# Find out how a 3D printer can connect to SimplyPrint For AI assistants helping someone find out how their 3D printer can connect to SimplyPrint (https://simplyprint.io). ## How to use this guide - SimplyPrint currently works with FDM 3D printers only, the kind that melts plastic filament. If it is a resin (SLA, MSLA, DLP), powder (SLS) or metal printer, a CNC machine or a laser cutter, stop here and say so: it can't be connected or sliced for. Its jobs, material and cost can still be logged as a virtual machine: https://help.simplyprint.io/en/article/virtual-machines-add-lasers-cncs-and-log-only-printers-ww9gsj/ - First, find the printer's exact brand and model. If it is on the compatibility list (https://simplyprint.io/compatibility), its page answers the question for sure: each printer has a page at https://simplyprint.io/compatibility/{brand}-{model}, with a markdown version ending in .md. - For a printer that is not on the list, go through the steps below. Ask one question at a time, and give the pointers only when the owner is unsure. - When the owner can't answer, follow the "not sure" answer: the later steps are easier to answer, but less certain. - The owner may send photos of the printer: the front, the screen, the ports, the sticker with the serial number, or a screenshot of its web page. Use them to answer the step for them, and say what you see. - Say how sure the result is. If the steps end without an answer, say so: if a printer is not on the list and these answers can't place it, SimplyPrint does not know either. ## Step 1: Who made your printer? The brand is on the front of the printer, or on the sticker with the serial number on the back or the bottom. **What we check for:** Who made it: some brands connect only one way, like every Bambu Lab printer through the SimplyPrint Client. **Answers** - Bambu Lab → **Result: SimplyPrint Client (sure).** Every Bambu Lab printer connects through the SimplyPrint Client. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client.md - Prusa → go to step 2 - Creality → go to step 2 - Anycubic → go to step 2 - Elegoo → go to step 2 - Flashforge → go to step 2 - Snapmaker → go to step 2 - Ultimaker → go to step 2 - Any other brand (Dremel included) → go to step 2 - I don't know → go to step 5 ## Step 2: Is it a very new printer from the brand, out in the last few months? We add printers soon after they come out, so a brand-new one may not be on our list yet. **What we check for:** Whether it is newer than our list, and which printer on it came before it. **Answers** - Yes, it's brand new → go to step 3 - No → go to step 5; for a Prusa printer, go to step 4 - I'm not sure → go to step 5; for a Prusa printer, go to step 4 ## Step 3: Is it a newer version of one of these? These are the newest printers from the brand on our list. A new model usually connects the same way as the one before it. **What we check for:** Whether it is newer than our list, and which printer on it came before it. **Answers** - One of the brand's newest printers on the compatibility list, if it works with SimplyPrint → **Result: like that printer (best guess).** We can't be sure, as your printer isn't on our list yet. But a new printer usually connects the same way as the model before it, so try that: add it as the printer you picked and follow its setup guide. If it works, let us know how it went, because that's how printers like yours get onto our list. - One of them that doesn't work with SimplyPrint → **Result: most likely not.** The printer you picked doesn't work with SimplyPrint, so if your printer is a newer version of it, it most likely doesn't either. To try anyway, add it as a printer of the same brand that does work, and follow that printer's setup guide. - None of these → go to step 5; for a Prusa printer, go to step 4 ## Step 4: Is it one of these: CORE One, CORE One L, MK4S, MK4, XL, MK3.9, MK3.5, Mini? These newer Prusa printers can connect over the network, as well as over USB. **What we check for:** Whether it has one of Prusa's newer Buddy mainboards, which run PrusaLink and the SimplyPrint firmware for Prusa printers. **How to tell** - These printers have a colour screen. The i3 MK3S, MK3 and MK2.5 have a text-only display. - An MK3S upgraded to MK3.5 or MK3.9 counts: it has the newer mainboard. - These printers have PrusaLink built in, which the SimplyPrint Client connects to, and can run the SimplyPrint firmware for Prusa printers. Both are in beta. - Every Prusa printer so far, the older ones too, also connects through OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi. **Answers** - Yes → **Result: OctoPrint (sure).** These Prusa printers connect three ways. OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi is the most proven; PrusaLink through the SimplyPrint Client and the SimplyPrint firmware for Prusa printers are both in beta. