Retraction Settings Guide
Get recommended retraction settings based on your extruder and material.
Retraction pulls filament back from the nozzle before the print head travels between separate parts of a model. Without proper retraction, molten plastic oozes during travel moves, leaving thin strings (stringing) and blobs on the surface. Getting the right retraction distance and speed is essential for clean, professional-looking prints.
The optimal retraction settings depend heavily on your extruder type. Direct-drive extruders have a short filament path, so they only need 0.5-2 mm of retraction. Bowden-tube setups push filament through a long PTFE tube, requiring 3-7 mm to overcome the extra compliance. This calculator factors in your extruder type and filament material to provide a safe starting point, reducing the guesswork of manual tuning.
Once you have a baseline, print a retraction test tower to fine-tune. Increase distance in 0.5 mm steps until stringing disappears, then dial back speed if you hear clicking from the extruder gear. Combining accurate retraction with well-tuned Pressure Advance or Linear Advance settings will virtually eliminate all ooze-related artifacts.