<ol>
<li><p>Buy a better printer (Sorry, I'm going to be that guy). Judging by the visibility of the horizontal lines on your piece, the print is already painful to look at. This happens due to fluctuating temperatures. Ender 3 is for beginners learning to print who aren't sure if they want to invest in the new hobby, people on a budget who use it once a month, or people who want to mess around with firmware and play around with the code. Ender 3 prints like garbage, sorry, it's just the truth. If you're serious about printing: upgrade.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Buy high-quality PLA filament. Stay clear from cheap Amazon stuff, that will only clog your nozzle. This is probably the source of the blobs. Buy black or colorless PLA or live with the problems other colors might and will bring, especially glossy, glittery, fancy stuff.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Check <strong>Shell</strong> &gt; <strong>Outer before Inner Walls</strong> in Cura.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Yr0Gd.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Screenshot of Cura Settings showing the Quality and Shell sections"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Yr0Gd.jpg" alt="Screenshot of Cura Settings showing the Quality and Shell sections" title="Screenshot of Cura Settings showing the Quality and Shell sections" /></a></p>
<ol start="4">
<li><p>Adjust <strong>Speed</strong> &gt; <strong>Outer Wall Speed</strong>. Anything under 60 mm/s is <strong>fine</strong>.</p>
</li>
<li><p>As a last resort: Reduce the flow rate. In Cura under <strong>Material</strong> &gt; <strong>Flow</strong>, or <strong>Outer Wall Flow</strong>. Not by too much though.</p>
</li>
<li><p>If the blobs show up in a certain pattern (it does <strong>not</strong> appear so), indeed turn off **Power Loss Recovery as the comment suggested. If they appear random (from what I see in the photos), there's <strong>no</strong> need to turn off that feature whatsoever.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Also, you'll want to increase your retraction speed and perhaps also retraction amount (both under <strong>Travel</strong> in Cura) judging by that stringing.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-31T22:14:19.797Z
Thanks for the tips. I am only starting with 3d printing and am enjoying a basic cheap machine I can play around with. I have found a couple of issues that weren’t helping my cause, loose Bowden tube at extruder and Y axis had movement in the rollers. 
The prints have been better but I have just finished printing a Satsana fan shroud and direct extruder mod to see if that helps with ease of tuning. 
On a side note, my firmware allows firmware retraction, I want to use this so I can tune retraction mid print. Do I have to disable the retraction in the Cura?
Terry Dunn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-15T17:44:45.523Z
No, don't disable retraction. If anything, speed it up.
AzulShiva
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-25T08:48:51.940Z
@TerryDunn - I have the same set up as you, and my first thought was that you need to tighten your y axis nuts (which it sounds like you did.) this will help the layer lines you have.  With respect to the blobs, I suspect it is the filament, I have printed about 14 rolls of filament, mostly pla, but some PETG and tpu, and one roll was full of those zits and blobs and I tried everything suggested here and about a hundred more things.  Nothing fixed it and I eventually gave up, and was very happy when the next role of filament showed ZERO blobs.
Filek
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-26T21:55:49.913Z
Thanks everyone for your comments. I noticed that a couple of things were not assembled correctly so I basically stripped the printer down and meticulously assembled everything again. Because this was a secondhand printer, and it was my first look at one, I had no idea how stable it should be. After correct assembly, the printer is moving so much better. A combination of fixing this and storing my filament in a sealed container with desiccant for a few days, has improved my prints immensely.
Terry Dunn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-30T21:26:33.490Z
2023-01-30T21:53:57.670Z
2023-01-30T21:53:57.670Z
AzulShiva
<p>I have added a Satsana fan shroud and direct extruder. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s just this filament. I have done test retraction towers using firmware retraction so I can make adjustments mid print and have tried retraction distances from .5mm to 5mm and still can’t eliminate stringing. It’s better, but still there. I have also tried test temp towers and still can’t eliminate it. I haven’t printed anything that will show surface zits and blobs, so I don’t know if that has improved. It’s a new roll but I still put it in the oven at 45-50 for 4 hours to see if that helped, it didn’t.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-05T01:17:53.567Z
Hi Terry. It good that you've managed to improve your prints. However, I'm not sure whether: (A) this is a definitive answer, or; (B) rather an update to your question (as you seem to say that the issue still persists, although to a lesser extent). If the latter is true, then this is information really just an update and should be edited into your question (assuming that you are still hoping for someone to provide an actual solution) and this answer deleted. However, if the former is true then please leave this answer as it stands and mark it as the accepted answer. Thanks.
Greenonline
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-25T08:53:40.547Z
@Terry Dunn - I have to go all the way to 6.0mm and 45mm/s sometimes even 6.5mm and 50mm/s for retraction to get rid of stringing for some filaments, keep adjusting you will get there.  (This is assuming that you have not gone to a direct drive system yet). Oops, I see you have direct drive - never mind
Filek
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-04T20:43:17.467Z
2023-02-04T20:43:17.467Z
Terry Dunn
<p>Change seam to User defined, then to back right Also Adjust your retraction settings.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-03T20:22:51.670Z
Could you please explain **why** making these changes would fix the OP's problem?
agarza
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-03T21:03:02.573Z
Please [edit] and expand upon your answer. Where are these settings to which you refer (maybe include the menus and/or a screenshot of the settings). Look at the other answer to see what instructions would be helpful/useful. Also, try to fix its readability (i.e. the grammar) - is there meant to be a full stop between "right" and "Also", or between "Also" and "Adjust"? The double capital letters and lack of a full stop make your answer rather difficult to interpret.
Greenonline
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-03T19:50:40.823Z
2023-02-03T19:50:40.823Z
eskeyaar
<p>I have an Ender 3 that I have been learning for about a month now. I’ve just started to print with PLA silk. I’ve managed to get some quite nice prints out of standard PLA and also PETG. Maybe it’s just the glossiness of the silk that is highlighting these surface zits.</p>
<p>I’ve already tuned my E-steps, and have done temp towers, retraction test towers, and flow tests but just can’t seem to nail what is giving me these blemishes. I’m using a .6 mm nozzle, temp tower showed 195 °C for the nozzle, 60 °C for the bed. Printing at .2 mm layer height and 50 mm feed rate.</p>
<p>Everything is stock except for an all-metal extruder and a BLTouch.
There seem to be a lot of profiles for Cura floating around and I tried them but most of them seem to be tailored to the standard .4 mm nozzle.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/KPdHH.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Side view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/KPdHH.jpg" alt="Side view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface" title="Side view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/PihNp.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Another view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/PihNp.jpg" alt="Another view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface" title="Another view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-29T16:54:02.267Z
Is power loss recovery enabled? If so, try disabling it and see if that fixes your problem.
R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-29T22:32:07.697Z
Have you lowered the speed? With a bigger nozzle and similar speed at 0.4 mm nozzle your flow may be too large to be dealt with by your hot end. The quality of the print is under par, there is a lot of material "missing" ending up in a blob.
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-30T04:00:40.297Z
I tried adjusting speed and it didn’t seem to change. I then noticed that the Bowden tube was moving at the extruder. I’ve fixed that now and am trying again. 
Terry Dunn
<creality-ender-3><ultimaker-cura><surface>
Can’t seem to tune out surface zits
Terry Dunn
# Can’t seem to tune out surface zits

