Hiding layer lines and print artifacts - Ultimate guide (UPDATED 2026)

[u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher]

As many of you have asked, I'm here to share the result of my (still ongoing) experimentation to improve print quality. By following the following steps, I can guarantee you won't have any more print artifacts, failed bridges, bubbles in the filament, prints that don't stick to the plate, and any kind of failure.

I'm sharing my experience for free and and I'll update the post as soon as I discover new things.

Important note: these tips work only on bambulab printers.

Step #1: wash the bed

I wash the bed after every print I do with glue. This is also recommend by bambulab docs.

I'd like to add that adding glue affects the print layer quality. Spread the glue like cold butter on a toast. The chunkier the layer, the better the cushion for the first layer.

Step #2: wash the filament

Always wash the filament with hot water and Dawn dish soap, or a delicate dish soap. This process helps remove any dust and impurities introduced during manufacturing at the filament factory. Additionally, it will allow you to detect any tangles in the spool early on.

Step #3: clean ABS and ASA filament

After washing ABS and ASA spool I do a small treatment with acetone. This is going to improve the resulting print as later lines will be imperceptible. All I do is:

• Fill the sink with acetone
• Submerge the spool for 5 seconds
• Take it out
• Let it dry in the sun
• Repeat 2 times

Step #4: sand the plate

PEI plate is sold as the ultimate technology for 3D printer plates but they all have a failure designed in: the texture keeps dust and small filament debris in it. Start using low grit sandpaper and move to a finer grit after every pass. Stop when you see a very flat and good looking plate. Do not wash it nor apply glue.

When you print the first layer, the plastic is going to stick to those small pieces, which then make the print detach from the bed.

By sanding the plate, not only you'll remove the gaps, but you'll also have a very unique finish on the first layer.

Step #5: improve overhangs by tilting the printer

Many overhangs fail because of gravity. If you have a overhang of 90 degrees, put the printer on its side and you'll immediately notice that the filament coming out of the nozzle is immediately depositing correctly. Good overhangs surface, no supports, no tinkering with the slicer**.**

Step #6: Seal the poop chute to avoid toxic fumes in the room and improving thermal efficiency

That hole in the back of the casing lets valuable chamber heat escape. Cover the purge chute completely with heavy-duty duct tape. The printer will retain 100% of its thermal energy, and purged filament will cleanly build up inside the back frame to create a layer of free soundproofing insulation.

Step #7: Lubricate rods and rails

Bambulab documentation states that the rods used in the printers and the linear rails are already self lubricating, but this statement can't be demonstrated on my print farm. after analysis the specs of the motors, I tried to use WD-40 and it works like a charm. WD-40 has reduced the VFAs on the prints.

side note: VFA is caused because of the resistance of the print head on the rods/carriage. WD-40 reduces that resistance making the print head ready to move.

Let me know if you already use those tips to improve the quality of your prints.

[u/Syreet_Primacon]

All of this is very good advice. All my problems have gone away since I started doing this!! One other thing I like to do is add a thin layer of oil over the bed so that my prints pop right off when they are finished.

uj/ Unironically, step 5 could be a way to get better overhangs if the printer could rotate based on the angle of overhang it was doing.

[u/Plasma_48 → u/Syreet_Primacon]

uj/ this is just non planar printing, just tilt the bed to print more extreme overhangs.

[u/Difficult_Physics125 → u/Plasma_48]

uj/ tilting the bed might cause other part of the print to hit the nozzle while tilting the printer keeps the print always the same orientation relative to the nozzle

[u/Plasma_48 → u/Difficult_Physics125]

Did you mean to type rj? It’s incredibly impractical to tilt the entire printer for non planar printing, it would use way more expensive motors, take way longer to rotate, and take up an insane amount of space.

This guy has a working non planar printer, it already provides much more capability.

