PF Print Fixes

Failure guide

Bed Adhesion Troubleshooting

Bed Adhesion Troubleshooting helps you separate a visible print defect from the usual lookalikes: dirty surface, wet filament, nozzle state, motion problems, and copied slicer settings. Start with the quickest physical check, then make one testable change.

Independent third-party notes. Verify firmware, heater, electrical, and vendor-specific work against official documentation for your exact printer.

Quick Readout

Bed Adhesion Troubleshooting helps you separate a visible print defect from the usual lookalikes: dirty surface, wet filament, nozzle state, motion problems, and copied slicer settings. Start with the quickest physical check, then make one testable change.

Bed Adhesion Troubleshooting visual diagnosis

Visual diagnosis

Match the visible pattern before changing settings.

Looks like this
  • Plate contamination from fingerprints, dust, old glue, or release residue.
  • First layer is too high, too fast, too cool, or not matched to the build surface.
  • Material and plate combination needs a release layer, texture, or different bed temperature.
Not this
  • The printer is showing a firmware, heater, or electrical safety warning.
  • You are copying numbers from a different printer as final values.
  • Several slicer values have already been changed without a repeatable test.
Look for Bed Adhesion Troubleshooting is useful when the defect is visible on the part and you need to decide whether the cause is material, surface, nozzle, motion, or slicer profile. The page is ordered so the fastest reversible check comes before bigger changes.
First test Wash or clean the plate using the surface maker's guidance and handle it by the edges.
Do not do Do not change several settings at once.

Before / after

Compare one small test, not a whole print.

Use the same small test before and after the change so the comparison means something.

Before: gaps, ridges, or loose first lines
Before: gaps, ridges, or loose first lines
After: connected lines with even squish
After: connected lines with even squish
Illustration by Print Fixes.
Five-patch first-layer test STL preview
Preview diagram, not a printed result.

Download a quick test

Five-patch first-layer test

Check center and corners after plate cleaning, nozzle work, or Z offset changes.

File
STL
Typical time
3-7 min
Dimensions
120 x 90 x 0.3 mm overall; five thin patch zones.
Footprint
120 x 90 mm
Height
0.3 mm
Download STL
What it testsCheck center and corners after plate cleaning, nozzle work, or Z offset changes.
When to use itUse when the same symptom repeats and you need a small proof print.
Keep unchanged
  • Material
  • Nozzle
  • Bed surface
  • All slicer values except the one variable being tested
Expected good resultThe symptom improves on the same test without creating a new failure.
Failure result meaningIf the result does not change, stop tuning that variable and switch branch.
Slicer notes
  • Use your normal first-layer height.
  • Keep bed temperature and plate surface unchanged.
  • Disable brim, raft, ironing, and adaptive flow tricks.

Still not matching?

Jump to the next likely diagnosis

3D Print Stringing Fix Fix 3D print stringing by checking temperature, moisture, and retraction in the right order. Start with one small test before changing the whole slicer profile. 3D Print Warping Fix Fix 3D print warping by checking plate cleanliness, first-layer squish, bed temperature, cooling, and enclosure needs in the right order. Poor First Layer Fix Fix poor first layers by checking plate cleanliness, Z offset, bed mesh, probe setup, and first-layer speed with one simple patch test.

Problem Pattern

Bed Adhesion Troubleshooting is useful when the defect is visible on the part and you need to decide whether the cause is material, surface, nozzle, motion, or slicer profile. The page is ordered so the fastest reversible check comes before bigger changes.

Likely Causes

  • Plate contamination from fingerprints, dust, old glue, or release residue.
  • First layer is too high, too fast, too cool, or not matched to the build surface.
  • Material and plate combination needs a release layer, texture, or different bed temperature.
  • Part geometry has small contact area, sharp corners, or cooling stress that overpowers adhesion.

Print Context

Page type
symptom fix
Best first move
Reproduce the issue on a small test, then change one variable.

Recommended Checks

0/4 done
Start with the first check. Keep this page open while you test. The checklist saves on this browser so you can come back after the print finishes.

Verification

  • Repeat the same test model or the same problem area after the change.
  • Compare before and after photos, print time, surface quality, and failure location.
  • Keep the previous profile until the new value passes at least two similar prints.
  • For firmware or heater-related issues, confirm logs stay clean after a safe heat or motion test.

After the test

Use the result, do not keep changing random settings.

If one check clearly changes the print, repeat that exact test once before moving on. If nothing changes, switch diagnosis instead of stacking more slicer edits.

Try next diagnosis Open full checklist

Warnings

  • PETG can bond too strongly to some smooth PEI surfaces; check release guidance.
  • Do not sand or scrape coated plates unless the manufacturer says to.
  • Adhesion aids cannot fix a nozzle that is visibly too high or too low.
Useful when
  • A print that clearly shows bed adhesion, especially if the same failure repeats.
  • You want one next move instead of five profile edits.
Skip if
  • The printer is showing a firmware, heater, or electrical safety warning.
  • You are copying numbers from a different printer as final values.
More traps to avoid
  • Changing several slicer settings at once and losing the actual cause.
  • Ignoring filament condition or bed cleanliness while tuning advanced values.
  • Keeping one global profile for different materials, brands, colors, and nozzle sizes.

Bench Note

Print-failure log to keep beside the printer
Page: Bed Adhesion Troubleshooting
Printer / firmware:
Slicer profile:
Filament brand and material:
Nozzle size:
Bed surface:
Recent changes:
Result to compare next:

FAQ

What should I check first for Bed Adhesion troubleshooting?

Start with the fastest physical cause you can confirm: surface condition, filament state, nozzle path, motion hardware, or the last profile change. Then run the same small test again.

Should I change slicer settings first?

Only after the physical checks make sense. Slicer changes are useful when they are isolated and verified with the same model or failure area.

When should I buy a replacement part?

Buy after a repeatable test points to wear, damage, missing drying, plate incompatibility, or a nozzle/material mismatch.

Sources

Prusa Knowledge Base - First layer issues Accessed 2026-05-18 Prusa Knowledge Base - Print quality troubleshooting Accessed 2026-05-18

Related Pages

3D Print Stringing Fix Fix 3D print stringing by checking temperature, moisture, and retraction in the right order. Start with one small test before changing the whole slicer profile. 3D Print Warping Fix Fix 3D print warping by checking plate cleanliness, first-layer squish, bed temperature, cooling, and enclosure needs in the right order. Poor First Layer Fix Fix poor first layers by checking plate cleanliness, Z offset, bed mesh, probe setup, and first-layer speed with one simple patch test. 3D Print Layer Shift Fix Fix 3D print layer shifts by checking belts, pulleys, collisions, cable drag, acceleration, and motion limits before changing slicer cosmetics. Under Extrusion Fix Fix under extrusion by checking the filament path, partial clogs, extruder grip, temperature, and volumetric speed before raising slicer flow.