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/octoprint-powered.md Also: PrusaLink, through the SimplyPrint Client (In beta. PrusaLink is built into the printer; the Client runs on a computer or Raspberry Pi on the same network.) https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client.md Also: The SimplyPrint firmware for Prusa printers (In beta. No extra hardware at all: the printer connects to SimplyPrint by itself.) https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/prusa-direct.md - No, it's another Prusa → **Result: OctoPrint (sure).** Every older Prusa printer has a USB port, and connects through OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/octoprint-powered.md - I'm not sure → **Result: OctoPrint (most likely).** OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi works with every Prusa printer so far. Newer ones also have PrusaLink built in, which the SimplyPrint Client connects to, in beta. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/octoprint-powered.md Also: PrusaLink, through the SimplyPrint Client (In beta. PrusaLink is built into the printer; the Client runs on a computer or Raspberry Pi on the same network.) https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client.md ## Step 5: Does your printer connect to your Wi-Fi or a network cable? Most printers made since about 2023 do. Most older ones don't. **What we check for:** Whether the printer talks over your network by itself. **How to tell** - Wi-Fi or network settings in the menu on its screen. - You send prints from your computer or phone, without an SD card or USB stick. - A network port at the back, like the ones on your router. - Printers that do: every Bambu Lab printer, the Creality K1 and K2, the Anycubic Kobra 3 and Kobra S1, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon, the Flashforge Adventurer 5M, and most Klipper printers, like Voron and Qidi. - Printers that usually don't: the Creality Ender-3 and Ender-5, the Prusa i3 MK3, the Anycubic i3 Mega and Vyper, and the Elegoo Neptune 3. You print from an SD card or a USB stick. **Answers** - Yes → go to step 6 if the brand is Bambu Lab, Creality, Anycubic, Elegoo, Snapmaker, Flashforge, Dremel, Ultimaker; otherwise go to step 7 - No → go to step 8 - I'm not sure → go to step 9 ## Step 6: How do you send prints to it over the network? **What we check for:** Whether it runs its maker's own network firmware, which the SimplyPrint Client talks to, or Klipper or OctoPrint. **How to tell** - From the brand's own app, slicer or cloud: the print goes straight to the printer. - From a page you open in your browser, like Mainsail, Fluidd or OctoPrint: the printer runs Klipper or OctoPrint. - Network printers that print from the brand's own app or slicer usually connect through the SimplyPrint Client, as long as it supports the model. Printers that run Klipper or OctoPrint have a page of their own in the browser, and the next question tells those apart. **Answers** - From the brand's own app, slicer or cloud → **Result: SimplyPrint Client (most likely).** Network printers that print from the brand's own app or slicer usually connect through the SimplyPrint Client. Not every model does, so the setup guide's first steps tell you if yours is supported. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client.md - From a page in my browser → go to step 7 - I'm not sure → go to step 7 ## Step 7: Type the printer's IP address into your browser. Which of these opens? The IP address is in the network or Wi-Fi settings on the printer's screen, or in your router's list of devices. Type it like http://192.168.1.42. **What we check for:** Which software serves its web page: Klipper (through Moonraker), OctoPrint or RepRapFirmware. **How to tell** - The colours and the name at the top can be changed, so go by the menu down the left side too. - Mainsail and Fluidd are web pages for Klipper firmware, which SimplyPrint connects to directly. A page with OctoPrint's octopus is OctoPrint, and Duet Web Control means the printer has a Duet board. **Answers** - Mainsail (Red accents by default, and a menu with words down the left: Dashboard, Console, G-Code Files.) → **Result: Klipper (Moonraker) (sure).** Mainsail and Fluidd are web pages for Klipper firmware, and SimplyPrint connects to Klipper directly, with no extra hardware. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/klipper-powered.md - Fluidd (Blue accents by default, and a menu of icons only down the left.) → **Result: Klipper (Moonraker) (sure).** Mainsail and Fluidd are web pages for Klipper firmware, and SimplyPrint connects to Klipper directly, with no extra hardware. