Most PETG frustration comes from using a PLA-tuned printer profile and being surprised when the results are worse, not better, than PLA. PETG isn’t harder to print than PLA — it just needs different answers to the same settings.
Starting settings
- Nozzle temperature: 230–250°C, brand-dependent. Start in the middle of your specific spool’s recommended range and adjust based on stringing and layer adhesion, not the other way around.
- Bed temperature: 70–80°C. A PEI or similar textured surface generally works well.
- Cooling fan: lower than PLA, especially on the first several layers. PETG benefits from staying slightly warmer for longer to bond layers well — full PLA-level cooling from layer one is one of the more common causes of both weak layer adhesion and paradoxically worse-looking stringing.
- Retraction: PETG tends to need more careful tuning than PLA, not necessarily more retraction distance. See retraction tuning to find your actual threshold rather than assuming a higher number automatically helps.
The two problems people associate with PETG
Stringing. PETG’s molten behavior holds thin strings together more easily than PLA’s does at a comparable position in its temperature range. This is addressed through the same two levers as any stringing problem — temperature and retraction — see the full stringing guide. PETG usually ends up printing well toward the lower end of its temperature range specifically because of this tendency.
Bed adhesion that’s too strong. On bare PEI surfaces in particular, PETG can bond so well that removing the part risks damaging the sheet’s coating. A thin layer of glue stick or a dedicated release agent isn’t a workaround for bad adhesion — for PETG on PEI, it’s closer to standard practice.