# What filament should I use on a printer with no enclosure?

On a printer with no enclosure, use PLA or PETG. Prusa says ASA and ABS need a hotter ambient temperature or an enclosure because they warp, and a blank enclosure field on a printer page is not evidence that the machine is enclosed.

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.

Updated 2026-10-14. Sources accessed 2026-10-14. Use case: Open printers.

## Ranked filaments

| Rank | Filament | Nozzle | Bed | Price per kg |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Polymaker Polylite PLA | 190–230 °C | 25–60 °C | — |
| 2 | Prusament PLA | 205–225 °C | 40–60 °C | — |
| 3 | Prusament PETG | 240–260 °C | 70–90 °C | — |
| 4 | Polymaker Polylite PETG | 220–250 °C | 70–90 °C | — |

## 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.

## Sources

- [ASA, Prusa Knowledge Base](https://help.prusa3d.com/article/asa_1809) (manufacturer)
- [PLA, Prusa Knowledge Base](https://help.prusa3d.com/article/pla_2062) (manufacturer)
- [Warping, Prusa Knowledge Base](https://help.prusa3d.com/article/warping_2011) (manufacturer)
- [Prusament PETG technical data sheet](https://www.prusa3d.com/file/3464616/prusament-petg-technical-data-sheet.pdf) (datasheet)
- [A good filament type for a beginner, r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/gokwya/a_good_filament_type_for_a_beginner/) (reddit)
- [Best filaments for extended outdoor use?, r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/y0pceo/best_filaments_for_extended_outdoor_use/) (reddit)

HTML: https://filamentfacts.com/answers/open-printer