Support Distance Test – Find the Perfect Support Settings

Tired of supports that are impossible to remove or leave ugly marks on your print?

This simple calibration model helps you quickly determine the ideal Top Z Distance and support settings for your printer, filament, and slicer profile.

Each test piece is designed to evaluate how different support gaps affect:

• Support removal
• Surface quality
• Overhang performance
• Print success rate

How to Use

1. Slice the model using your normal profile.
2. Print all test pieces at once.
3. Compare the underside quality of each sample.
4. Check which support structure:

• Removes the easiest
• Leaves the smoothest surface
• Causes the least sagging

Recommended Starting Values

PLA

• 0.15 mm
• 0.20 mm ⭐
• 0.25 mm

PETG

• 0.25 mm
• 0.30 mm
• 0.35 mm

ABS / ASA

• 0.20 mm
• 0.25 mm
• 0.30 mm

Tested Parameters

This model is ideal for tuning:

• Top Z Distance
• Support Interface Distance
• Support Density
• Tree Supports
• Support Interface Layers

Print Settings

• Layer Height: 0.20 mm
• Infill: 10–15%
• Supports: Enabled
• Material: PLA recommended for calibration

Why Use This Test?

Every printer, filament brand, and slicer profile behaves differently.

A support gap that works perfectly on one machine may produce poor results on another. Running this quick test can save hours of post-processing and dramatically improve print quality.

If this model helped you dial in your support settings, please leave a rating and share your results with the community. Happy printing! 🚀🛠️