How to Stop PETG Stringing (Retraction & Drying)

PETG stringing is the most-searched PETG problem, and most guides start in the wrong place — with retraction. The truth is that moisture and temperature cause the majority of PETG stringing, and retraction is the last lever, not the first. Here is the order that actually works.

PETG is hygroscopic — it pulls water out of the air. When that trapped moisture hits the melt zone it flashes to steam, which erupts from the nozzle as fine hairs and blobs. This is why a spool that printed beautifully last month strings terribly today.

Dry PETG at about 65°C for 4–6 hours in a filament dryer or oven, then store it with desiccant. In most stringing cases this alone is a dramatic improvement — do it before you change any slicer settings, or you will be tuning around a problem that drying would have solved.

Once the filament is dry, temperature is the next lever. Excess heat keeps PETG runny during travel moves so it oozes out as strings. Drop the hotend in 5°C steps (see PETG temperature) while checking that layers still bond strongly.

Raising travel speed also helps: the faster the nozzle crosses open space, the less time strings have to form. Push travel speed up to your printer's comfortable maximum before touching retraction.

Only now do you touch retraction. The right numbers depend on your extruder:

• Direct drive: 1–2 mm distance
• Bowden: 4–7 mm distance

Increase retraction speed before distance — too much distance on PETG can grind the filament or cause clogs. Change one value at a time and reprint the same small stringing test so you can actually see the effect. If you still see strings after drying, tuning temperature and tuning retraction, recheck the filament for moisture; it re-absorbs fast.

Reviewed 2026-08-18. Starting points and general guidance — always calibrate for your filament brand and machine.