FDM Beginner Path: 14 Days

This path takes you from an unopened filament printer to a calibrated machine and a part that does a job. It assumes nothing. One step a day is a comfortable pace, but go at whatever speed suits you: the order matters more than the days.

Mark each lesson as read when you finish it. This page counts the steps you have completed and shows the next lesson, in this browser, with no account. Printing with resin instead? Take the resin beginner path.

1. Day 1Understand 3D printing

   Know what an FDM printer does and how it differs from resin.

   • What 3D Printing Is
   • FDM versus Resin Printing
   Try it

   Write down three things you want to print. Next to each, note whether it needs strength, fine detail or a large size.

2. Day 2Know your machine

   Name the main parts of your printer and the three axes.

   • Parts of an FDM Printer
   • The Three Axes and Layer-by-Layer Printing
   Try it

   With the printer off and unplugged, find each part from the lesson on your own machine and move each axis gently by hand if your maker's manual allows it.

3. Day 3Set up your workspace

   Give the printer a safe, stable, ventilated place and the right tools.

   • Setting Up a Safe Workspace
   • Essential Tools and Supplies
   Try it

   Check the spot you chose against the workspace lesson: stable surface, clear of anything that burns, ventilation, and room to reach the printer.

4. Day 4Understand filament

   Know what PLA and PETG are good at and how to keep filament dry.

   • PLA and PLA Blends
   • PETG
   • Drying and Storing Filament
   Try it

   Read the label on your first spool. Find the maker's printing temperature range and any drying advice, and keep that label.

5. Day 5Learn the slicer

   Understand how a model becomes printer instructions, and which files to use.

   • CAD, Slicing and the Path to a Print
   • STL, 3MF, OBJ, STEP and G-code
   Try it

   Install the slicer your printer maker recommends, choose your printer's profile, and load any model without printing it yet.

6. Day 6Prepare a model

   Choose an orientation and decide whether it needs supports.

   • Print Orientation
   • Supports and Overhangs
   Try it

   Load one model and try two orientations. Compare the support material and print time the slicer reports for each.

7. Day 7Your first print

   Print the maker's test model with the maker's profile.

   • Your First FDM Print
   Try it

   Print the test file that came with your printer, unchanged. Stay with the printer for the first layers.

8. Day 8First layer adhesion

   Recognize a good first layer and fix one that will not stick.

   • First Layer Fundamentals
   • Bed Tramming, Probing and Mesh Compensation
   • First Layer Won't Stick
   Try it

   Print a single-layer square and compare it with the pictures and descriptions in the first layer lessons.

9. Day 9Temperature and cooling

   Understand how heat and the part fan change a print.

   • Temperature and Cooling
   Try it

   Find your slicer's temperature and fan settings for the filament you use. Do not change them yet; just know where they are.

10. Day 10Infill and supports

    Choose infill and support settings on purpose instead of by default.

    • Infill Fundamentals
    • Support Settings
    Try it

    Slice one model at two infill densities and note the change in time and material.

11. Day 11Basic calibration

    Check the printer and tune temperature for your filament.

    • Before You Calibrate: The First Print Check
    • Z Offset and First Layer Height
    • Temperature Tower: Finding a Filament's Print Temperature
    Try it

    Print a temperature tower for your main filament and record the setting you choose.

12. Day 12Diagnose common failures

    Read a failed print and change one thing at a time.

    • Stringing and Oozing
    • Corners Curling Up Off the Bed (Warping)
    • Gaps, Thin Lines and Weak Walls (Under-Extrusion)
    Try it

    Keep your failed prints. For each, find the matching troubleshooting lesson and note the first check it tells you to do.

13. Day 13Print a functional part

    Print a part that has to fit or carry a load.

    • Walls and Perimeters
    • Dimensional Accuracy: XY Compensation and Hole Sizes
    • A First Functional Project
    Try it

    Print a part with a hole or a fit that matters, measure it, and use the tolerance calculator on the Calculators page to plan a correction.

14. Day 14Maintenance and next steps

    Keep the printer reliable and safe.

    • Printer Maintenance Schedule
    • Fire and Electrical Safety for 3D Printers
    Try it

    Write your own maintenance checklist from your printer maker's maintenance page and the lesson, and set a reminder for the first check.