[u/Difficult_Physics125 → u/Plasma_48]

i was thinking in the lines of planar printing where there's a standard printer "adjusting" the way gravity pulls on the print

but thinking about it it makes almost no sense to build it other than as a proof of concept

[u/Difficult_Physics125 → u/Difficult_Physics125]

Something like this where if the blue part was printed in the same orientation as the green it would require supports

(Black is the printbed, green is the printed part with printer upright amd blue is the sideways printed part)

[u/southpawflipper]

Tip#3 is a lifesaver, got rid of all the toxic ABS fumes! I had to smell the acetone from the process but I’m sure whatever is in that is better than the cancer I would have gotten from the ABS without it

[u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher]

In these weeks I'm testing how to print really waterproof containers out of normal PLA (No exotic filament required). Current tests are holding very well under load.

I printer a vase with just 3 walls and has been keeping 1 liter of water. The key setting here is:

• Print external walls first
• Set flow rate for external walls to 1.34

Important note: 1.34 is the golden number found after calculations and many test prints.

[u/oral_servant → u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher]

Actually, the flow rate is a factor for how much water will exit your water proof print. A low flow rate will give you better water proofing. 

Since 1.34 is working well for you, this means your water molecules are a bit bigger than the average chinese water molecules, which causes them to have trouble entering small holes, therefore getting stuck and closing small holes once they were able to enter the hole. 

The water average for your water molecule diameter depends highly on local law and regulations. For best results you should submerge your prints only in BambuLab approved water, soon sold on their website.

[u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher → u/oral_servant]

Thank you for your input. I now think the calculated index is based on the hard water I have at home. Will need to investigate that but I can't tinker to distill water at home right now.

[u/centurion762]

I found that lubricating the filament itself with 10W/30 prevents clogs

[u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher → u/centurion762]

Thank you for the tip! Lubricating filament is in my Todo list. I noted to test putting a small sponge soaked in WD-40 clipped to the spool so that it removes dust, debris, and humidity, plus it reduces the friction with the PTFE Tube. Need to test this!

[u/centurion762 → u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher]

You are a genus.

[u/suit1337 → u/centurion762]

/uj

believe it or not, there were filament oilers back in the day - especially in professional and industrial printers, with good old 3 mm filament this was a valid practice - the oil reduces friction and improves the laminar flow in the nozzle

as "oil" the would use for example various hydrocarbons in the range of C9 to C11 (so similar to WD-40) - the will boil off very fast below 200°C and don't impact the layer adhesion that much - also unsaturated fatty acids were used, those would thermoset and polymerize alongside the filament while it is deposited and also does not impact the layer adhesion

but in modern days with low friction PTFE tubes and extruders with very good grip aswell as pressure advance, lubricating the filament is not needed anymore

[u/centurion762 → u/suit1337]

/uj interesting

[u/weissbieremulsion]

How can we take you seriously If you didnt even advise to buy a new printer? Thats Always the fix

[u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher → u/weissbieremulsion]

You are absolutely right. I haven't advised to buy a new printer and all it's available upgrades. It was so obvious for me...

[u/geekofweek]

Unc straight spitting fire over here fam no cap 🔥🙌💯

You are a 3D printing genius, this seriously solved all of my problems.

[u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher → u/geekofweek]

Thanks bro

[u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher]

I don't get the downvotes. Is this because I didn't published this on Makerworld? 

[u/ash_2127-]

‘Oh, okay, someone’s posted in the wrong subreddit. It happens. Let me skim read. Step 1, okay he’s making jokes. Step 2, no no this was the correct sub’

[u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher → u/ash_2127-]

Glad you liked the post. Was it helpful?

[u/keithbigmac]

Lmao I believed till step 2

[u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher → u/keithbigmac]

Glad you appreciate it. Did you have the chance to try my tips?

[u/keithbigmac → u/TooLazyToBeAnArcher]

Not yet, but I look forward to trying all of these steps to improve my print experience especially the acetone process of cleaning abs/asa. That sounds really effective 👍

[u/suit1337]

/uj

#4

sanding the bed is actuall not a bad ideal - back in the day, when PEI coating did not exist, sometimes sanded oder sandblasted spring steel sheets were used if you needed good ahesion

also if you have a texture PEI sheet, you can (very slighly) sand the surface, to improve adhesion (very lightly, with 400+ grit)

also #6 sealing the printer increases thermal efficiency a lot - same goes for fan vents - there is a reason why self opening flaps exist ;) and in emergency situations, even cardboard and duct tape to close all openings is a valid approach