What temperature do you print PLA at?

PLA prints at a nozzle temperature of 180-220C with the bed at 50-60C. Start at the lower end of the nozzle range and raise it in 5C steps until layers bond cleanly.

Does PLA need an enclosure?

No. PLA prints fine on an open-frame printer at normal room temperature.

What is PLA good for?

PLA suits display models, prototypes, toys and figures, jigs used at room temperature. Avoid it for anything left in a hot car, parts under sustained load, outdoor use in sun.

How much does PLA cost?

A 1 kg spool of PLA typically sells for $15-30. That is an indicative street price rather than a live figure, so check the retailer for today's cost.

PLA print settings

Polylactic Acid · Beginner

PLA (Polylactic Acid) prints at 180-220°C with the bed at 50-60°C. No enclosure needed. Drying is rarely necessary.

The default beginner filament. Prints cool, sticks well, warps very little, and needs no enclosure. It gives up heat resistance in exchange for all of that.

Settings at a glance

Nozzle

180-220°C

Bed

50-60°C

Enclosure

Not needed

Part cooling

Yes, 100% after the first layer

Retraction

0.1-0.3mm

Typical price

$15-30 / kg

Ranges are typical manufacturer-published figures for this material class, not measurements we took. Always start with your filament maker’s own numbers where they differ. The price is an indicative street price for a 1 kg spool, not a live quote.

Good for

Display models
Prototypes
Toys and figures
Jigs used at room temperature

Avoid for

Anything left in a hot car
Parts under sustained load
Outdoor use in sun

The problem people actually hit

Parts soften around 60C, so a print left on a dashboard will sag. If the part needs to survive heat, move to PETG or ABS rather than trying to tune PLA.

Drying

Mildly hygroscopic. Dry at 45C for 4-6 hours if the spool has been open in humid air and you see popping or a rough surface.

Buying PLA

PLA is stocked by every general retailer and is largely interchangeable between reputable brands. Spend the money on tolerance and packaging rather than on a name. Typical street price is $15-30 per 1 kg spool.

Check before you order

Diameter 1.75mm unless your printer takes 2.85mm. Check before ordering, not after.
Published diameter tolerance. ±0.02mm is good, ±0.05mm is loose and shows up as inconsistent extrusion.

See PLA filament on Amazon

Not sure this is the right material? Compare all materials.

Need the finished part instead of another spool of PLA?

Upload the model and get a price. PLA is one of the materials the service prints. The quote is automatic rather than a wait.

FDM only, up to 220mm per side, shipping within the United States. Accepts STL, 3MF, STEP, OBJ.

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Ownership: 3DPrinterOnDemand is Another Anvil Road property, so we have a commercial interest in it. We are not recommending it as an independent party, and where it cannot print a material we say so and point elsewhere.

What you need to print PLA

Gear that PLA genuinely requires, with the specification that decides whether a given unit will actually work.

Heat-set threaded inserts

Brass, M3 unless your design says otherwise

Printed threads strip. If you are making display models out of PLA, melting brass inserts in gives you a metal thread that survives being undone more than once.

See heat-set threaded inserts on Amazon

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PLA questions

What temperature do you print PLA at?: PLA prints at a nozzle temperature of 180-220C with the bed at 50-60C. Start at the lower end of the nozzle range and raise it in 5C steps until layers bond cleanly.
Does PLA need an enclosure?: No. PLA prints fine on an open-frame printer at normal room temperature.
Do you need to dry PLA?: Mildly hygroscopic. Dry at 45C for 4-6 hours if the spool has been open in humid air and you see popping or a rough surface.
What is PLA good for?: PLA suits display models, prototypes, toys and figures, jigs used at room temperature. Avoid it for anything left in a hot car, parts under sustained load, outdoor use in sun.
How much does PLA cost?: A 1 kg spool of PLA typically sells for $15-30. That is an indicative street price rather than a live figure, so check the retailer for today's cost.

PLA or PETG?

PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol) prints at 220-250°C with a 70-85°C bed and needs no enclosure. The usual step up from PLA. Tougher, more heat resistant, still printable without an enclosure. The trade is stringing and fussier bed adhesion.

Read the PETG settings guide →