Open printers
What filament should I use on a printer with no enclosure?
First in this ranking: Polymaker Polylite PLA.
- Nozzle190–230 °C
- Bed25–60 °C
- Speed40–60 mm/s
- Dry55 °C for 6 h
- Density1.17 g/cm³
Ranked filaments
| Rank | Filament | Material | Nozzle | Bed | Price / kg | Datasheet | Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polymaker Polylite PLAThe open-printer default. Listed nozzle and bed temperatures sit in the range most open machines publish. | PLA | 190–230 | 25–60 | Not listed | Datasheet | Not configured |
| 2 | Prusament PLASame role, Prusa’s own PLA, with a listed range. Best when the part is a model rather than a hot functional piece. | PLA | 205–225 | 40–60 | Not listed | Not listed | Not configured |
| 3 | Prusament PETGThe open-printer functional filament. It still wants a heated bed; check the printer’s maximum bed temperature against this row. | PETG | 240–260 | 70–90 | Not listed | Datasheet | Not configured |
| 4 | Polymaker Polylite PETGA second PETG with listed temperatures, if that spool is what is on hand. | PETG | 220–250 | 70–90 | Not listed | Datasheet | Not configured |
How the ranking was chosen
If the printer page cannot show an enclosure, the filament choice is PLA or PETG. The outdoor and car guides explain when it is worth moving to a machine that can print ASA.
Pros and cons
Pros
- PLA and PETG are the materials you can recommend without inventing an enclosure the printer page does not have.
- The fit rules on material tables use the same idea: a missing limit is not a pass.
Cons
- An open printer cannot honestly be given the outdoor ASA recommendation. Use the outdoor guide after the printer can actually run ASA.
- PETG is not as forgiving as PLA. It is still the right functional filament on an open machine, and it will string while you learn it.
Printer considerations
- Read the printer page. Enclosure values in this catalog are enclosed, open, optional, or not listed. Only an explicit open or a missing enclosure should push you off ASA; optional means the manufacturer sells it both ways.
- Prusa’s ASA article: bed at least 100 °C, enclosure or draft shield, ventilation. If the printer’s maximum bed is under 100 °C, ASA is a conflict on temperature alone.
- PLA in a hot enclosure can be the worse setup. Prusa’s warping note says PLA and PETG want cooling that a hot box fights.
What the community says
Beginner threads tell an open-printer owner to stay on PLA, then try PETG. The ASA threads add the enclosure and the ventilation in the same breath. People with only an open bed who need an outdoor part are told to print PETG now and reprint in ASA later, not to run ASA on the open machine and hope.
- A good filament type for a beginner, r/3Dprinting
- Best filaments for extended outdoor use?, r/3Dprinting
Sources & notes
Accessed 14 October 2026.
- ASA, Prusa Knowledge Base manufacturer
- PLA, Prusa Knowledge Base manufacturer
- Warping, Prusa Knowledge Base manufacturer
- Prusament PETG technical data sheet datasheet
- A good filament type for a beginner, r/3Dprinting reddit
- Best filaments for extended outdoor use?, r/3Dprinting reddit
Related questions
- What filament should a beginner use?Beginners
- What filament should I use outdoors?Outdoor
- What filament should I use for a car interior?Automotive
Questions
My printer page says enclosure is optional. Can I print ASA?
Only if you are using the enclosure. Optional is not the same as enclosed. Without it, stay on PLA or PETG.
The enclosure cell says Not listed. What does the filter do?
The printer filter reports enclosure as not listed. It does not call that a fit. This guide uses the same rule.