual. Both books printed on glossy paper and full page color pictures with circles and arrows on them.
I still have both books and I still use that Mk3s.
Don't forget the Gummi Bears!
I have an intense dislike for gummie bears. So I gave them away. The free full kilo of Galaxy silver filament that came in the box had my full attention though.
Don't eat filament.
Not rude, don't worry!
I'm sure it does, but I'm not opening it until Christmas. It'll be my Christmas day project, and I thought I'd get tips ahead of time.
In that case, check out the manufacturer's website and look up the manual for that specific printer. Also see of they have their own slicer software. As others have said, Prusa Slicer is a good one. It also has a web GUI that will let you manage files, monitor and start/stop prints. (edit: the web GUI is part of the printer software, not the slicer, but I'm sure yours has one too.)
Another tip, (especially if your printer is banished to the basement like mine) is to get a small web cam for your printer so you can watch for problems remotely.
Oh, and speaking of keeping it in separate rooms, look up health hazards such as particulates and off-gassing. Keep the kiddos safe.
"All this slicer stuff":
So an STL file stores the shape of an object by defining triangles by their vertices in 3D space. Kind of like a giant 3D connect the dots puzzle. I'll note here: This is a close but imperfect approximation of a shape, especially curved surfaces are actually highly faceted. Other file types like AMF or 3MF or something might be able to do true curves, I'm not sure. An STL only stores the surfaces of an object, it is up to the program that is reading it to interpret the interior as hollow or solid or whatever.
Your 3D printer can't understand an STL file. It's a fairly simple machine, it's got a couple heaters, a couple fans and a few motors, and it needs to be told what to do with them in very direct terms. Most 3D printers use a command langauge called G-Code for this; a line of G-Code might look like this: G1 X35.386 Y181.683 E27.01397 I actually copied that line out of a G-Code file. It's commanding the printer to move the nozzle from its current position in a straight line to an X, Y and E position. E is the extruder axis, get used to that 3D printers actually track motion in 4 axes. G-Code is designed to be human readable and writable, and I suggest you learn a little bit about how it works for reasons I'll get to later, but for the most part you're going to use software to automatically generate G-Code, using a slicer.
A slicer is what we call 3D printer CAM software. 3D printers usually create objects by laying down thin, flat layers of plastic that can be described in 2D terms, so the software "slices" the model into a bunch of horizontal cross sections to arrive at a 2D shape, and then uses an algorithm to draw that shape using lines of extruded plastic. G-code has commands for curves and such but most slicers just use a series of very short straight lines.
The general algorithm is going to be something like "draw a few laps of this layer's outline. Color inside the lines, and then move the Z axis up a fraction of a millimeter and do it again." Things like how many laps it does drawing the outline, how densely to color inside the lines and in what pattern, along with what temperatures to heat the bed and nozzle among many other things are adjustable in the slicer's settings. Almost all of the 3D printer's behavior is actually decided by the slicer.
Including the little routines it goes through at the very beginning and end of the print. You'll find a page in the settings that allow you to write custom G-Code that it will copy paste at the beginning of each file, at the end of each file, and sometimes between each layer. I have a Prusa-style bed flinger printer, and I added a command to the end script to run the bed all the way forward as if presenting the model, to make it easier to get to for removal. This is why I said it's wise to learn a little about G-Code, so you can add customizations here.
Additional tools: I like to keep a pair of needle nose pliers near the printer to grab oozed filament, some side cutting pliers for snipping filament, I have some dedicated allen wrenches for the common adjustments on my machine, and a razor scraper for removing prints from the bed. Your machine may have different features than mine so adjust accordingly.
I really appreciate all of this detail. Thank you!
Oh, I just about forgot: One of the best things you can do is sit and watch it print, even as it's going slightly wrong. That can be instructive. Watch it do things like overhangs, bridges, small features, etc.
I shall indeed.
You best spend some time on YouTube looking at introductory videos.
I have been, but figured y'all would know best!
An STL file describes an object/shape. This needs to be translated into actual print instructions such as move to X/Y position, squirt plastic, move again, etc. This is what a slicer does: It "translates" from a shape to actual print instructions. I'm not sure, but I've always assumed that it's called slicing because it takes the 3D object and creates many vertical slices with print instructions.
I don't know about your printer specifically, but I guess it takes Gcode (which is what you get as output from a slicer) like most other printers? I suggest you grab PrusaSlicer as it's very flexible and supports a lot of different printer defaults. Load your STL in there, slice it, transfer the result to your printer, and you should in theory be good to go.
Tip: Start with something small.
I appreciate the help! Starting small, aye.
