this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2026
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3DPrinting

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Advice for a newbie (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 days ago by Maerman@lemmy.world to c/3dprinting@lemmy.world
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Hi, all. So my first ever 3D printer is on its way to me. I went with an Elegoo Centauri Carbon, partially for the option of using OpenCentauri firmware. I have been looking at various models on printables.com and Thingiverse, getting excited for the possibilities. I would just like to ask if there are any big pitfalls I should look out for as I'm starting my 3D printing adventure. What mistakes did you make when you were just starting out? What resources do you wish you were aware of earlier? What general advice can you give me?

Thanks in advance, and have a lovely day.

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[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Calibrations are important, but some of the defaults work well out of the box. Don't expect perfection from the start, aim for "good enough" and improve over time.

  • Bed leveling (tramming) is mostly automated these days, since it's such a vital step
  • Extrusion multiplier (a.k.a. flow rate) needs to be done on a per filament basis, but it'll probably work fine with defaults. Dialing this in is useful, but not super critical in the beginning.
  • Pressure advance... eh, no comment, as I haven't mastered this yet. Suffice to say my petg prints could be better, and this is the likely reason

Beyond that, filaments vary in quality. Try to stick to one brand and type that works well for you and your needs and once you've mastered that, try others.

And learn blender (or anything else that can export to .stl or other supported formats). It turns your printer into a proper household tool you wouldn't be able to live without. My house has so many functional prints that I wouldn't be able to go back to not being able to print whatever doodad I need.

[–] Maerman@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Thank you, that's all good to know. I'm looking at filament dryers now, and the prices don't seem too outlandish.