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-01-29)

I have an Ender 3 that I have been learning for about a month now. I’ve just started to print with PLA silk. I’ve managed to get some quite nice prints out of standard PLA and also PETG. Maybe it’s just the glossiness of the silk that is highlighting these surface zits.

I’ve already tuned my E-steps, and have done temp towers, retraction test towers, and flow tests but just can’t seem to nail what is giving me these blemishes. I’m using a .6 mm nozzle, temp tower showed 195 °C for the nozzle, 60 °C for the bed. Printing at .2 mm layer height and 50 mm feed rate.

Everything is stock except for an all-metal extruder and a BLTouch.
There seem to be a lot of profiles for Cura floating around and I tried them but most of them seem to be tailored to the standard .4 mm nozzle.

[![Side view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface](https://i.sstatic.net/KPdHH.jpg "Side view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface")](https://i.sstatic.net/KPdHH.jpg "Side view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface")

[![Another view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface](https://i.sstatic.net/PihNp.jpg "Another view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface")](https://i.sstatic.net/PihNp.jpg "Another view of a 3D printed model with zits on the surface")

**Tags:** creality-ender-3, ultimaker-cura, surface
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Is power loss recovery enabled? If so, try disabling it and see if that fixes your problem.  
> **username_2**: Have you lowered the speed? With a bigger nozzle and similar speed at 0.4 mm nozzle your flow may be too large to be dealt with by your hot end. The quality of the print is under par, there is a lot of material "missing" ending up in a blob.  
> **username_0**: I tried adjusting speed and it didn’t seem to change. I then noticed that the Bowden tube was moving at the extruder. I’ve fixed that now and am trying again.   

