Knowledge Base

Printing Guides

Practical guides for FDM printing. Material properties, slicer settings, hardware choices — written for people who've already read the Reddit threads and want actual detail.

53 guides 14 materials 28 brands

Filament Materials Guide

The complete reference. 14 material deep-dives - PLA, PETG, PCTG, ABS, ASA, TPU, Nylon, PC, PP, HIPS, PVA, plus carbon fiber and glass fiber composites. Chemistry, print temps, pros, cons, and storage for each.

PLAPolylactic Acid

ABSButadiene Styrene

ASAUV Resistant

PCPolycarbonate

PCTGEnhanced PETG

PPPolypropylene

Materials & Care

Filament Storage & Drying

Essential maintenance

How to store filament, what humidity targets each material needs, drybox builds, and how to tell if your filament needs drying before your next print.

Nozzle Types & Materials

When to upgrade from brass, why abrasive filaments destroy standard nozzles, and which nozzle to use for each material.

Ventilation & Fume Safety

Health & safety

Every FDM printer releases VOCs and ultrafine particles - including PLA. Emission levels, health effects, and how to build a filtered enclosure.

Waste Reduction

Smart orientation, support minimization, AMS purge optimization, and slicer settings to cut filament waste before it happens.

Waste & Recycling

What to do with failed prints, purge towers, and filament scraps. Oven melting, silicone mold casting, filament recyclers, and creative reuse ideas.

Print Settings

First Layer Guide

Nozzle height calibration, bed leveling, first layer settings, and fixing the most common first layer failures.

Infill Patterns Guide

Internal structure

Gyroid, grid, lightning, honeycomb and more - when to use each, strength vs speed tradeoffs, and common mistakes.

Why walls matter more than infill for strength, how wall count affects watertightness, and settings by use case.

Print Speed & Quality

Advanced tuning

Volumetric flow rate, input shaping, per-material speed limits, and how to balance speed against quality.

Buying Guides

Live lowest-price PLA listings from our deal data, sorted by price per kg. Includes PLA+ and high-speed variants.

Best Value PETG

Live lowest-price PETG and PCTG listings. Functional parts material at the best current prices across stores.

Flexible filament picks for phone cases, gaskets, and parts that need to bend. Shore hardness explained.

ABS picks for enclosure owners who want acetone smoothing. Budget and premium options.

ASA for outdoor parts. UV-stable, heat-resistant. Best current prices across stores.

Best Value Nylon

PA6 and PA12 picks for gears, hinges, and load-bearing parts. Drybox mandatory.

Settings Cheat Sheet

Quick Reference

Every material's nozzle temp, bed temp, speed, cooling, and retraction in one table. Pin it above your printer.

Z-Seams & Scarf Seams

How to eliminate visible seam lines. Aligned, random, sharpest corner, and scarf joint compared with slicer settings.

Troubleshooting

Stringing, warping, layer separation, elephant foot. Fixes organized by symptom with material-specific solutions.

Looking for material-specific guides? Visit our Materials Guide for detailed pages on PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU, and more.

Material Comparisons

The #1 filament question. Strength, ease of printing, heat resistance, and cost compared side by side.

Enclosure required

Both need an enclosure. One handles UV, the other doesn't. When to pick which for engineering prints.

Worth the upgrade?

Is PLA+ actually better? What changes and what doesn't. Brand-specific differences explained.

Functional parts

Open-frame PETG vs enclosed ABS. Heat resistance, chemical resistance, and print difficulty compared.

Classic matchup

Easiest to print vs most post-processable. When the extra hassle of ABS is actually worth it.

Enhanced glycol

PCTG fixes PETG's stringing and adds impact resistance. Is the premium worth it?

Rigid vs flexible

When you need flex, you need TPU. Print difficulty, direct drive requirements, and use cases.

Engineering tier

PETG is easier, Nylon is stronger. Moisture sensitivity, wear resistance, and when each wins.

ABS vs Polycarbonate

Both need enclosures. PC takes heat and impact better but is harder to print. When to step up.

Indoor vs outdoor

PLA for indoor display, ASA for outdoor function. UV resistance, heat deflection, and ease of printing.

Functional picks

Both work for functional parts. PETG prints easier, ASA handles UV. Enclosure tradeoffs explained.

Nylon PA6 vs PA12

PA6 is stronger but warps more. PA12 is easier to print. Moisture absorption and mechanical properties compared.

TPU Shore Hardness

Shore 85A is phone-case soft, 98A is semi-rigid. How hardness affects printability and use cases.

Carbon Fiber vs Glass Fiber

CF is stiffer and lighter. GF is tougher and more affordable. Nozzle wear, base material options, and real-world use cases.

High Speed PLA vs PLA

HS-PLA prints at 300+ mm/s. What's different in the chemistry and whether the speed premium is worth it.

Matte PLA vs Silk PLA

Finish comparison

Matte hides layers, silk adds shine. Print behavior, strength impact, and when to use each finish.

Best Value by Region

Cheapest filament in the United States across all materials and retailers.

Cheapest filament in the United Kingdom across all materials and retailers.

Cheapest filament in Europe across DE, FR, and EU-wide retailers.

Cheapest filament in Australia across all materials and retailers.

Cheapest filament in Canada across all materials and retailers.

Brand Catalogs

Elegoo Filament

Complete product line: PLA, PLA+, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PC, and carbon fiber composites with live pricing.

Flashforge Filament

High-speed and engineering filaments across 8 regions. HS-PLA, ASA, PETG, and specialty materials.

Widest product range we track: 23 materials from budget PLA to PEEK, across 7 regions.

Established budget brand. Their PLA+ is the community benchmark for enhanced PLA. Strong EU distribution.

Polymaker Filament

Mid-tier brand known for PolyTerra matte PLA and premium specialty finishes. Strong engineering range.

Spectrum Filaments

Polish manufacturer with industrial materials. ASA 275 standout, tight tolerances, engineering depth.

3DJake Filament

House brand from Europe's largest 3D printing retailer. Made by Extrudr in Austria.

We track 29 brands total. View all brand profiles →

Beyond SpoolHound

Community & Resources

Subreddits, YouTube channels, STL sites, slicers, calibration tools — the stuff we actually use.