# I am a printing noob - advice please

**URL:** https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/i-am-a-printing-noob-advice-please/2030
**Category:** Filament
**Created:** [July 22, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/i-am-a-printing-noob-advice-please/2030 "2015-07-22T19:15:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![BlueRidgeDog](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/blueridgedog/32/9288_2.png) [@BlueRidgeDog](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/BlueRidgeDog)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/i-am-a-printing-noob-advice-please/2030/1 "2015-07-22T19:15:46Z")

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Otherwise capable coder/developer who just unpacked a TAZ 5.

I have printed three octopus. Adjusting the bed each time. Initially first layer adhesion was weak so I raised the bed and printed several bed calibration prints, tweaking each time.

Now I am printing a real object, but the support pillars are mush. I have sliced with slic3r. PLA, 3mm new roll, 190 Head, 60 bed.

 ![2015-07-22 14.57.39.jpg](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/lulzbot/original/2X/6/6938bd1c373164cffe9d09c22f46cc2f2e95a584.jpeg)

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### Author: ![kcchen\_00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kcchen\_00](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/kcchen_00)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/i-am-a-printing-noob-advice-please/2030/2 "2015-07-22T19:35:39Z")

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Welcome to the club!

In the future use the Z-endstop knob to adjust nozzle to bed height. Adjust so that a business card can slip between the gap in the middle of the bed.

There is also a simple bed calibration gcode file on the SD card to check the levelness of the entire bed. A lot of folks also find a dial gauge to be useful in getting the bed level.  
  
  
Not sure what’s going on with the supports. Do you have the original STL?

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### Author: ![BlueRidgeDog](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/blueridgedog/32/9288_2.png) [@BlueRidgeDog](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/BlueRidgeDog)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/i-am-a-printing-noob-advice-please/2030/3 "2015-07-22T19:38:19Z")

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Thanks…I never considered a dial runout guage…but that would be perfect. I did run the built in test pattern to fine tune the bed. The part is an in-house item so I have the original file. The part is printing fine, but the support pillars are junk.

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### Author: ![BlueRidgeDog](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.lulzbot.com/blueridgedog/32/9288_2.png) [@BlueRidgeDog](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/BlueRidgeDog)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/i-am-a-printing-noob-advice-please/2030/4 "2015-07-23T01:16:44Z")

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Based on research, I will try the Gizmo Dork PLA at 210 and repeat.

There was poor interlayer adhesion and limited output for the pillars. I will also mic it as it is published as potentially 2.85mm and my 3mm setting would result in far too little filament extruded.

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### Author: ![kcchen\_00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kcchen\_00](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/kcchen_00)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/i-am-a-printing-noob-advice-please/2030/5 "2015-07-23T01:52:55Z")

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Sounds like it’s going okay. The supports don’t need to look pretty… just functional. 🙂

So as long as they are supporting what needs to be supported, it should be okay