Bed-nozzle height

[fmso90]

Hi!! I am new using a 3D printer and I am having trouble leveling the printer.

I've read that people use a piece of paper to do that and other use gauges. In the last case, which gauge would I have to use for a 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm? And when I print with a layer height of 0.3mm for example for the first layer, does it mean that the nozzle would be at a height of 0,3mm exactly or 0.2+0.3 mm if I level with the gauge?

As you can see I am bit lost about it and I would thank any help!!

Kind regards

[DarthRevan]

Standard A4 size paper and feeler gauges are most common. Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JAlERd41NQ
Dial gauges also work well, but require a bit of customization to your 3d printer. Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE5Hr2b3sMY

[dkightley]

Don't get hung up on getting accuracy when setting the bed to nozzle distance...

Set it using a "known" gauge, and then use the Global-Z adjustment (GCode tab of settings) to fine tune the gap so that you get good adhesion of prints without getting the "elephants foot" effect, where plastic is squidged on the first layer to form a ledge.

When I got my first printer, it came with a business card of the appropriate thickness to use for setting the gap. I still use that same card 8 years later!

When bed levelling, the important thing is to get the "feel" of sliding the gauge back and forward to gauge the grip the nozzle has on the gauge (which is why I use card!)....and ensure you get the same "feel" when checking the bed to nozzle distance at varying point around the bed. metal shims or feeler gauges are useless as they offer little resistance, and you can't estimate the resistance. Again....don't worry about exact distances in thou or microns.....set and fine tune by doing a test print or two.

And you don't need to level the bed every five minutes!! Set it.....and check it every so often as you use your printer, and eventually you'll get to know how long you can go before re-checking. I level my printers' beds only when I suspect they're out of alignment, and I only set the bed to nozzle height whenever I replace or change a nozzle. If you have to keep checking and resetting your bed, you have a crap printer!

[fmso90]

Thank you very much for your help!! I think I will use the card or the paper to do it, so it's easier to "feel" the nozzle