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Printer Control

Bambuddy provides control over various printer settings and features directly from the web interface.


Start prints directly from any printer card — no need to navigate to File Manager first.

A green Print button appears on each printer card when the printer is idle:

  1. Click the Print button at the bottom of the printer card
  2. A file upload modal opens — select a .gcode or .gcode.3mf file
  3. The file is automatically uploaded to your library
  4. The Print Modal opens with the printer pre-selected
  5. Configure filament mapping and print options, then click Print

The printer selector is hidden since the target printer is already known.

Drag & Drop

Drag a sliced file directly onto any printer card to start printing:

  1. Drag a .gcode or .gcode.3mf file from your computer onto a printer card
  2. A green "Drop to print" overlay appears (or red "Printer busy" if unavailable)
  3. Drop the file — it uploads to your library automatically
  4. The Print Modal opens with the printer pre-selected
  5. Configure and print

Accepted File Types

Only sliced files (.gcode and .gcode.3mf) are accepted for drag-and-drop printing. Other file types will show an error. Use the File Manager to upload non-printable files.

Printer Compatibility Check

Both flows automatically check if the file was sliced for a compatible printer model. If the file's sliced_for_model metadata doesn't match the target printer, you'll see an error and the file is removed from the library.

Permission Required

Requires the Printer Control permission (printers:control).


Printer Information

View detailed printer information from the three-dot menu on any printer card.

Click Printer Information to see:

Field Description
Model Printer model name
Status Connection status (online/offline)
State Current state (idle, printing, paused, etc.)
IP Address Network address (copyable)
Serial Number Hardware serial (copyable)
WiFi Signal Signal strength with quality indicator
Firmware Current firmware version
Developer Mode Whether LAN developer mode is enabled
Nozzle Count Number of nozzles
SD Card Whether an SD card is inserted
Auto-Archive Whether auto-archiving is enabled
Print Hours Total accumulated print hours
Location Configured printer location
Added Date the printer was added

Control active print jobs directly from the printer card:

Stop Print

Cancel the current print job:

  1. Locate the Stop button () on the printer card during printing
  2. Click to stop the print
  3. Confirm in the modal dialog
  4. Print is cancelled and printer returns to idle

Permanent Action

Stopping a print cannot be undone. The print must be restarted from the beginning.

Pause / Resume

Temporarily pause and resume printing:

Button State Action
Pause Printing Pauses the print, filament retracts
Resume Paused Resumes printing from where it stopped

To pause/resume:

  1. Click the Pause button during an active print
  2. Confirm in the modal dialog
  3. Printer pauses and displays "Paused" status
  4. Click Resume to continue printing

When to Pause

Use pause to inspect the print, remove debris, or insert objects for encapsulation.

Clear HMS Errors

Dismiss stale HMS errors directly from the HMS error modal:

  1. Click the HMS indicator on the printer card to open the error modal
  2. Review the listed errors
  3. Click Clear Errors to dismiss them

The clear command sends clean_print_error via MQTT and immediately removes errors from the UI. This is useful after print cancellation or transient events that leave print_error values behind.

Permission Required

Requires the Printer Control permission (printers:control).

Clear Plate

When a print finishes or fails and there are queued prints waiting, a "Clear Plate & Start Next" button appears on the printer card. Clicking it confirms that the build plate has been cleared, allowing the queue scheduler to start the next print.

Permission Required

Requires the Clear Plate permission (printers:clear_plate). This is a separate, more granular permission than printers:control, allowing admins to grant plate-clearing ability without full printer control access.

Confirmation Modals

All print control actions require confirmation to prevent accidental clicks:

  • Stop: "Are you sure you want to stop this print?"
  • Pause: "Are you sure you want to pause this print?"
  • Resume: "Are you sure you want to resume this print?"

Toast notifications provide feedback after each action.


Skip Objects

Skip individual objects during a print without stopping the entire job.

How It Works

When a print starts, Bambuddy extracts object information from the 3MF file. You can then skip any object that's failing or that you no longer need.

