How to remove stringing in 3D printing
Thin strings between parts of the model: almost always wet filament, high temperature or wrong retraction.
Check in this order
- Dry the filament (see the dedicated guide).
- Lower the temperature 5 °C at a time, staying within the filament’s range.
- Increase retraction 0.2 mm at a time (direct drive: up to ~1.5 mm; Bowden: 4–6 mm).
- Raise travel speed and enable “Wipe on retraction”.
- Verify with a stringing test tower.
Common mistakes
- Retraction too high: clog risk
- Ignoring moisture and only changing settings
- Heavy retraction with TPU: low values are enough
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More guides
- How to dry filament (PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS)
- Warping and first layer not sticking: how to fix
- Elephant foot: how to remove the flared base
- Under-extrusion: gaps in walls and weak layers
- Delamination: layers that split apart
- Layer adhesion: how to get stronger parts
- Bridging: bridges without sagging
- Overhangs: how to print them clean
- Temperature tower: find the right temperature for each filament
- Flow rate: calibrating filament flow
- Pressure advance: sharp corners and even lines