Ginger Slicer — common settings questions

This note answers the most frequent settings questions from customers using Ginger Slicer (the official G1 slicer, based on Orca Slicer). For installation and first-time setup, see Ginger Slicer overview.

Print suddenly slows down for no apparent reason

Cause 1 — Layer time control. Ginger Slicer slows the print automatically when the layer finishes too quickly (to give time for cooling). The setting is in Process → Cooling → Slow Down for Cooling.

Cause 2 — Slow on overhangs. There is a slicer option that reduces speed on detected overhang regions. It is useful for filament but can cause confusing slowdowns for pellets.

Check: Process → Quality → disable Slow Down for Cooling on Overhangs if you don’t need it.

Speed drops on the second layer and I can’t override it

The print speed shown in fine-tuning (live override on the display) can conflict with the slicer’s Minimum Layer Time feature. If the layer is very short, the slicer-generated G-code already contains low speeds that override the live multiplier.

Fix: increase layer time in Process → Cooling, or use the display override only for the first few layers.

Wall generator: Arachne vs Classic

Use Arachne for all large-nozzle (3 mm, 8 mm) prints.

Classic wall generator divides the object wall thickness into a fixed number of walls. When the object thickness is close to the line width (e.g. a 7 mm wall with a 5 mm nozzle), Classic generates incorrect Z-moves and artifacts.

Arachne adapts the wall count to the actual geometry, avoiding this issue.

Setting: Process → Quality → Wall generator → Arachne

Note

Confirmed by multiple customers: switching to Arachne fixed blobs, Z-height jumps, and unexpected wall doubling.

Retraction and un-retraction causing blobs

Pellet extruders cannot retract material the way filament printers do — the screw cannot pull back. Retraction in Ginger Slicer reduces the speed and pressure at the end of a line, but cannot eliminate ooze completely.

Common symptom: the nozzle accumulates a small blob at the restart of each line (“un-retraction blob”), eventually building up enough to collide with the print and cause a layer shift.

Calibration method

1. Enable firmware retraction in OrcaSlicer (Printer → Extruder → Use firmware retraction) — this lets you tune retraction live from the printer display
2. Print a simple square with grid infill (many retraction events)
3. Adjust Retraction Length and Extra Length on Restart from the display while printing
4. Once happy, copy the values into the material profile under Setting Overrides

Temperature tip

Lowering the nozzle temperature by 5–10°C reduces ooze significantly, because the material is more viscous. However: if the temperature drops too low, the material starts to crystallize and flow becomes inconsistent.

Infill pattern tip

For top surfaces, use concentric infill instead of cross-hatch (45°). This reduces the number of retraction moves and the chance of blobs on the top layer.

Seam artifacts on PETG

Visible seam marks on PETG prints (a raised or indented line along the Z-axis where each layer starts) are often caused by excessive retraction. PETG is more sensitive to retraction artifacts than PLA.

Fix:

1. Reduce retraction length to 0.5–1 mm in the Ginger Slicer material profile
2. If using firmware retraction, start from 0.5 mm and increase only if oozing is visible
3. In many cases, retraction = 0 produces cleaner PETG seams than any positive value

Confirmed: reducing retraction resolved seam artifacts in approximately 70% of reported PETG cases.

Pressure Advance

Pressure Advance compensates for the delay between the screw moving and the material actually reaching the nozzle tip.

Default values shipped with Ginger Slicer:

• Pressure Advance: 0.3
• Smooth Time: 0.5

These work well for PLA and rPLA at standard speeds. To tune:

1. Start a print
2. Open Mainsail → Macros → Pressure Advance
3. Enter ADVANCE and SMOOTH_TIME values and observe the print live

Signs that Pressure Advance needs tuning:

• Blobs at corners or sharp direction changes
• Inconsistent line width at acceleration/deceleration
• Oozing during travel moves (in this case also try reducing Smooth Time)

Note

Confirmed by a customer: after enabling/tuning Pressure Advance, travel moves were smoother and oozing during vase-mode prints improved significantly.

Rotation Volume — where is it in the slicer?

Rotation Volume (mm³ per screw turn) is set in:

Pellets (material profile) → Extruder Rotation Volume

This is the most important material-specific calibration. Every time you change material or nozzle, re-run Rotation Volume calibration.

Solid infill over-extrudes but perimeter is correct

This can happen when the flow rate is tuned correctly for the walls but the infill pattern has different pressure dynamics.

Fix: in Process → Quality → Infill, use the Flow Ratio override for solid layers specifically. Reduce by 5–10% until the surface is flat.

Z-hop height

Z-hop lifts the nozzle before travel moves to avoid hitting the print.

Default: 0.5 mm

For prints with tall infill structures (e.g. lightning infill, grid infill with tall cells), increase to 1–1.5 mm to avoid the nozzle clipping the infill peaks. Clipping the infill causes motor step loss and eventual layer shift.

Setting: Printer → Extruder 1 → Z hop height

Lightning infill causing layer shift

Lightning infill creates tall, thin internal structures. If Z-hop is too small, the nozzle hits these structures during travel → motor loses steps → layer shift.

Fix: increase Z-hop to 1–1.5 mm when using lightning infill with large nozzles.

Normal (non-vase) prints with the G1

Yes, non-vase mode prints are possible. Key settings:

• Use Arachne wall generator
• Tune retraction and un-retraction carefully (see above)
• Set Z-hop appropriately for your infill type
• Infill: grid or concentric work well; avoid lightning infill until retraction is tuned
• 10% infill density is a good starting point for structural prints

Starting a print from the printer vs from the slicer

When you start a print from the printer’s display (not from the slicer), the slicer’s Orca connection is not active. This means:

• You cannot see print progress or live stats in Orca
• If the print fails, no error is shown in Orca (only on the printer screen)
• The print still runs correctly — the G-code is on the printer

Always connect Orca to the printer before starting if you want to monitor and log.

Solid infill with cross-hatch (45°) has gaps

If the brim lines are perfectly filled but the solid infill at 45° has gaps between lines, the Rotation Volume may need calibration for the exact material/nozzle combination.

Also check: the solid infill line width should match the nozzle diameter. If it is set too wide, gaps appear.

Related notes

• Ginger Slicer overview — full setup guide and parameter reference
• Rotation Volume calibration — how to calibrate flow
• Pressure Advance — pressure compensation setup
• Multi-Heating Zones — temperature settings per zone
• Max Volumetric Speed — finding your safe speed ceiling
• Layer shift and quality issues — quality problems beyond slicer settings