Setting up SimplyPrint on Flashforge AD5X

Easy steps to connect your Flashforge AD5X 3D printer to SimplyPrint.

Flashforge AD5X image
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  • 1 AD5X ZMOD firmware
  • 2 Enable SimplyPrint

Before You Start: Custom Firmware

Your Flashforge Adventurer 5X requires custom firmware to work with SimplyPrint.

We know that sounds technical — and it is one of the more involved setups — but we've worked hard to make it as straightforward as possible.

Why is custom firmware needed?

Some printer manufacturers don't provide an easy way for platforms like SimplyPrint to communicate with their printers. The community has developed alternative firmware that unlocks these capabilities.

Is this safe?

Yes! The firmware is developed by active communities, can typically be removed, and preserves your printer's core functionality. You can usually roll back or factory reset if needed.

A note about warranty

Some manufacturers may consider custom firmware a warranty modification. The risk is low — to date, we haven't had a single known case of a SimplyPrint user damaging their printer or being denied warranty repair because of this setup.

That said, it's ultimately your choice to proceed.

Estimated time: 15–30 minutes

We'll guide you through every step.

Welcome to the Flashforge AD5X setup guide for SimplyPrint (via ZMOD).

This guide walks you through installing ZMOD, a community firmware modification that brings Fluidd/Mainsail + Moonraker to your AD5X. Once ZMOD is running, SimplyPrint can connect to the printer through the standard Moonraker flow. The ZMOD wiki is always the source of truth, the links below are kept up to date there.

Before you begin

What you'll need:

  • A USB flash drive formatted as FAT / FAT16 / FAT32
  • An AD5X running a compatible stock firmware (1.0.2 to 1.1.7, with 1.1.7 recommended)

Important: ZMOD installation on the AD5X can take up to 40 minutes. Do not remove the USB drive or power off the printer while it's running, you'll see an "Installation in progress" screen, followed by "Installation is complete" when it's done.

1. Install ZMOD

Follow the official Installing the mod instructions on the ZMOD wiki, the wiki is the source of truth and has screenshots for each step:

https://wiki.zmod.link/Setup/#installing-the-mod

Short version:

  1. If your AD5X isn't already on a compatible stock firmware, restore it first using the Native Firmware .tgz linked on the wiki.
  2. Download the latest AD5X ZMOD release (AD5X-zmod-*.tgz) from https://github.com/ghzserg/zmod/releases/.
  3. Verify the MD5 checksum against the value listed on the ZMOD release page.
  4. Copy the .tgz file to the root of your FAT32 USB drive.
  5. Power off the printer, insert the USB drive, then power it back on.
  6. Wait for the install to complete (up to 40 minutes). Do not interrupt it.
  7. When the "Installation is complete" screen appears, remove the USB drive and power-cycle the printer.

After install, ZMOD exposes a Fluidd/Mainsail web UI and a Moonraker API on your printer.

2. Open the web interface

Find your printer's IP address directly on the touchscreen: Home → info (i) button → look for IP Address.

Then open the web interface in a browser:

  • Fluidd / Mainsail: http://[printer-ip]/ (port 80)
  • Moonraker API: http://[printer-ip]:7125

Replace [printer-ip] with your AD5X's IP address.

If the web interface does not open, the stock firmware may have disabled the mod. Re-enable it by copying AD5X-ENABLE-zmod.tgz to a USB drive and booting from it, see the ZMOD wiki for details.

3. Update ZMOD components

Once you're inside Fluidd/Mainsail:

  1. Go to Settings → Software Updates.
  2. Click Check for Updates, then Update All, this brings Fluidd, Mainsail, Klipper, Moonraker and ZMOD to their latest versions.
  3. If some plugins show as Invalid / "Repo is corrupt", click Recover on each. This is expected on a fresh install, plugins are downloaded separately from the firmware.

Version compatibility: the printer's OS version (System → Distribution) must match the first two digits of the ZMOD version (Settings → Updates → ffm5/zmod). Mismatched versions can cause instability.

Camera fix (recommended)

If the stock camera doesn't stream reliably, or doesn't show up in SimplyPrint, switch to ZMOD's alternative camera implementation:

The alternative camera uses fewer resources and allows resolution changes.

Notes & limitations

  • UI language: change it via the LANG macro (e.g. LANG LANG=en for English, also DE, IT, FR, ES, ZH, JA, KO).
  • Material mapping support in SimplyPrint for the AD5X via ZMOD is currently unknown, it hasn't been verified in-house.
  • If you run into trouble, check the ZMOD wiki and the SimplyPrint discussion linked at the top of this page.

Now, proceed to the next step to enable SimplyPrint on your AD5X. The next step will ask you to add [simplyprint] to /mod_data/user.moonraker.conf, not to moonraker.conf, ZMOD manages the latter itself.

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Thousands complete this setup every week. Follow each step carefully - most issues come from skipping ahead.

Why some setups are tricky: Some manufacturers lock down their printers, requiring workarounds like custom firmware. If hardware is listed as required, there's no shortcut.

About support: Direct setup support is available for Enterprise & School plans. Our AI support bot can help everyone else just as effectively.

Community help: Join our Discord for community support and tips from other users.

Markdown version of this guide - paste into any AI assistant

That's it! You're all set

You're now ready to connect your printer and start using SimplyPrint.

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Common Questions

ZMOD is a community firmware modification for the Flashforge AD5X that replaces the stock web stack with Fluidd/Mainsail and Moonraker. The AD5X stock firmware does not expose Moonraker, so SimplyPrint cannot connect to it without ZMOD. Once ZMOD is installed, your printer behaves like any other Klipper/Moonraker printer.
It is currently experimental. A couple of users have confirmed it works end-to-end, but we do not test it in-house. Some features such as material mapping are unknown. If you run into trouble, please share details in the SimplyPrint discussion linked from the setup guide.
On ZMOD you must add the [simplyprint] section to user.moonraker.conf, not to moonraker.conf. ZMOD manages moonraker.conf itself and will overwrite any changes you make there. The file lives at /mod_data/user.moonraker.conf on the printer, and shows up as user.moonraker.conf in the Fluidd/Mainsail Config Files view, the next setup step already points you at the right file.
ZMOD supports AD5X stock firmware versions 1.0.2 to 1.1.7, with 1.1.7 recommended. If your printer is on a different version, restore it to a compatible one using the Native Firmware .tgz linked from the ZMOD wiki first.
Up to about 40 minutes. The screen will show "Installation in progress" followed by "Installation is complete" when it is done. Do not power off the printer or remove the USB drive while the install is running.
First confirm the printer's IP on the touchscreen (Home → info (i) button → IP Address) and try http://[printer-ip]/. If it still does not load, the stock firmware may have disabled the mod. Re-enable it by copying AD5X-ENABLE-zmod.tgz to a FAT32 USB drive and booting from it, see the AD5X wiki page for the exact steps.
Switch to ZMOD's alternative camera implementation by running the CAMERA_ON macro from the Fluidd/Mainsail console. It uses fewer resources and lets you change resolution. Full details: https://wiki.zmod.link/Zmod/#camera_on.
Currently unknown. It has not been verified in-house. Multi-material features may or may not behave correctly, please share your experience in the SimplyPrint discussion if you try it.