HOW TO SET UP SUPPORTS IN YOUR SLICER

Supports are temporary scaffold structures the slicer adds under unsupported geometry to prevent sagging during printing. They're removed by hand after the print finishes. Configured well, supports release with light force and leave minimal scarring. Configured badly, they fuse to the model and you spend more time cleaning the print than printing it. Four settings do most of the work: threshold angle (when does the slicer add supports), pattern (how the support body is structured), Z-distance (gap between support and model), and interface layers (the smooth surface right under the model where they actually touch).

Use supports when: geometry has overhangs steeper than 50-55 degrees from vertical (or shallower than 35-40 degrees from horizontal), there are gaps in the model wider than your printer's reliable bridge limit (PLA 60-80 mm, PETG 30-40 mm), or floating geometry has no foundation at all. Don't use supports when: the model can be reoriented so the overhang is shallower than 50 degrees - rotation is always cleaner than support marks. Or when the unsupported area is small enough to print clean by accepting some surface texture.

1. Set the threshold angle. This determines when the slicer auto-generates supports. - Cura: Support - Support Overhang Angle: 50-55 degrees. - PrusaSlicer: Support material - Overhang threshold: 50-55 degrees. - OrcaSlicer / Bambu Studio: Support - Threshold angle: 30-40 degrees from horizontal (note: these slicers measure from horizontal, so 35 degrees here = 55 degrees from vertical). Lower the threshold (more aggressive supports) for PETG and ABS where overhangs fail more easily. 2. Set the support pattern. - For most prints: 'Tree' or 'Organic' (modern slicers). Less material, less scarring. - For tall thin supports: 'Grid' or 'Triangles' - more stable. - For easy removal on simple geometry: 'Lines' (Cura) - falls off cleanly. 3. Set support density. - 10-15% for most prints. - 15-20% for tall (>30 mm) supports that bear load. - 20%+ if supports keep collapsing. 4. Set Z-distance (the critical one). - Top Z-distance: 0.2 mm (PLA), 0.25-0.3 mm (PETG), 0.2-0.25 mm (ABS). - Bottom Z-distance: 0.0-0.1 mm. Increase top Z-distance by 0.05 mm at a time if supports won't release; decrease if model bottoms are sagging into supports. 5. Enable interface layers. - Top interface layers: 2-3. - Pattern: Concentric (smoothest peel). - Density: 90-100%. 6. Optional: support brim. For tall thin supports, enable a 4-8 mm brim around supports specifically. 7. Slice and inspect the support placement in the slicer's preview. Disable specific supports manually if any are unnecessary or in awkward locations.

Z-distance too small. Supports fuse to model. PLA needs 0.2 mm minimum. No interface layers. Coarse support infill prints directly under the model surface, leaves checkerboard texture. Lines pattern on tall supports. Lines collapse - use Grid or Triangles for tall structures. Supports everywhere because of low threshold. Setting threshold to 30 degrees adds supports to almost everything. Use 50-55 degrees as default. Skipping reorient before adding supports. Often a 30-degree rotation eliminates all support need.

Tree / organic supports deserve their own setup - see how-to-use-tree-supports. For removal scars on otherwise correctly-configured supports, see support-scarring. For collapsed (not fused) supports, raise density to 20%+.