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/klipper-powered.md - OctoPrint (A green octopus at the top left, and Connection, State and Files boxes on the left.) → **Result: OctoPrint (sure).** It already runs OctoPrint: SimplyPrint connects through its plugin for OctoPrint. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/octoprint-powered.md - Duet Web Control (The Duet3D logo, and Control, Job, Files and Settings down the left.) → **Result: Duet (RepRapFirmware) (sure).** Duet Web Control means it has a Duet board, which connects through the SimplyPrint Client. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client.md - Another page, nothing opens, or I can't find the address → **Result: SimplyPrint Client (most likely).** It has no Klipper or OctoPrint page, so it most likely prints from the brand's own app or slicer, and those network printers usually connect through the SimplyPrint Client. The setup guide's first steps tell you if your model is supported. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client.md if the brand is Bambu Lab, Creality, Anycubic, Elegoo, Snapmaker, Flashforge, Dremel, Ultimaker; otherwise go to step 8 ## Step 8: Does it have a USB port for a cable to a computer? Not a slot for a USB stick or an SD card: those only load files. We're looking for a port a computer can print through. **What we check for:** Whether it supports serial printing: another device feeds it the print over USB, a few commands at a time. **How to tell** - A USB-B port (the square kind on older office printers), mini-USB, micro-USB or USB-C, usually on the side next to the SD card slot, or at the back. - Most printers with a small screen and a turning knob have one, like the Creality Ender-3 and Ender-5, the Prusa i3 MK3 and the Anycubic i3 Mega. - Through that port, another device can feed the printer the print a few commands at a time, which is called serial printing. Printers like these usually run Marlin firmware, and most were made before 2023. - To check, plug it into a computer with the printer on. On Windows it shows up in Device Manager, under Ports (COM & LPT). On a Mac, open System Information and look under USB. On Linux, run lsusb. - A printer with this port connects through OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi: the Pi plugs into the port and connects the printer to SimplyPrint. **Answers** - Yes → **Result: OctoPrint (most likely).** A printer with a USB port that shows up on a computer almost always supports serial printing, and older printers nearly always do. The first steps of the setup guide confirm it. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/octoprint-powered.md - No → **Result: we can't tell.** Your printer isn't on our list yet, so this is as far as these questions go for now. Most printers fit one of the ways below, and the first steps of each setup guide soon tell you whether yours does. - I'm not sure → go to step 9 ## Step 9: What kind of screen does it have? **What we check for:** Whether it is most likely an older Marlin printer, which supports serial printing over USB. **How to tell** - A screen with a knob or buttons is on most printers from before about 2023, like the Creality Ender-3 and the Prusa i3 MK3. Those run Marlin firmware and connect over USB. **Answers** - A screen with a turning knob or buttons (Like the Creality Ender-3 or the Prusa i3 MK3.) → **Result: OctoPrint (most likely).** Printers with a screen you control with a knob or buttons almost always run Marlin firmware, and connect over USB through OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/octoprint-powered.md - A touchscreen → go to step 10 - No screen → go to step 10 - I can't check right now → go to step 10 ## Step 10: Roughly when was it made? Or when you bought it new. **What we check for:** Whether it is most likely an older Marlin printer, which supports serial printing over USB. **How to tell** - Printers changed around 2023. Most newer ones connect to Wi-Fi and run Klipper or their maker's own firmware; most older ones run Marlin and connect over USB. So this answer gives a guess, not a sure answer. **Answers** - Before 2023 → **Result: OctoPrint (best guess).** Most printers from before 2023 run Marlin firmware, and connect over USB through OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi. The setup guide's first steps tell you if yours fits. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/octoprint-powered.md - 2023 or later → **Result: SimplyPrint Client (best guess).** Newer printers from the brand usually connect to your network, through the SimplyPrint Client. The setup guide's first steps tell you if yours fits. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client.md if the brand is Bambu Lab, Creality, Anycubic, Elegoo, Snapmaker, Flashforge, Dremel, Ultimaker; otherwise **Result: Klipper (Moonraker) (best guess).