Bed Leveling & First Layer

Master the most critical skill in 3D printing - getting perfect first layers

10 min read Beginner
Contents
Why Bed Leveling Matters Manual Bed Leveling Automatic Bed Leveling (ABL) Reading Your First Layer Adhesion Helpers

Why Bed Leveling Matters

A properly leveled bed is the foundation of successful 3D printing. The first layer must:

- Stick firmly to the build plate
- Be squished just enough (not too much, not too little)
- Be consistent across the entire bed

If your first layer fails, the entire print will fail. Spend time getting this right before worrying about other settings.

Manual Bed Leveling

The Paper Method:
1. Home all axes and preheat the bed
2. Disable steppers so you can move the head manually
3. Move nozzle to front-left corner
4. Slide paper between nozzle and bed
5. Adjust the corner screw until paper has light friction
6. Repeat for all four corners
7. Re-check first corner (adjusting others affects it)
8. Repeat until all corners feel the same

Target feeling: Paper should slide with slight resistance, like dragging through honey.

Automatic Bed Leveling (ABL)

Many modern printers include ABL probes that measure bed height at multiple points and compensate automatically.

Types of ABL:
- Inductive probes - Detect metal beds
- BLTouch/CRTouch - Physical touch probe
- Strain gauge - Measures nozzle pressure

Even with ABL, you still need:
- Correct Z-offset calibration
- Reasonably flat bed (ABL can't fix severe warping)
- Periodic recalibration

Reading Your First Layer

Perfect first layer:
- Lines slightly overlap
- Smooth, consistent surface
- No gaps between lines
- Filament pressed into bed texture

Nozzle too high:
- Lines don't touch each other
- Round, spaghetti-like appearance
- Poor adhesion
- Fix: Lower Z or raise bed

Nozzle too low:
- Very thin, transparent lines
- Filament curling around nozzle
- Rough, scratched appearance
- Fix: Raise Z or lower bed

Uneven first layer:
- Some areas good, others bad
- Warped bed or incorrect leveling
- Re-level and check for bed warpage

Adhesion Helpers

If you still have adhesion issues after leveling:

Clean your bed:
- Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) 90%+
- Dish soap and water
- Avoid touching the bed with fingers

Adhesion aids:
- Glue stick (PVA) - Works for most filaments
- Hairspray - Aquanet is popular
- Painter's tape - Blue tape for PLA
- Magigoo - Specialty adhesive

Slicer settings:
- Increase first layer width (120%)
- Slow down first layer (20-30mm/s)
- Increase bed temperature by 5-10C
- Use brim or raft for small parts