Problems by material
Temperature settings and the issues each material actually runs into — PETG oozes differently than PLA, nylon fails differently than ABS. Pick your filament for the specifics.
PLA
PLA is the most forgiving material to print with — minimal warping, no enclosure needed, and a wide margin for error on settings. Most PLA problems trace back to cooling or speed rather than the material itself.
Read the guidePETG
PETG is tougher and more temperature-resistant than PLA, but it oozes more, strings more, and can be tricky to remove from certain bed surfaces. Most complaints about PETG are actually complaints about not adjusting settings from a PLA profile.
Read the guideABS
ABS is strong and heat-resistant, but it's the material most likely to warp, crack, or delaminate if you don't manage its cooling and enclosure needs deliberately.
Read the guideASA
ASA behaves almost identically to ABS in terms of printing — same enclosure and cooling needs — but resists UV degradation much better, making it the better pick for anything that'll sit outdoors.
Read the guideTPU
TPU is flexible, which means it behaves completely differently from rigid filaments in the extruder. Almost every TPU problem comes down to printing it too fast or with too much retraction, not temperature.
Read the guideNylon (PA)
Nylon (PA) is strong and durable, but it's also the most moisture-sensitive material on this list by a wide margin. If you're having any quality issue with nylon at all, check drying before touching a single slicer setting.
Read the guidePC (Polycarbonate)
PC is one of the toughest and most heat-resistant materials commonly printed on desktop machines, but it demands the most from your hardware — high temperatures, a heated chamber, and an all-metal hot end are close to mandatory.
Read the guideCarbon Fiber Filled
"Carbon fiber filament" isn't a base material on its own — it's usually PLA, PETG, or nylon infused with chopped carbon fiber for extra stiffness. Print settings mostly follow whatever the base material is, but the fiber itself introduces one problem none of the base materials have.
Read the guide