How to Print PETG Without Stringing: The Complete Settings Guide

PETG is an incredible filament — stronger than PLA, more forgiving than ABS, and versatile enough for functional parts, outdoor projects, and food-adjacent containers. But there’s one problem that makes PETG users want to throw their printer out the window: stringing. Those thin, hair-like wisps of plastic that appear between every gap and travel move, turning your clean model into something that looks like it’s been wrapped in spider silk.

I’ve spent years dialing in PETG settings, and I’m going to share everything I’ve learned about eliminating stringing without sacrificing the strength and layer adhesion that make PETG worth using in the first place.

Why PETG Strings More Than PLA

Understanding why PETG strings so much is the first step to fixing it. PETG has several properties that make it stringing-prone:

• Higher printing temperature — PETG prints at 220-250°C, keeping it molten and runny longer
• Lower viscosity when melted — PETG flows more easily than PLA, which means it oozes more readily
• Hygroscopic nature — PETG absorbs moisture aggressively, and wet PETG strings dramatically worse
• Sticky consistency — PETG has a “gooey” quality that makes it cling and stretch rather than break cleanly

The key insight: you’ll never eliminate stringing in PETG as completely as you can with PLA. But you can absolutely reduce it to barely noticeable levels with the right settings.

The Complete Anti-Stringing Settings Guide

Step 1: Dry Your Filament First

I cannot stress this enough. Wet PETG is the number one cause of excessive stringing. Before you touch any other settings, make sure your filament is dry.

PETG absorbs moisture from the air within hours of being left out. Signs of wet PETG:

• Excessive stringing that no retraction settings will fix
• Popping, hissing, or crackling sounds during extrusion
• Tiny bubbles visible on the surface of printed parts
• Rougher surface finish than expected

Drying recommendations for PETG:

• Filament dryer: 65°C for 4-6 hours
• Oven: 65°C for 4-6 hours (verify oven temp with a thermometer — many ovens overshoot)
• Food dehydrator: 65°C for 6-8 hours

Ideally, print directly from the dryer or a dry box. PETG left out overnight in a humid environment will start stringing again.

Step 2: Temperature — Lower Is Better (to a Point)

Temperature is the biggest lever you have against stringing. Lower temperatures mean higher viscosity, which means less oozing.

The approach:

1. Start at the manufacturer’s recommended temperature (usually around 230-240°C)
2. Print a stringing test (a simple two-tower test with a gap between them)
3. Drop temperature by 5°C and print again
4. Keep lowering until stringing is acceptable OR you start seeing layer adhesion problems

Most PETG brands hit a sweet spot between 220-235°C. Some can go as low as 215°C. Don’t go below 215°C — you’ll get poor layer adhesion, which defeats the purpose of using PETG.

Step 3: Retraction Settings That Actually Work

Retraction pulls filament back into the nozzle during travel moves. For PETG, you need to find the sweet spot — too little retraction leaves strings, but too much causes clogs.

Recommended starting settings:

Setting	Bowden Tube	Direct Drive
Retraction Distance	4-6 mm	1-3 mm
Retraction Speed	25-40 mm/s	25-35 mm/s
Retraction Prime Speed	20-30 mm/s	20-25 mm/s

Critical point: With PETG, retraction speed matters more than distance. A moderate distance at the right speed works better than maxing out both values. Too much retraction distance with PETG can cause the filament to jam — PETG is sticky and can cling to the inside of the heatbreak.

Step 4: Travel Speed and Combing

Faster travel speeds give strings less time to form. And combing keeps travel moves inside the printed area, hiding any strings that do form.

• Travel speed: 150-200 mm/s (as fast as your printer can reliably manage)
• Combing mode: “Within Infill” in Cura, “Only within infill” in PrusaSlicer
• Avoid crossing perimeters: Enable this setting to keep strings internal

Step 5: Wipe and Z-Hop Settings

These two settings interact with stringing in different ways:

Wipe (Retract before travel): Enable this. It wipes the nozzle on the outer wall before retracting, which reduces blobs at string start points. Set wipe distance to 2-5 mm.

Z-Hop: This one is tricky. Z-Hop lifts the nozzle before travel, which can reduce stringing on some setups but make it worse on others. My recommendation:

• Try with Z-Hop disabled first
• If you’re getting strings that are thick and hard to remove, enable Z-Hop at 0.2-0.4 mm
• If Z-Hop makes stringing worse (thinner but more strings), disable it

Step 6: Print Speed Adjustments

Slower outer walls and faster infill can help. But more importantly, slow down for small parts. PETG strings most on small models where the nozzle makes frequent, short travel moves.

• Enable “Minimum Layer Time” (8-15 seconds)
• Use “Lift Head” or “Slow Down” as the min-time strategy
• For small detailed parts, consider printing two copies at once — this gives each layer more cooling time

Advanced Techniques

Pressure Advance / Linear Advance

If your firmware supports it (Klipper’s Pressure Advance or Marlin’s Linear Advance), this is a game-changer for PETG stringing. Pressure Advance compensates for the pressure buildup in the nozzle by reducing extrusion before the end of a line segment.

Typical Pressure Advance values for PETG: 0.04-0.08 (Klipper) or K0.4-0.8 (Marlin Linear Advance).

Coasting

Coasting stops extrusion slightly before the end of each line, using residual pressure to finish. This can reduce stringing start points. In Cura, set coasting volume to 0.064 mm³ as a starting point. Increase if you still see blobs, decrease if you get gaps at line endings.

The Nuclear Option: Post-Processing

Sometimes “good enough” settings plus quick post-processing is faster than chasing perfection. For PETG strings:

• Heat gun on low — A quick pass with a heat gun at arm’s length melts thin strings instantly
• Lighter — A fast wave of a lighter flame removes strings (be careful with thick ones)
• Deburring tool — For thicker strings, a hobby knife or deburring tool works well

Brand-Specific Notes

Not all PETG is created equal when it comes to stringing:

• Prusament PETG — One of the best for low stringing. Print at 230°C.
• Hatchbox PETG — Needs lower temps (225-230°C) for best results
• eSUN PETG — Good all-rounder, 230-235°C sweet spot
• Overture PETG — Budget-friendly, benefits from aggressive drying
• Polymaker PolyLite PETG — Engineered for low stringing, excellent out of box

My Go-To PETG Profile (Cura/Ender 3 S1)

Here’s the exact profile I use as a baseline for PETG with minimal stringing:

• Nozzle temp: 228°C
• Bed temp: 80°C
• Print speed: 50 mm/s
• Travel speed: 180 mm/s
• Retraction distance: 1.5 mm (direct drive)
• Retraction speed: 30 mm/s
• Fan speed: 50% (after layer 3)
• Combing: Within Infill
• Z-Hop: Disabled
• Wipe: Enabled, 3 mm
• Coasting: 0.064 mm³

This gives me near-zero stringing on dry PETG. Your printer may need slight adjustments, but this is a solid starting point.

The TL;DR Checklist

1. Dry your filament (65°C, 4-6 hours)
2. Lower temperature to 225-230°C
3. Set retraction to 1.5-3mm at 30mm/s (direct drive) or 4-6mm at 35mm/s (Bowden)
4. Max out travel speed (150-200 mm/s)
5. Enable combing within infill
6. Enable wipe, disable Z-Hop
7. Tune Pressure Advance if your firmware supports it
8. Accept that a heat gun pass is sometimes the practical answer

PETG will never be as string-free as PLA, but with these settings and dry filament, you can get it close. The strength and temperature resistance you gain in return make it absolutely worth the effort.