The Best Beginner Prints to Test Your New Printer

Harry S.

Put Your Printer Through Its Paces

When setting up a new printer, or even revisiting a machine after major tuning changes, a handful of standardised test prints can tell you almost everything about how the printer is performing. They reveal dimensional accuracy issues, cooling limitations, extrusion inconsistencies, retraction problems, and mechanical weaknesses far faster than printing random models and hoping for the best.

For beginners especially, calibration prints are one of the best uses of early printing time. Spending two focused hours running proper test models and interpreting the results teaches you far more about your printer than ten hours spent printing decorative objects without understanding what the machine is actually doing.

This guide covers the five most valuable calibration prints for beginners and why each one matters.

1. The Calibration Cube (XYZ Cube)

The calibration cube is usually the first print worth running on any new or newly tuned printer.

Most versions are simple 20 × 20 × 20 mm cubes with X, Y, and Z labelled on their faces. They are quick to print, easy to measure, and extremely useful for identifying dimensional accuracy issues.

A standard setup for testing is:

• 3 walls
• 20% infill
• 0.2 mm layer height

Once printed, measure all three dimensions using digital callipers. Ideally, the cube should remain within roughly ±0.2 mm of the intended size.

Patterns in the measurements often point directly to specific problems:

• X and Y consistently undersized may indicate extrusion calibration issues
• asymmetric measurements can suggest belt tension problems
• inconsistent dimensions may indicate mechanical resistance or loose components
• inaccurate Z height can point towards layer height or lead screw issues

The calibration cube is simple, but it provides a surprisingly effective overall health assessment for the machine. (see our e-step guide).

2. The Benchy

The 3DBenchy tugboat is probably the most recognisable calibration model in the entire 3D printing world.

At first glance it looks like a simple toy boat, but almost every feature on the model is designed to test a different aspect of print quality.

• overhang handling
• bridging performance
• cooling efficiency
• stringing
• dimensional accuracy
• surface finish
• layer consistency

The cabin roof, front hull, windows, chimney, and curved surfaces all reveal different tuning strengths and weaknesses. Printing a Benchy in white PLA is particularly useful because defects become much easier to spot under optimal lighting.

One of the biggest advantages of the Benchy is the amount of community knowledge surrounding it. Almost every common defect has already been documented and linked to likely causes, which makes it one of the easiest prints to diagnose and learn from.

3. Temperature Tower

Every filament spool behaves slightly differently, even within the same material type.

A temperature tower allows you to test multiple nozzle temperatures within a single print, helping identify the best balance between the following:

• layer adhesion
• stringing
• overhang quality
• surface finish
• bridging performance

This technique is one of the fastest ways to dial in a new spool of filament properly rather than relying purely on generic manufacturer recommendations. A remarkable temperature tower often reveals surprisingly large differences across relatively small temperature changes. Some filaments become stringy and soft only 5°C above their ideal range, while others lose layer adhesion rapidly when printed too cool. Running a temperature tower for every new filament type saves a significant amount of troubleshooting later. Full details in our temperature calibration guide. 

4. Retraction Test Tower

Retraction tuning is one of the main tools used to control stringing and unwanted filament oozing during travel moves. Retraction towers usually consist of several thin columns separated by empty space, forcing the printer to perform constant travel moves between them.

The goal is to identify the lowest effective retraction value that removes stringing without introducing new issues, like the following:

• under extrusion
• nozzle clogs
• grinding
• delayed extrusion recovery

More retraction is not always better. Excessive retraction can create its own reliability problems, particularly on direct drive systems or softer materials. A properly tuned retraction setup improves print cleanliness dramatically, especially on detailed models with lots of travel movement. Our retraction guide covers interpreting the results.

5. Overhang Test

Overhang tests reveal exactly how well your printer handles unsupported angles before print quality begins breaking down. Most test models gradually increase overhang angles from around 10° through to 80° or beyond.

This helps establish the following:

• when supports genuinely become necessary
• how effective your cooling setup is
• whether print speed or temperature adjustments are needed
• how aggressive your printer can be with unsupported geometry

Many beginners overuse supports because they do not yet understand what their printer is capable of handling cleanly. A good cooling setup paired with properly tuned temperatures can often handle overhangs far more aggressively than people expect, especially on PLA. Understanding your printer’s overhang limits makes future support decisions faster, cleaner, and far more efficient overall.