Stringing is one of the most common 3D printing problems, and one of the most solvable. Those thin plastic threads between parts of your model happen when molten filament oozes from the nozzle during travel moves. This guide covers every fix in order of effectiveness — starting with the two changes that resolve 80% of stringing cases.
What Causes 3D Printer Stringing
Stringing occurs when the nozzle oozes filament while moving between print locations without extruding. The molten plastic drags through the air gap and leaves thin threads behind. Four root causes account for nearly all cases:
1. Retraction distance or speed is too low — filament is not pulled back far enough before travel
2. Print temperature is too high — more fluid filament oozes more readily
3. Travel speed is too low — more time for ooze to drip during movement
4. Wet filament — moisture creates steam pressure that pushes material out of the nozzle
Fix 1 — Retraction Distance and Speed (Most Important Setting)
Retraction pulls the filament back into the nozzle before every travel move to prevent ooze. Insufficient retraction distance is the single most common cause of stringing.
Bowden extruder (Ender 3, CR-10, etc.): 4–7mm retraction distance, 45–60 mm/s
Direct drive extruder (Bambu X1/P1, Prusa MK4, Voron, etc.): 0.5–2mm retraction distance, 45 mm/s
How to dial it in: increase retraction distance by 0.5mm increments and print a stringing test tower after each change. Stop when stringing disappears. Going too high causes under-extrusion — gaps in walls and weak layer bonding — so only increase until stringing is gone, then stop. If you're on a direct drive printer and still seeing stringing at 2mm+, temperature is likely the bigger factor.
Fix 2 — Lower Print Temperature
Higher temperatures make filament more fluid and more likely to ooze during travel. Reducing temperature by 5–10°C is often enough to eliminate stringing without affecting print quality.
PLA stringing fix: Reduce from default to 195–205°C. Print a temperature tower to find the minimum clean temperature.
PETG stringing fix: Reduce to 230–235°C. PETG is naturally more prone to stringing; the lower end of the range helps significantly.
TPU stringing fix: Reduce to 215–225°C. TPU flexibility makes retraction-based fixes less reliable — temperature is more important for TPU.
A temperature tower prints different temperatures in 5°C or 10°C steps across the height of the model. Select the lowest temperature that still produces clean, well-bonded layers with no under-extrusion.
Fix 3 — Increase Travel Speed
Faster travel moves reduce the time the nozzle spends crossing air gaps, giving less time for ooze to drip. Most slicers default to 150 mm/s for travel. Increasing to 200–250 mm/s noticeably reduces stringing on most printers, especially when combined with retraction and temperature fixes. Very high travel speeds (300+ mm/s) can cause ringing or vibration artifacts on some printers, so test in 25 mm/s increments.
Fix 4 — Enable Combing Mode
Combing — called 'Avoid Crossing Walls' in Orca Slicer and Bambu Studio — routes the print head through the inside of the model whenever possible instead of crossing open air. This does not prevent oozing, but it hides any remaining strings inside the part where they are invisible. Combing is a useful safety-net setting to keep enabled permanently on top of your other optimizations, particularly for complex models with many isolated features.
Fix 5 — Dry Your Filament
If retraction, temperature, and travel speed have all been optimized and stringing persists, the filament is almost certainly wet. Moisture trapped inside the filament turns to steam in the hot end and creates constant positive pressure at the nozzle tip — the material oozes regardless of retraction settings. Drying eliminates this entirely.
PLA: 50°C for 7 hours
PETG: 65°C for 7 hours
TPU: 70°C for 7 hours
See our full filament drying guide for detailed instructions on every material. Get the best results with Overture PETG Filament kept properly dry.
PETG Stringing — Extra Steps for a Notoriously Stringy Material
PETG strings more than PLA even with ideal settings. This is a material property — PETG's viscosity and adhesion characteristics make clean travel moves harder. In addition to the standard fixes above, these PETG-specific settings help:
• Enable 'Wipe Before Travel' in your slicer — this moves the nozzle along the perimeter before lifting, clearing ooze from the tip
• Set retraction speed to 60–70 mm/s (higher than PLA)
• Run cooling fan at 30–50%, not 100% — too much cooling reduces layer adhesion but moderate cooling helps solidify the material faster during travel
• Dry the spool — wet PETG strings dramatically more than dry PETG, sometimes 5–10x worse
The new Overture PETG Filament has been reformulated specifically to reduce stringing, with more stable extrusion behavior and improved stiffness for cleaner travel moves.
TPU Stringing — Flexible Filament Has Different Rules
TPU stringing behaves differently from rigid filaments because the material's flexibility means retraction can stretch rather than pull cleanly. Tips specific to TPU:
• Reduce or eliminate retraction (0–1mm on direct drive) — over-retraction with TPU causes clogs more than it prevents stringing
• Focus on temperature: print at the lower end of the range (210–220°C)
• Slow down print speed to 20–30 mm/s — slower speed = more controlled extrusion = less ooze
• Dry the filament — TPU is highly hygroscopic and wet TPU strings severely
Overture TPU 95A Filament | For large prints or prototyping,
Overture High Speed TPU prints up to 5x faster while maintaining the same flexibility.
Stringing Fix Checklist — Work Through in Order
☐ Step 1: Increase retraction distance by 0.5mm, test with stringing tower, repeat until resolved
☐ Step 2: Reduce print temperature by 5°C, repeat until minimum clean temperature found
☐ Step 3: Increase travel speed to 200+ mm/s
☐ Step 4: Enable Combing / Avoid Crossing Walls
☐ Step 5: Dry filament if all above are optimized and stringing persists
☐ For PETG only: enable Wipe Before Travel, increase retraction speed to 60–70 mm/s
☐ For TPU only: reduce/eliminate retraction, focus on lower print temperature
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best retraction distance to stop stringing?
The best retraction distance depends on your extruder type. For Bowden extruders, start at 5mm and adjust in 0.5mm increments. For direct drive extruders, start at 1mm and adjust in 0.5mm increments. Print a stringing test tower after each adjustment. The correct retraction distance is the lowest value that produces clean travel moves with no visible threads — going higher risks under-extrusion.
Why does my PLA still string after changing retraction?
If retraction changes do not eliminate PLA stringing, temperature is the next most likely cause. Reduce print temperature by 5°C increments and retest. If stringing persists after temperature reduction, dry the filament — PLA that has absorbed moisture strings regardless of slicer settings. As a final step, enable Combing mode to hide any remaining threads inside the model.
Does PETG always string more than PLA?
Yes — PETG strings more than PLA as a material property, not a settings problem. PETG's higher viscosity and greater surface adhesion make ooze-free travel moves harder to achieve. With optimized settings (temperature at the lower end of range, wipe before travel, higher retraction speed, dry filament), PETG stringing can be reduced to minimal levels but will rarely match PLA at its best. The new Overture PETG has been reformulated to address this specifically.
Can stringing be removed after printing?
Yes. A heat gun at low temperature (or a lighter passed quickly at distance) will melt and retract thin strings without damaging the print. A sharp craft knife works for thicker strings. However, fixing the root cause in your slicer settings produces cleaner results and eliminates the post-processing step entirely.
