3D print first layer won't stick? The complete fix list

A first layer that won't stick is the top support ticket we see across every FDM printer ever made — Creality, Prusa, Bambu, Anycubic, the lot. The good news: nine times out of ten it's one of four things. Work through them in this order and you'll get it.

1. The bed is dirty

PEI and glass beds both hate skin oils. Handling the plate with bare hands leaves fingerprints you can't see but plastic can't stick to.

• Lift the plate and wash it with warm water and a drop of washing-up liquid. Rinse properly.
• Dry with clean kitchen roll, not an old tea towel (lint).
• Handle by the edges only from now on.

Do not wipe a PEI bed with isopropyl alcohol every print. It dries the surface and shortens its life. Once a week at most, water and soap the rest of the time.

2. Z-offset is wrong

Auto-bed-levelling maps the surface shape of your bed. It does not set the gap between nozzle and bed on the first layer — that's a separate number (Z-offset) you tune per material.

• Good first layer: individual extruded lines are just squished together, no gaps, but still visible as lines.
• Squished completely flat / nozzle dragging: raise Z-offset by 0.025 mm.
• Lines not touching / filament pulling up at the edges: lower Z-offset by 0.025 mm.
• Adjust live during a print from the tune menu. Save the value once you're happy.

3. Print temperature is off

The first layer needs enough heat to bond. Not enough and it flakes off; too much and it oozes before it sticks.

• PLA: bed 60°C, nozzle 210°C on layer 1 (drop to 200°C afterwards)
• PETG: bed 75-80°C, nozzle 240°C
• ABS/ASA: bed 100-110°C, enclosure warm, nozzle 240-250°C

Part-cooling fan on PLA should be OFF for the first 1-3 layers — a blast of cold air in layer 1 curls the corners up. PETG: fan off for the first 3 layers, then ramp slowly.

4. Slicer settings are too aggressive

Out-of-the-box profiles often run the first layer too fast.

• First-layer speed: 20-25 mm/s. Slower is fine. Faster almost never works on a stock machine.
• First-layer line width: 120% of nozzle diameter (so 0.48 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle). Wider lines squish flatter and adhere better.
• First-layer flow: 102-105%. A tiny over-extrusion helps the first layer key into the bed texture.

Still not sticking? Second-line fixes

If you've worked through the above and your first layer is still poor:

• Brim — add a 5-8 mm brim in the slicer. It gives the outer edges of the print something to bond to. Single-perimeter brim; strip after printing.
• Raft — nuclear option. Prints a throwaway base layer underneath. Uses more plastic but will stick when nothing else will.
• Adhesion helper — Magigoo for PLA/PETG, glue stick for ABS, hairspray works in a pinch. Apply a thin even coat to a clean bed.
• Warped bed — lay a straight edge across the bed cold. A gap of more than ~0.3 mm across the whole bed warrants a warranty claim with your printer manufacturer.

The ones you don't need to touch

Common wrong turns we see on forums:

• Don't over-tighten the bed springs to force adhesion. If your bed has manual levelling, use a feeler gauge method or paper-drag.
• Don't print at 0% fan on layer 1 for PETG forever — without any cooling from layer 4 onwards the print will slump on overhangs.
• Don't add glue stick on top of a dirty bed. Clean first, then decide if you need adhesive.

When to send it in

If you've worked through all of the above and your first layer is still wrong in the same specific way every time (stripes across the bed, one corner always failing, the middle always good but edges always bad), the bed probe or gantry squareness is likely the issue. That's a mechanical diagnosis — post the printer in, we'll bench-test the probe, check gantry square, and return it tuned and ready.