Tips for Printing with Large Nozzles (0.8mm and Up)

Using large nozzles like 0.8mm, 1.0mm, or even larger opens the door to significantly faster prints and stronger parts due to thicker layers and wider extrusion. However, there are a few important adjustments and best practices you should follow to get optimal results when switching to a large nozzle.

Here are our top tips to ensure smooth, high-quality prints:

1. Disable Pressure Advance / Linear Advance

Most printers come with default firmware settings that are tuned for smaller nozzles (typically 0.4mm). When using a large nozzle, disable pressure advance or linear advance, as it often causes under- or over-extrusion with the higher flow rates. While it can be manually tuned for large nozzles, in most cases, we find it's not necessary and can actually introduce more issues than it solves.

2. Increase Print Temperature

Higher flow rates require more heat to keep the filament molten as it's pushed through a wider opening. We recommend increasing your nozzle temperature by 10–20°C compared to what you normally use with a 0.4mm nozzle.

• PLA at 200°C → try 210–220°C
• PETG at 240°C → try 250–260°C

This helps maintain consistent extrusion and layer bonding when printing at higher speeds.

3. Adjust Wipe and Retraction Settings

If you’re using wipe while retracting in your slicer, reduce the wipe distance when printing with a large nozzle. Excessive wipe distances can create small gaps or under-extrusion artifacts between layers due to the larger filament path. You may also need to slightly reduce retraction distance as larger nozzles tend to ooze more predictably.

4. Use the Right Layer Height

The general rule of thumb for layer height with larger nozzles is:

• Recommended Max Layer Height: 60% of your nozzle diameter
• Absolute Max Layer Height: 80%

Example: With a 1.0mm nozzle, a 0.6mm layer height is optimal. You can go up to 0.8mm, but quality and reliability may suffer beyond that.

Going higher than 80% can lead to poor layer adhesion and inconsistent extrusion due to lack of pressure and contact between layers.

5. Enable AUX/Side Fan for PLA

If your printer has an AUX or side fan—such as those found on Bambu X1/P1, Creality K Series, and other higher-end machines—enable it when printing PLA with a large nozzle.

This extra airflow dramatically improves:

• Overhang performance
• Surface quality
• Layer cooling
• Sagging prevention on bridges and edges

6. Slow Down on Small Features

Even with a big nozzle, small or detailed features still require slower speeds. Slicers like Cura and PrusaSlicer have features to automatically slow down on small perimeters—use them to retain detail where needed. Otherwise, small details may get lost or deformed.

7. Use Proper Cooling and Extruder Setup

• Ensure your extruder is capable of handling high flow rates—direct drive extruders usually perform better here.
• For PLA, keep cooling active but not overly aggressive. Combined with an AUX fan, cooling should be well-balanced.
• For PETG, ABS, or ASA, moderate to low fan speeds or even disabling part cooling may give better results with large layers.

8. Consider a Larger Heater Block

If you’re consistently printing at higher speeds or thicker layers, consider upgrading to a Volcano-style or high-flow hotend. These are designed with longer melt zones that allow more filament to be heated effectively at high flow rates.

Final Notes

Large nozzles are fantastic for:

• Fast prototyping
• Structural parts
• Stronger prints due to increased layer bonding

But they do require tuning and awareness of their limits. Stick to these guidelines and you’ll be able to take full advantage of your upgraded nozzle.

If you're using a Creality K1/K2 Series printer, we have exclusive 1.0mm nozzles made just for these models available on our store. You can check them out here:
https://www.th3dstudio.com/product/k1-plus-1-0mm-custom-nozzle-th3d-exclusive/

Let us know if you have any questions or want help optimizing your large nozzle setup! We're here to help.