Skip to: Slice | Start a print | Remove a print | Remove soluble support | Printing with soluble support?

SLICE:

1. Select infill density in the Style tab. Use 100% if you're making a prototype of something injection molded, have thin walls, or need lots of strength, and less if you're making something with lots of volume that doesn't necessarily have to be super strong. A statue, for instance, is probably fine with 33% infill.
2. If your model requires soluble support click here for instructions. If it doesn't, check that you've selected No Support in the Support tab.
3. Don't worry about other settings. Don't mess with them unless you have a specific reason to. We've put a ton of effort and testing into optimizing everything. Everything will work best as is, unless you've got some super specialized situation.
4. Check that you've selected the correct number of extruders in the Printer tab.
5. Check the Prefix and Postfix g-code in the Ptr G-code tab. All the lines with asterisks should start with a semicolon.
6. Click Slice and then save your G-code to the printer's SD card.

START A PRINT:

1. Clean the bed to get rid of residual hairspray. Not strictly necessary, but good to do to prevent loads of it from building up. Use a wet paper towel or sponge, or the razor scraper if necessary. If you are feeling especially thorough, this can be followed up with Windex to get the glass perfectly clean.
2. Spray the bed with hairspray, really well. Make a good solid puddle where the print will be. It will dry while the printer heats. If you've preheated the printer (unnecessary, but cuts down on time to start the print), the hairspray should dry very fast.
3. Load filament if you haven't already.
4. Put the SD card in the printer and start the print. Press the click wheel, select Print from SD, and select your G-code file. It's a good idea to watch the dynamic bed level sequence and beginning of the first layer to make sure it's running as it should.

REMOVE A PRINT FROM THE BED:

1. Wait until its cool. You can spray water around the base of the print to expedite this process and help dissolve hairspray, but don't try to pull it off before bed reaches 35ºC. Given long enough, most prints will come off very easily.
2. Get under it with the razor blade. Unless the print is gigantic, this should be all you need to do.
3. If the print is proving to be really recalcitrant, try using a steel scraper and a rubber mallet. Position the blade horizontally of the scraper at the base of the print, and tap it lightly. The idea here is to apply shearing forces, not to wedge the blade under the print. A light tap should do it.
4. If you used soluble support, you may have a somewhat harder time getting your print off the bed, as PVA is quite flexible. Squirt lots of water around the base, let it sit for a few minutes, and get under it with a scraper. If in doubt, be patient.

REMOVE SOLUBLE SUPPORT:

1. Place object in a container of hot tap water. That's about all there is to it. PVA will soften very quickly, falling away from simple objects in a few minutes. If your object is complicated, you'll have to wait for the material to dissolve completely, which may take overnight. To expedite the process, replace the water periodically with fresh, hot water, and agitate periodically. Often, partially dissolved support can be pulled off quite easily. In general, heat and agitation make dissolution go faster. Just don't heat the water above 60ºC (140ºF), or you'll risk deforming your object. Make sure to be gentle if your object has small features.
2. Rinse object, let dry.
3. PVA is nontoxic, biodegradable, and can go down the drain with no ill effect to plumbing or wildlife.