How to Reduce Stringing in 3D Printing: Causes, Fixes, and Pro Tips

Nothing kills the satisfaction of a good print like a mess of wispy plastic threads all over your model. If you’ve ever wondered why my 3D print has strings? You’re not alone. Stringing is one of the most common and frustrating issues in FDM 3D printing. But the good news? It’s also one of the most fixable.

In this guide, we’ll break down what causes 3D print stringing, how to reduce stringing in 3D printing, and the settings and techniques that work.

What Is Stringing in 3D Printing?

Stringing, also called oozing, is when your nozzle leaks small amounts of filament while moving between separate parts of a print. This creates thin, spaghetti-like threads across your print, leaving a messy, unprofessional finish.

These strings are usually easy to remove, but they can ruin surface quality and indicate that your print settings need fine-tuning.

What Causes 3D Print Stringing?

Several factors contribute to stringing, but most of them boil down to this: the nozzle keeps extruding filament when it should be holding back.

Here are the most common culprits:

Retraction settings are too low or disabled

The print temperature is too high

Travel moves are slow or inefficient

Moisture in the filament

Nozzle leaks or pressure issues

Incompatible or low-quality filament

Let’s fix that.

Fix Stringing in 3D Printing (Step-by-Step)

Reducing stringing is all about controlling how, when, and how much your nozzle extrudes during travel moves. Here's how to dial it in.

1. Enable and Tune Retraction Settings

If retraction is disabled, your printer has no way of pulling filament back during travel. That’s a stringing waiting to happen.

Start with these retraction settings:

Retraction Distance:

4–6 mm for Bowden setups, 1–2 mm for direct drive

Retraction Speed:

25–45 mm/s, too slow and it oozes, too fast and you risk grinding

Minimum Travel Distance:

Set this around 1–2 mm to ensure retractions only happen when needed

Test with a simple multi-tower print to check results before moving to complex models.

2. Lower Your Nozzle Temperature

Higher temperatures = more ooze.

If your filament is printing too hot, it becomes runnier and more likely to leak during non-print moves. Try reducing your nozzle temperature in 5℃.

increments.Common temp adjustments:

PLA: from 210℃ → 200℃

PETG: from 245℃ → 235℃

ABS: from 240℃ → 230℃

Don’t go too low, under-extrusion and weak layer bonding are just as bad.

3. Dry Your Filament

Filament absorbs moisture from the air, especially PETG, Nylon, and TPU. Wet filament produces steam in the nozzle, leading to bubbling, popping, and, yep, stringing.

Quick tips:

Store filament in a dry box or an airtight container with desiccant

Use a filament dryer (or an oven at low heat for 3–5 hours)

Visibly stringy, poppy extrusion is a tell-tale sign of moisture

4. Increase Travel Speed

If your nozzle is moving slowly between points, there’s more time for molten plastic to drip out.Bump up your travel speed to around 150–200 mm/s, depending on your printer’s mechanical limits. Faster moves = less time for stringing.

5. Use Combing or “Avoid Crossing Perimeters”

In slicers like Cura and PrusaSlicer, enable combing mode or similar features that make the nozzle travel within the model instead of across open spaces.

Also turn on:

“Avoid Printed Parts When Traveling”

“Z-Hop When Retracted” (optional, useful for tall parts)

These settings reduce exposed travel moves, where stringing usually occurs.

6. Check for Nozzle Damage or Leaks

Sometimes stringing isn’t about slicer settings, it’s mechanical. A loose nozzle or damaged hotend can leak molten filament.

Check:

That your nozzle is tight (when hot!)

There’s no visible gunk around the heat block

Your PTFE tube is correctly inserted (in Bowden setups)

Struggling to remove a stringy print without damage? Learn how to safely remove a 3D print from the bed without breaking your part or your patience.

Still Seeing 3D Print Strings? Try a Test Print

（source：Printables)

Want to really dial in your settings? Use a retraction test print, a model that forces your printer to make lots of small travel moves. These are great for testing and isolating stringing issues.

We have placed a link to the retraction test print below the image!

You can also search for “Retraction Test” on Thingiverse or Printables yourself, or design your own!

Real User Case Study: Clean Prints After a Sticky Start

User: Ahsan, an engineering student

Printer: Ender 3 V2

Filament: PETG

Problem: “My 3D prints look like they’re wrapped in cobwebs. Especially on tall support towers.”

What we diagnosed:

PETG was left open for 2 weeks = moisture absorbed
Retraction was off (only 2mm at 25mm/s)

Nozzle temp at 245℃ (too hot for PETG)

Fixes we applied:

Dried the filament for 6 hours at 60℃

Increased retraction to 5mm at 35mm/s

Lowered temperature to 230℃

Enabled “Combing Within Infill” and added 0.2mm Z-hop

Result: “No more spaghetti prints. Smooth finish, clean supports, and my supports now come off in one piece!”Want professional-grade 3D prints without tweaking every slicer setting? We’ll print your parts for you, with zero stringing and sharp results. Get a quote now.

FAQ: 3D Printing Stringing Troubleshooting

Q1: Why does my 3D print have strings even with retraction on?

Retraction might be too short or too slow. Also, check if your nozzle temp is too high or your filament is wet.

Q2: Is stringing worse with certain filaments?

Yes. PETG, Nylon, and flexible filaments are more prone to stringing. PLA is relatively forgiving.

Q3: Can stringing be fixed post-print?

You can remove light stringing with a heat gun or small torch. But excessive stringing is better avoided with good slicer settings.

Q4: How do I know if my filament has moisture?

Listen for popping sounds while printing. Moist filament often creates bubbles and results in stringing or rough textures.

Q5: What slicer setting is best to eliminate stringing?

Start by tuning retraction distance and speed. Then adjust nozzle temp, travel speed, and combing mode.

Q6: What’s the Best Filament for Minimal Stringing?

If you're tired of tuning PETG or flexible filaments, consider switching to high-quality PLA. It’s more forgiving, prints at lower temps, and tends to string less. But no matter your material, settings matter more.

Get String-Free Prints, Without the Trial and Error

Don’t have time to troubleshoot every print? We get it. JLC3DP handles the slicing, tuning, and printing for you, string-free, every time.