A print that takes 8 hours doesn't have to. Most prints can be cut to 3-4 hours with the right slicer settings - without meaningfully affecting how the finished part looks or performs.
Here's how to print faster without sacrificing what matters.
Layer height has the biggest single impact on print time. Doubling layer height roughly halves print time.
| Layer Height | Quality | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1mm | Very high detail | Very slow |
| 0.2mm | Standard | Standard |
| 0.25mm | Good | ~20% faster |
| 0.3mm | Functional | ~35% faster |
For functional parts where surface finish isn't critical, 0.3mm is often the right call. For visible display pieces, stay at 0.2mm.
Most prints don't need more than 15-20% infill. Reducing infill from 40% to 20% cuts print time noticeably while keeping the part functional for most purposes.
Rule: Use the minimum infill that meets your strength requirements. Check our infill guide for recommendations.
Also switch to lightning infill for purely decorative items - it's the fastest pattern available.
Modern printers can print significantly faster than their defaults suggest. The key is understanding what you can push without degrading quality.
What you can usually speed up:
What to keep slower:
A practical approach: set your overall speed to 80-100mm/s and manually reduce outer wall speed to 50mm/s. You get fast prints that still look good.
Swapping from 0.4mm to 0.6mm nozzle dramatically increases flow rate, allowing faster printing or thicker layer heights without under-extrusion.
A 0.6mm nozzle at 0.3mm layer height produces prints that are:
0.6mm nozzle for Ender 3 / MK8 costs a few pounds and is one of the best speed upgrades available.
More walls = stronger print but longer print time. For decorative items that won't be stressed, 2 walls is plenty. For functional parts, 3 walls is usually sufficient - you rarely need more than 4.
Supports are slow to print and slow to remove. Minimise them where possible:
PrusaSlicer and Bambu Studio both support variable/adaptive layer heights - thick layers on simple geometry, thin layers only where detail matters.
Enable it under Layer Height > Variable Layer Height. The result: detail where it counts, speed everywhere else.
Default top/bottom layer counts are often conservative. For non-functional parts:
Reducing from 5 top layers to 3 won't affect appearance much but saves meaningful time on flat-topped models.
The biggest gains come from combining settings. Example transformation:
Original settings:
Optimised for speed (functional part):
Result: Often 50-60% faster with little visible quality difference for everyday parts.
Arachne (available in PrusaSlicer and Cura) produces more efficient wall paths than the classic perimeter generator. It's particularly effective for thin features and reduces redundant moves.
Enable under Perimeters > Perimeter generator > Arachne in PrusaSlicer.
Some situations where you should print slower and with more care:
Making just the first two changes will cut most prints by 30-40% without any visible quality difference.