I've not seen the steps between STL and plastic model before so that's where I will be learning. I'm excited!
start out with a calibration print such as a benchy or XYZ cube using the default settings. if it looks wrong, Google the "symptoms" and go from there. modern printers take less fiddling than printers from 10 years ago so hopefully you won't need to do much.
That's what I'm hoping! I've got two friends that have printers and I'll get more tips from them.
nice!
The only step you're missing is basically what I described above. I recommend grabbing PrusaSlicer, load your STL, and play around with it, as it shows after slicing the various print instructions it comes up with. For starting out, the defaults should work fine.
Will do, thank you very much!
I'm a big fan of Gunplamark's remixed filament box.
https://www.printables.com/model/1305684-the-ultimate-cereal-container-filament-drybox-offi
Look at the remix files. There's a better roller design by CMYK
https://www.printables.com/model/1339511-precision-single-bearing-spool-rollers
You're going to need a scraper. Print your own or buy the plastic replaceable razor scraper (the blade itself is plastic so it can't hurt your build plate)
You will also need a deburring tool.
That's fantastic! Is that to control the temperature or humidity of the filament?
Humidity. Wet filament is notorious for failed prints. There are ways and devices to dry filament again, but it's just better to keep it dry from the beginning!
Makes perfect sense. Thanks!
Oh and to keep the filament dry get the bulk orange desiccant. The white activated alumina is technically better but the orange is much easier to know when it's ready to be dried in the oven. -and to know when its finished drying. I tried microwave and damaged the orange color change from over heating. Oven at low temp for drying desiccant is fool proof.
Appreciate it. I never would have thought of this.
What's your goal, to take random designs other people made and print them, or to make your own stuff for fun or for some practical purpose?
The first original thing I'd made was a box to hold double-A batteries.
The slicer converts models into code to suit your printer. I use CURA for that.
Just ensure that you have your bed and extruder temps set right, and you pick an infill setting you like (I go 15-20% and Cubic). Make sure to preview the model and ensure that any significant overhang is supported. The bed on your machine autolevels but for anyone else, level your bed before starting your first print.
Only other software you need is 3d modeling software to make your own models. I've used Blender and FreeCAD but more expensive professional tools will work too.
The kids want to print (what is in my eyes) random junk. I'll try to make some brackets and holders for stuff, which should be a fun challenge.
Thank you for the tips! I've listened in on a bunch of threads here, and I've learned a bunch of terms but have no experience. should be fun!
I stopped printing toys. They kids loved to watch them being printed, but they are usually not fun to play. Single-color, low detail, low durability, really not what you want for kids toys.
They usually play with a print for a few minutes and then toss it into their box of toys, never to be played with again. It's a waste of plastic. It's literally printing junk.
That was my main reason for voting "no", but I was outvoted by my wife.
Hey, if the wife supports the 3D printing hobby, I think that's worth printing a bit of garbage.
It wasn't going to be MY hobby, but I can tell I'll be tech support.
Ah, gotcha :)
Once you get the hang of the basics, the "Articulated" models of various creatures are lots of fun for kids. A lot of them have already seen them at school. Surprisingly easy to print. You may need to use a brim or raft on some of them to make sure the small contact patch on each of the segments gets enough bed adhesion, but other than that, they print-in-place with no assembly required.
We have a few octopodes and things like that around the house from the library. They're big fans!
Unless you live somewhere with a really low humidity, get something to store your filament rolls in. I like the Sterilite 54 Quart Gasket Boxes. They will hold a dozen rolls of filament. Put humidity meter and a big cloth bag of silica gel in there to keep it dry. Bake the silica gel when the humidity starts rising to regenerate it.
The 4 liter cereal storage containers work well for storing single rolls. You can print a spool holder that will fit in them so you don't have to take the filament out of the box to print with it.
Get or make a filament dryer too. The filament usually comes wet even though it's packed in a vacuum sealed bag.
Very interesting, thank you. I suppose it isn't "wet", but it's humid enough to have problems adhering?
The main issue with wet filament is that the water in the filament meets a 200+°C hotend when printing. It then quickly turns into steam, which you hear as a popping sound while printing.
This then causes little holes in the extruded filament where the water steamed up. Looks like miniature swiss cheese. This causes all sorts of trouble. The print becomes brittle and weak, almost foam-like, and can be broken by applying little force. Layer adhesion and first layer adhesion will be much worse. It often causes lots of stringing.
It's usually not an issue for PLA (unless you have really high relative air humidity), but it's a big issue for PETG, TPU and Nylon.
If you print any of these filaments, you really should get a heated filament dryer.
The filament absorbs moisture and that causes print quality issues. It can cause things like bubbles, stringing, poor layer adhesion and a rough finish. PLA will get brittle when it absorbs too much moisture.
Excellent to know. Thank you!