Printer Profiles & Slicers¶
In the following you'll find some short notes on the most common slicers Cura, PrusaSlicer, SuperSlicer and OrcaSlicer and some notes on printer profiles for these slicers.
Printer Profiles¶
The USB drive shipped with your printer should contain Cura and PrusaSlicer profiles. If you don't have them, you can download them at Anycubic's support page but I'll list and link to them further below also.
However, these profiles most likely need individual tweaking. The settings like print speed, retraction settings, extruder and bed temperature etc. also depend on the type of material you want to use (e.g. PLA/ABS/PETG/TPU). But also for the same type of filament material like PLA the settings often need to be adjusted again if you're using filament of a different manufacturer or even just another spool or colour of the same brand.
There are countless guides about this topic in general, so I'd recommend to dig into it deeper using your preferred sites or specific videos.
You can always set up your own custom profile in your slicer. Just pay attention to the general machine settings, like the bed size and so on.
Set Up Filament Specific Profiles
When you're using more than one filament, it's a good idea to set up a profile for each spool of filament you have. So not only for the type of filament (like PLA, PETG etc.), but also for the different manufacturer, the colour and so on. It happens that you have to use slightly different settings even with the same type of filament from the same brand but just when using a different colour of it.
Try PrusaSlicer
Many users seem to get better results when using PrusaSlicer instead of Cura (I personally switched to PrusaSlicer a long time ago and don't use Cura anymore, so I can't really judge it), so maybe give PrusaSlicer a try if you're using Cura.
Using Klipper? Set G-Code Flavour To "Klipper"
If you're using Klipper, you should set the g-code flavour to "Klipper" accordingly if your slicer offers that function.
In PrusaSlicer you can find this setting under "Printer Settings" -> "General" -> "Firmware" (you need to have "Expert" mode activated to get access to that option!). The following screenshot shows that setting.
Official Profiles¶
The following list links to the specific profiles from Anycubic's firmware page:
Custom Profiles¶
Here you'll find links to profiles made by users - if I'm getting aware of them.
At this point I didn't come across any custom profiles yet though.
Slicers¶
In the following you'll find some short notes on the most common Slicers, which (imho) are PrusaSlicer, SuperSlicer, OrcaSlicer and Cura.
I won't go over Ancubic's slicer at this point though as it's based on PrusaSlicer.
A slicer is a program you open your STL file with and which needs to be set up with a profile which contain the specific settings for your printer.
When you open the STL file of the model you want to print, you then adjust some settings for how the printer should print the model (like speed, temperature etc.) and then you "slice" the model for getting the .gcode file generated, which then will be taken and processed by the printer.
In the following I'll just go over the abovementioned slicers really quick as it would be too much to discuss the slicers in detail. You'll find many resources online though where you'll find more information about them.
If I find the time, I'll add some screenshots as well, but I suggest to read around the web a bit for further information for the specific slicer you want to use or you're interested in. There are many comprehensive YouTube videos out there about this topic as well.
Cura¶
Cura is probably the most commonly known slicer.
Notes on Klipper
Even though Cura and Klipper work perfectly together, there are a few things to be aware of.
Certain classic G-code commands aren't directly supported by Klipper as it uses extended G-code and scripts for certain things. As an example the G-code command M0 (unconditional stop) isn't recognized by Klipper, you'd have to use the extended G-code command PAUSE for that.
Also there are a few functions of Cura which should improve the print quality which interfere with Klipper's own approaches for that (like Pressure Advance or Input Shaping).
You'll find a good overview of what to be aware of in the tutorial from All3DP: Cura & Klipper: How to Make Them Work Together.
The latest version of Cura also offers the option to now set the G-code flavor to Klipper.
However, there's also a "Klipper Settings Plugin" available which adds a category to Cura called "Klipper Settings" and offers Klipper specific settings and features.
PrusaSlicer, SuperSlicer, OrcaSlicer¶
PrusaSlicer and it derivates like SuperSlicer and OrcaSlicer are my personal favourites after using Cura for some time.
Notes on Klipper
You can set the G-code flavor depending on the firmware of the printer to "Klipper".
In PrusaSlicer you can find this setting under "Printer Settings" -> "General" -> "Firmware" (you need to have "Expert" mode activated to get access to that option!). The following screenshot shows that setting.
Of course all slicers have many functionalities to finetune and control the output - you can even choose between different patterns for the top layer finish. They're all pretty identical overall, yet they differ in certain functions. One of them being worth mentioned is a handy set of calibration tools that comes with SuperSlicer and OrcaSlicer. This function actually guides you step by step through the calibration process and allows you to generate calibration models like temperature or retraction towers with individual settings by just a few clicks.
Make sure to enable the optional "Arachne Engine" (Print Settings -> Perimeters) as it improves the quality of the printed parts.