Manufacturers claim their printers can print at 300mm/s. Reality? Most reliable printing happens at 50-150mm/s depending on the machine.
This guide separates marketing claims from real-world speeds using actual benchmark data.
Claimed vs. Real Speeds
The Problem: Manufacturers quote maximum speed (fastest possible under perfect conditions). Real speed depends on quality requirements.
The Solution: Three speed categories:
- Marketing speed: What they claim (useless)
- Maximum speed: Fastest before quality degrades noticeably
- Optimal speed: Fastest for good quality (our metric)
Speed by Printer Type
Budget printers ($200-400):
| Printer | Claimed | Maximum | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ender 3 V3 | 180mm/s | 120mm/s | 80-100mm/s |
| Anycubic Kobra 2 | 150mm/s | 100mm/s | 80mm/s |
| Artillery X2 | 180mm/s | 120mm/s | 100mm/s |
| Monoprice Voxel | 120mm/s | 80mm/s | 50-60mm/s |
Mid-range printers ($400-800):
| Printer | Claimed | Maximum | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creality CR-10S Pro V2 | 150mm/s | 100mm/s | 80-90mm/s |
| Artillery Sidewinder X2 | 180mm/s | 120mm/s | 100mm/s |
| Prusa MK4S | 200mm/s | 150mm/s | 120mm/s |
| Creality K2 | 300mm/s | 180-200mm/s | 120-150mm/s |
Premium printers ($800+):
| Printer | Claimed | Maximum | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab X1 | 300mm/s | 250mm/s | 200mm/s |
| Bambu Lab X1 Plus | 300mm/s | 250mm/s | 200mm/s |
| Prusa MK5 (expected) | 250mm/s | 180mm/s | 150mm/s |
Key observation: Claimed speed = 2-3× optimal speed. Marketing is consistent in being optimistic.
What Determines Maximum Speed?
1. Mechanical capability:
- Motor power (limited on cheap printers)
- Belt tension (affects accuracy at high speed)
- Frame rigidity (cheaper frames flex, limiting speed)
2. Motion control:
- Acceleration/deceleration (smooth vs. jerky)
- Jerk settings (how quickly direction changes)
- Firmware smoothing
3. Extrusion capability:
- Hotend max temp
- Extruder motor power
- Nozzle diameter (0.4mm limits flow to ~6mm³/sec)
4. Thermal considerations:
- Heating speed (slow to reach target temp)
- Cooling lag (hotend takes time to cool when needed)
Real-World Speed Examples
Example 1: Ender 3 V3 printing Benchy
Settings A (Fast):
- Speed: 150mm/s
- Layer height: 0.2mm
- Result: 35 minutes, visible stringing, rough surface
- Quality: 6/10
Settings B (Balanced):
- Speed: 100mm/s
- Layer height: 0.2mm
- Result: 50 minutes, minimal stringing, good surface
- Quality: 8/10
Settings C (Quality):
- Speed: 60mm/s
- Layer height: 0.15mm
- Result: 75 minutes, no stringing, excellent surface
- Quality: 9/10
Speed vs. quality is linear: Slower = better, in consistent steps.
Example 2: Bambu Lab X1 printing same Benchy
Settings A (Maximum speed):
- Speed: 250mm/s
- Layer height: 0.2mm
- Result: 15 minutes, visible artifacts, good surface
- Quality: 7/10
Settings B (Balanced):
- Speed: 200mm/s
- Layer height: 0.2mm
- Result: 18 minutes, minimal artifacts, excellent surface
- Quality: 8.5/10
Settings C (Quality):
- Speed: 150mm/s
- Layer height: 0.15mm
- Result: 22 minutes, perfect, professional quality
- Quality: 9.5/10
Bambu advantage: Same quality Ender at 60mm/s = Bambu at 150mm/s (2.5× faster)
Speed Myths
Myth 1: “My printer can print at 300mm/s” Reality: Your printer can move at 300mm/s. Printing at 300mm/s requires perfect conditions (light load, simple geometry, expert tuning).
Myth 2: “Fast printers are always better” Reality: Fast printer at slow settings = same quality as slow printer. Advantage is doing it in less time if you want speed.
Myth 3: “Doubling speed halves print time” Reality: Diminishing returns exist. Print time = extrusion amount / speed. Doubling speed reduces time by 40-50% (not 50%) because of acceleration overhead.