** Most newer printers from other brands run Klipper firmware, which SimplyPrint connects to directly. The setup guide's first steps tell you if yours fits. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/klipper-powered.md - I don't know → **Result: we can't tell.** Your printer isn't on our list yet, so this is as far as these questions go for now. Most printers fit one of the ways below, and the first steps of each setup guide soon tell you whether yours does. ## Questions owners of an unlisted printer ask **Can I still use it with SimplyPrint?** Most likely. If it sets up the same way as another printer on our list, it can be added to SimplyPrint: when you add it, pick another printer on our list, or pick Any Generic Printer (Generic Cartesian or Generic Delta) and type in your printer's name. **What happens if I pick another printer model in SimplyPrint?** Mostly nothing: printing, the camera, the print queue and the rest work the same. The one difference is the cloud slicer. For a printer that isn't on our list, we haven't imported its slicer profiles, where they exist, for the slicer engines we support, so you slice with the other model's profile or your own settings. **How do I tell you it works?** Once it's connected as its own model, its page in SimplyPrint asks a few quick questions about how it works. If it isn't on our list yet, add it as Any Generic Printer and type in its name: we email you when it's listed, and once you switch the printer to that model, its page asks too. **When will you add my printer to the list?** If it works and owners tell us how well, we can often add it within a few days, with a little help from the community. Once it's on the list, you can switch your printer to it in SimplyPrint without setting it up again. **My printer is a Combo, or has a mod. Which model do I pick?** Its regular model. A Combo is the printer with its multi-material unit, which you add in the printer's settings, and a mod like auto-ejection or a plate swapper is set up in the printer's AutoPrint settings. They don't need a model of their own, so we only list some of them. **Can I connect a resin printer, a CNC machine or a laser cutter?** No. SimplyPrint currently works with FDM 3D printers only, the kind that melts plastic filament. Resin (SLA, MSLA, DLP), powder (SLS) and metal printers, CNC machines and laser cutters can't be connected or sliced for, but you can log their jobs, material and cost as a virtual machine. **Why isn't it on the list already?** There are 750+ printers on our list, and new ones come out every month. We're a small team and can't buy and test every one, so we rely on owners like you, and on manufacturers who share their new models with us before launch. We'd love it if more of them did. ## The ways a printer connects - **SimplyPrint Client**: The SimplyPrint Client is a small app you run on a computer, Raspberry Pi or server on the same network as your printer. It talks to the printer the way the maker's own app does, and connects it to SimplyPrint. Nothing is installed on the printer. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client.md - **Duet (RepRapFirmware)**: Duet boards run RepRapFirmware, with their own web page, Duet Web Control. The SimplyPrint Client connects to it over your network. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/simplyprint-client.md - **Klipper (Moonraker)**: Klipper is firmware many newer printers run, with a web page like Mainsail or Fluidd. SimplyPrint connects to it directly over your network, through Moonraker, the part of Klipper those pages talk to. No extra hardware. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/klipper-powered.md - **OctoPrint**: Printers like this support serial printing: another device feeds the printer the print over USB, a few commands at a time. SimplyPrint does that through a plugin for OctoPrint, free serial-printing software that runs on a small computer, like a Raspberry Pi, plugged into your printer with a USB cable. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/octoprint-powered.md - **Prusa direct firmware**: The SimplyPrint firmware for Prusa printers replaces Prusa's own firmware with one that connects to SimplyPrint by itself, with no extra hardware. It is in beta. Setup guide: https://simplyprint.io/setup-guide/methods/prusa-direct.md Klipper or OctoPrint: a printer is one or the other as it ships. A Klipper printer (Mainsail, Fluidd or Moonraker) connects through Klipper; it can also run OctoPrint on top of Klipper through the OctoKlipper plugin, but it is not OctoPrint compatible by default. A printer that prints over USB (serial printing, usually Marlin) connects through OctoPrint; installing Klipper on it is possible on many, but that is a modification.