If your first layers aren’t sticking, your corners are lifting, or your nozzle seems to be dragging through the print — chances are, your bed isn’t level. Bed leveling is one of the most important and most ignored parts of getting consistent, high-quality prints.

Let’s break it down.

What Does “Leveling” Actually Mean?

Leveling your bed isn’t about making it perfectly horizontal with the Earth — it’s about making sure the distance between your nozzle and the bed is consistent across the entire print surface.

Too close, and you’ll get:

• Smushed first layers
• Clogged nozzles
• Warped or elephant-footed prints

Too far, and you’ll get:

• Poor adhesion
• Gaps in the first layer
• Stringy messes

Manual Leveling (Turn Those Knobs)

If you have a traditional Ender-style bed with four corner knobs:

1. Home your printer using the display or g-code command.
2. Disable steppers so you can move the head freely.
3. Move the nozzle to the front-left corner.
4. Slide a piece of regular printer paper under the nozzle. Adjust the knob until you feel slight resistance.
5. Repeat this process for all four corners and the center — at least twice.

Pro tip: After heating the bed to printing temp (60°C+), level again. Thermal expansion can throw things off.

Z-Offset: The Fine Tuning Step

If you have an auto bed leveling sensor (like a BLTouch or CR Touch), you still need to set your Z-offset. This tells your printer exactly how far the nozzle should be from the bed after it probes.

• Start a test print.
• When the first layer starts, tweak the Z-offset live using your screen (usually under Tune > Z-Offset).
• Dial it in until the line looks slightly squished, with no gaps and no digging.

📏 Bed Leveling Mesh (for ABL Printers)

Most auto-leveling printers create a mesh map of your bed’s surface.
But if your bed is physically warped (low spots, high spots), that map won’t save you — it only compensates so much.

Solution:

• Shim under the bed (paper, tape, or foil)
• Use a spring/solid mount conversion
• Or replace the bed entirely if it's bowed

🧼 Clean Your Bed Before Leveling

Seriously. Grease and grime can make your bed feel higher or lower than it is. Use:

• 90%+ isopropyl alcohol
• Microfiber cloth
• Clean hands (or gloves)

🔁 Make It a Habit

Re-level when:

• You move your printer
• You change nozzles or beds
• You notice adhesion issues
• Your prints just start acting weird

A quick 5-minute level can save hours of failed prints and wasted filament.

Need help getting your bed level and your Z-offset dialed in?
I’ve helped fix everything from warped beds to mystery adhesion issues. Contact me here for advice or 1‑on‑1 help.