Using Skip Objects

  1. Click the Skip button (top-right of printer card) during printing
  2. A modal appears showing:
  3. Preview image with object ID markers overlaid in a grid
  4. Object list with large ID badges and names
  5. Info banner explaining to match IDs with your printer's display
  6. Click Skip next to any object you want to exclude
  7. The object will be marked as skipped and won't be printed

Skip Objects Modal

Element Description
Preview image Shows print with ID markers overlaid
ID badges Large numbered badges matching printer display
Object list Names with skip buttons
Skipped count Badge on button shows how many skipped

Object Display

Status Appearance
Active Green ID badge, Skip button visible
Skipped Red ID badge, strikethrough text, "Skipped" badge

Layer Requirement

Wait for Layer 2

Skip is only available after the first layer is printed. This is a printer limitation - the printer needs to establish object positions before allowing skips.

A warning message appears in the modal when on layer 0 or 1.

Requirements

For skip objects to work properly:

  1. Enable Exclude Objects in your slicer (Bambu Studio / OrcaSlicer)
  2. Go to OtherExclude objects
  3. This ensures each object gets a unique ID
  4. Objects must be properly separated in the slicer
  5. Clone/array objects may share IDs unless exclude is enabled
  6. Print must have 2 or more objects

Matching Object IDs

The printer's display shows object IDs on the build plate visualization. Match these numbers with the IDs shown in Bambuddy's modal to identify which object is which.

When to Skip

Use skip objects when:

  • An object is failing but others are printing fine
  • You want to cancel part of a multi-object print
  • A support structure or test piece is no longer needed

Cannot Undo

Skipping an object is permanent for the current print. The object cannot be un-skipped once marked.


Chamber Control

For enclosed printers (X1 series, H2 series), control the chamber environment:

Chamber Temperature

  • View current chamber temperature
  • Set target temperature (if supported)
  • Monitor heating/cooling status

Chamber Light

Toggle the internal chamber LED directly from the printer card.

Location: Light button next to the camera button at the bottom of the printer card.

State Appearance
On Yellow background, filled bulb icon with rays
Off Gray background, outline bulb icon

To toggle:

  1. Click the light button at the bottom of the printer card
  2. Light state changes immediately (optimistic update)
  3. Toast notification confirms the change

H2D Dual Lights

On H2D printers with dual chamber lights, both lights are controlled together.


Fan Controls

Monitor and adjust cooling fans directly from the printer card.

Real-Time Fan Status

The Controls section displays compact fan badges showing real-time speeds:

Fan Icon Color Description
Part Cooling Cyan Cools printed layers (0-100%)
Auxiliary Blue Controls chamber airflow (0-100%)
Chamber Green Exhausts hot air (0-100%)

Badges are always visible with dynamic coloring:

  • Active (colored icon + text): Fan is running
  • Inactive (gray icon + text): Fan is off, shows 0%

Part Cooling Fan

  • View current speed (%)
  • Adjust during print if needed
  • Auto-controlled by slicer normally

Auxiliary Fan

  • Controls airflow in the chamber
  • Helps with certain materials
  • Can be adjusted manually

Chamber Fan

  • Exhausts hot air from enclosure
  • Important for high-temp printing
  • Auto-controlled based on chamber temp

:material-nozzle: Dual Nozzle Support

For dual-nozzle printers (H2D, etc.):

Nozzle Status

View both nozzles:

  • Current temperature
  • Target temperature
  • Heating status

Nozzle Selection

See which nozzle is active during printing.


Power Controls

Control printer power state:

Power Switch

If a smart plug is configured:

  • Power On - Turn printer on
  • Power Off - Turn printer off
  • Status - View current power state

Smart plug setup

Auto Power Off

Configure automatic shutdown:

  1. Enable Auto Power Off in settings
  2. Set Cooldown Temperature threshold
  3. Set Cooldown Time delay
  4. Printer powers off after print completes and cools

During an active print, you can adjust:

Setting Adjustable?
Part cooling fan
Chamber light
Pause/Resume
Cancel

Limited Changes

Not all settings can be changed mid-print. Temperature and layer settings are locked.


Tips

Chamber Management

For ABS/ASA, keep the chamber warm. Open doors for PLA to prevent heat creep.

AI Detection Value

AI detection has saved countless prints. The small time cost is worth the protection.

Regular Calibration

Run bed leveling from the printer's touchscreen after major moves or every few weeks for best first layers.