Symptom: Fine hairs or thick strings between separate parts of the print.
Most likely causes
- Wet PETG absorbing moisture
- Nozzle temperature too high for the brand
- Travel moves crossing open space
- Retraction not calibrated
Test in this order
- Dry the spool and repeat the same small stringing test.
- Reduce nozzle temperature by 5°C while checking layer bonding.
- Increase travel speed within your printer limits.
- Tune retraction in small steps; direct drive usually needs less distance than Bowden.
Stop changing multiple settings at once. Note the model, filament condition and room conditions, then change one variable and compare the same test print.
Relevant starting profiles
PETG settingsChoose your printer for a hardware-aware profilePETG-CF settingsChoose your printer for a hardware-aware profile
Reviewed 2026-08-18. Results vary by filament formulation, moisture, nozzle and slicer.