3D Printing Toolkit › Filament settings › PLA

PLA print settings

The default. Easiest material to print, stiff but brittle, and it softens in a hot car.

Nozzle190–220 °C

Bed20–60 °C

Part cooling80–100 %

EnclosureNot needed

Drying45 °C for 4 h

Shrinkage~0.3% — low enough to ignore on most parts

Density1.24 g/cm³

Enclosure: Prints fine in open air.

Bed surface & adhesion

Sticks to almost anything. On smooth PEI a glue stick helps release; textured PEI needs nothing.

Retraction starting points

Direct drive0.5–2 mm

Bowden3–6 mm

Retraction speed25–45 mm/s

Start mid-range and fine-tune with a retraction test tower.

Good for

Prototypes, models, display pieces
Anything with fine detail or sharp overhangs
Large flat parts that would warp in ABS

Watch out for

Deforms around 55–60 °C — never for car interiors or anything in direct sun
Brittle: snaps rather than bends under load
Heat-creep clogs on long prints if the hot-end fan is weak

Where to buy

PLA filament1 kg spools from printer makers who ship worldwide.Shop ↗Filament dryerThis filament absorbs moisture and prints badly once it has.Shop ↗

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Problems this material is prone to

Under-extrusion

Gaps and thin walls

Other filaments

PLA+ / Tough PLA Silk PLA PLA + carbon fibre Glow-in-the-dark PLA PETG PETG + carbon fibre ABS ASA PC-ABS blend TPU (95A)Nylon (PA)Nylon + carbon fibre Polycarbonate Polypropylene (PP)HIPS PVA (dissolvable)Wood-fill PLA

These are widely-published starting points for the generic material, not a specification. Individual spools vary by brand, colour and additive package — always defer to the figures printed on your spool.

Every number on this page is in the app too — next to the calculators that use it, working offline at the printer.

Get it onGoogle Play