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2023-01-30. Score: 1

1. Buy a better printer (Sorry, I'm going to be that guy). Judging by the visibility of the horizontal lines on your piece, the print is already painful to look at. This happens due to fluctuating temperatures. Ender 3 is for beginners learning to print who aren't sure if they want to invest in the new hobby, people on a budget who use it once a month, or people who want to mess around with firmware and play around with the code. Ender 3 prints like garbage, sorry, it's just the truth. If you're serious about printing: upgrade.
2. Buy high-quality PLA filament. Stay clear from cheap Amazon stuff, that will only clog your nozzle. This is probably the source of the blobs. Buy black or colorless PLA or live with the problems other colors might and will bring, especially glossy, glittery, fancy stuff.
3. Check **Shell** > **Outer before Inner Walls** in Cura.

[![Screenshot of Cura Settings showing the Quality and Shell sections](https://i.sstatic.net/Yr0Gd.jpg "Screenshot of Cura Settings showing the Quality and Shell sections")](https://i.sstatic.net/Yr0Gd.jpg "Screenshot of Cura Settings showing the Quality and Shell sections")

4. Adjust **Speed** > **Outer Wall Speed**. Anything under 60 mm/s is **fine**.
5. As a last resort: Reduce the flow rate. In Cura under **Material** > **Flow**, or **Outer Wall Flow**. Not by too much though.
6. If the blobs show up in a certain pattern (it does **not** appear so), indeed turn off \*\*Power Loss Recovery as the comment suggested. If they appear random (from what I see in the photos), there's **no** need to turn off that feature whatsoever.

Also, you'll want to increase your retraction speed and perhaps also retraction amount (both under **Travel** in Cura) judging by that stringing.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for the tips. I am only starting with 3d printing and am enjoying a basic cheap machine I can play around with. I have found a couple of issues that weren’t helping my cause, loose Bowden tube at extruder and Y axis had movement in the rollers.  The prints have been better but I have just finished printing a Satsana fan shroud and direct extruder mod to see if that helps with ease of tuning.  On a side note, my firmware allows firmware retraction, I want to use this so I can tune retraction mid print. Do I have to disable the retraction in the Cura?  
> **username_3**: No, don't disable retraction. If anything, speed it up.  
> **username_4**: @TerryDunn - I have the same set up as you, and my first thought was that you need to tighten your y axis nuts (which it sounds like you did.) this will help the layer lines you have.  With respect to the blobs, I suspect it is the filament, I have printed about 14 rolls of filament, mostly pla, but some PETG and tpu, and one roll was full of those zits and blobs and I tried everything suggested here and about a hundred more things.  Nothing fixed it and I eventually gave up, and was very happy when the next role of filament showed ZERO blobs.  
> **username_0**: Thanks everyone for your comments. I noticed that a couple of things were not assembled correctly so I basically stripped the printer down and meticulously assembled everything again. Because this was a secondhand printer, and it was my first look at one, I had no idea how stable it should be. After correct assembly, the printer is moving so much better. A combination of fixing this and storing my filament in a sealed container with desiccant for a few days, has improved my prints immensely.  

---

### Answer by username_0 on 2023-02-04. Score: 0

I have added a Satsana fan shroud and direct extruder. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s just this filament. I have done test retraction towers using firmware retraction so I can make adjustments mid print and have tried retraction distances from .5mm to 5mm and still can’t eliminate stringing. It’s better, but still there. I have also tried test temp towers and still can’t eliminate it. I haven’t printed anything that will show surface zits and blobs, so I don’t know if that has improved. It’s a new roll but I still put it in the oven at 45-50 for 4 hours to see if that helped, it didn’t.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Hi Terry. It good that you've managed to improve your prints. However, I'm not sure whether: (A) this is a definitive answer, or; (B) rather an update to your question (as you seem to say that the issue still persists, although to a lesser extent). If the latter is true, then this is information really just an update and should be edited into your question (assuming that you are still hoping for someone to provide an actual solution) and this answer deleted. However, if the former is true then please leave this answer as it stands and mark it as the accepted answer. Thanks.  
> **username_4**: @Terry Dunn - I have to go all the way to 6.0mm and 45mm/s sometimes even 6.5mm and 50mm/s for retraction to get rid of stringing for some filaments, keep adjusting you will get there.  (This is assuming that you have not gone to a direct drive system yet). Oops, I see you have direct drive - never mind  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2023-02-03. Score: -2

Change seam to User defined, then to back right Also Adjust your retraction settings.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: Could you please explain **why** making these changes would fix the OP's problem?  
> **username_5**: Please [edit] and expand upon your answer. Where are these settings to which you refer (maybe include the menus and/or a screenshot of the settings). Look at the other answer to see what instructions would be helpful/useful. Also, try to fix its readability (i.e. the grammar) - is there meant to be a full stop between "right" and "Also", or between "Also" and "Adjust"? The double capital letters and lack of a full stop make your answer rather difficult to interpret.  

---

