Getting Started

The maker’s field guide

3D Printer Guide

From unboxing to your first print. Follow these 20 steps to get started.

01

Unbox & build

  1. Ensure you have a well-lit area, with space to put all the parts out.
  2. Open your printer box and get all associated parts laid out.
  3. You should find a quick start guide in the box to aid with building.
  4. There are links on the alpha quick start page to videos on how to build your specific printer.
  5. Find the Micro USB card and adapter, copy all contents over to your PC as there are models and manuals included on the card.
  6. Follow along with the video to get your printer built.
  7. Before plugging in your printer, ensure your voltage selector switch, if fitted, is set to the correct position for your local mains supply.
    1. 115 volts for North America, 230 volts for Europe. Confirm the setting in your printer’s manual.
    2. You can find it near the power switch.
    3. Note: The Ender 6 and CR-10 Smart do not have these switches; they switch automatically.
02

Level & load

  1. Once built you will need to level the printer bed.
    1. Note: You are not ensuring the printer itself is level, you need to ensure the distance between the bed and nozzle is the same across the whole print bed.
  2. Use alpha’s quick levelling guide to get started.
  3. Once the bed is level, you can load filament.
    1. To load filament, heat up the nozzle on your printer.
    2. Usually under prepare, then preheat PLA.
    3. Cut the end of the filament at a steep angle.
    4. Then you need to open the extruder, either by squeezing the lock (Ender series), or unlocking it (CR series).
    5. Feed the filament into the extruder all the way to the nozzle until filament comes out of the nozzle.
  4. Once filament is loaded, you can either start printing one of the test models included on the SD card or you can slice your own test print.
03

Set up & slice

  1. It is recommended to use Creality Slicer as it comes preloaded with all the correct configurations for Creality printers.
    1. You can find the latest version under software here: https://www.creality.com/download
  2. Once downloaded, add in your printer when prompted.
  3. The slicer is now set to slice for your printer.
  4. Download your 3D model from an online source such as https://thingiverse.com or https://Thangs.com.
  5. Import your model to your slicer, and hit slice.
  6. Save the sliced Gcode to your micro SD card.
04

Start printing

  1. Insert the card into the printer and hit print.
  2. Select your Gcode file.
  3. Have Fun!

A little guidance. A lot of possibilities.

Learn. Make. Repeat.