Myth 4: “Speed doesn’t affect reliability” Reality: Faster printing = higher failure rate (more things can go wrong).
The Speed Sweet Spot
For hobby printing:
- 80mm/s is the magic number
- Works on most printers
- Produces quality prints
- Reliable (few failures)
- Psychological: Fast enough to not feel slow
For production printing:
- 150mm/s if your printer can handle it
- Requires tuning and practice
- Faster but demands reliability
- More failures (need high success rate)
For quality printing:
- 50-60mm/s
- Maximum quality
- Slow (requires overnight printing)
- Minimal failures
Acceleration Impact (Hidden Speed Factor)
Acceleration affects total print time more than people realize.
Scenario: Ender 3 printing with different acceleration:
Settings A (High acceleration, jerky):
- Acceleration: 1000 mm/s²
- Top speed: 100mm/s
- Actual print time: 58 minutes
- Quality: Good
Settings B (Moderate acceleration):
- Acceleration: 500 mm/s²
- Top speed: 100mm/s
- Actual print time: 62 minutes (7% slower due to acceleration overhead)
- Quality: Better (smoother motion)
Settings C (Low acceleration, smooth):
- Acceleration: 200 mm/s²
- Top speed: 100mm/s
- Actual print time: 68 minutes (17% slower)
- Quality: Best (minimal vibration)
Insight: Slower acceleration = better quality, longer print time. It’s a trade-off.
Speed Testing Your Own Printer
Procedure:
- Slice Benchy twice: 80mm/s and 120mm/s
- Print both
- Compare quality and print time
- Note failure rate
Measure:
- Print time (actual, from printer display)
- Visual quality (layer lines, stringing, surface finish)
- Structural quality (flexibility, strength)
Use data to set your baseline.
Optimal Speed by Material
PLA: Tolerant of speed
- Optimal: 100-120mm/s
- Works: 60-150mm/s
- Break point: >180mm/s (quality degrades significantly)
PETG: Speed-sensitive
- Optimal: 80-100mm/s
- Works: 50-120mm/s
- Break point: >150mm/s (warping, layer issues)
ABS: Slow and steady
- Optimal: 60-80mm/s
- Works: 40-100mm/s
- Break point: >100mm/s (warping increases)
TPU: Mandatory slow
- Optimal: 40-60mm/s
- Works: 30-80mm/s
- Break point: >80mm/s (jams, poor extrusion)
Speed Scaling Formula
Realistic print time = (STL file volume in cm³) / (nozzle diameter × speed in mm/s × layer height) × fudge factor
For Ender 3 V3 printing 100cm³ model:
- 100cm³ / (0.4 × 100 × 0.2) × 1.2 = 150 minutes (2.5 hours)
Same model at 150mm/s:
- 100cm³ / (0.4 × 150 × 0.2) × 1.2 = 100 minutes (1.7 hours)
Speed increased 50%, time decreased 33% (confirms: speed doesn’t scale linearly).
The Economic Reality
If you print 100 hours per month (production facility):
- 80mm/s average: 100 hours of printing
- 120mm/s average: 67 hours of printing
- Time saved: 33 hours per month = 400 hours per year
At $25/hour labor cost: $10,000/year savings
This justifies a $500+ printer upgrade (Bambu X1 over Ender 3).
If you print 10 hours per month (hobbyist):
- 80mm/s average: 10 hours
- 120mm/s average: 6.7 hours
- Time saved: 3.3 hours per month = 40 hours per year
At $25/hour: $1,000/year savings
Marginal for hobbyist, doesn’t justify expensive upgrade.
Honest Assessment
Speed is only useful if:
- You print enough to care about time
- You can afford a printer that does it reliably
- You’re willing to sacrifice some quality
Speed doesn’t matter if:
- You print occasionally (time is irrelevant)
- You value quality over production
- You’re on a budget (cheap printers are slow)
Most hobbyists should focus on reliability and quality, not speed. Print at 80mm/s, get good results, and stop worrying about printing faster.
Don’t chase speed. Chase quality and reliability. Speed comes naturally as you master your printer. After 50 prints at 80mm/s, you’ll know your machine well enough to push to 100mm/s safely.
Respect your printer’s capabilities. Most optimal speeds are half the marketing claims.