Retraction Settings Guide

Get recommended retraction distance and speed based on your extruder type and filament material.

How It Works

Retraction pulls filament back from the nozzle during non-printing travel moves to prevent oozing and stringing. The two key settings are retraction distance (how far to pull back) and retraction speed (how fast to pull back).

Extruder Type

The extruder type is the most important factor in choosing retraction settings:

• Direct Drive — The motor sits directly on the print head, giving a short filament path. Requires 0.5–2.0 mm retraction distance. Too much retraction can cause clogs.
• Bowden — The motor is mounted on the frame with a PTFE tube guiding filament to the hotend. The longer path means more retraction is needed: typically 3.0–7.0 mm, depending on tube length.

Material Considerations

• PLA — Low ooze tendency. Standard retraction settings work well.
• PETG — Stringing-prone. Benefits from moderate retraction with slightly lower speed to avoid pulling air bubbles into the melt zone.
• ABS / ASA — Moderate ooze at high temps. Standard-to-high retraction distance helps.
• TPU (Flexible) — Very low or zero retraction recommended. Retracting flexible filament can cause buckling and jams.
• Nylon — High ooze tendency at printing temperatures. Needs higher retraction distance and speed.
• PVA — Moisture-sensitive and ooze-prone. Moderate retraction with controlled speed.

Temperature Effects

Higher nozzle temperatures make filament more fluid, increasing ooze and stringing. When printing at the upper end of a material's temperature range, consider increasing retraction distance by 10–20%.

Tuning Tips

• Print a retraction test tower (e.g. a stringing test) to fine-tune values
• Adjust in small increments: 0.5 mm for distance, 5 mm/s for speed
• Too much retraction causes clogs, grinding, and heat creep
• Enable “zhop” (Z-lift on retraction) to reduce nozzle dragging across surfaces