Print surfaces, adhesion, and how to clean each plate safely
The build plate decides two things: whether your first layer sticks, and what the bottom of the part looks like. Most modern printers use a removable spring-steel sheet with a coating on it — usually PEI — but glass, garolite and stick-on sheets all still have their place. This guide covers the surfaces you can actually buy, which filaments each one likes, and — just as important — how to keep them clean without wrecking the coating.
| Surface | Best for | Part bottom | Glue aid | Durability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEI smooth | PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA | Glossy | Sometimes | Medium |
| PEI textured | PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU | Matte, speckled | Rarely | High |
| Smooth glass | PLA, ABS (with aid) | Mirror-smooth | Usually | Very high |
| Garolite (G10) | Nylon (PA) | Matte | No | Medium |
| Adhesive sheet | PLA, PETG, ABS | Matte | No | Low |
| PC sheet | PC, high-temp | Glossy | Sometimes | Medium |
Gives parts a clean, glossy bottom and grips most everyday filaments well. The one trap is PETG, which can bond to bare smooth PEI so hard it tears a chunk out of the sheet — so use a glue stick there as a release layer, not for extra grip.
The most forgiving everyday surface. The powder-coated texture grips strongly, releases cleanly once cool, hides minor first-layer imperfections, and survives years of use. It leaves a pleasant matte, lightly speckled finish on the bottom of the part.
Dead flat and almost indestructible, glass gives the glossiest bottom of all — but bare glass is slippery, so you usually need a glue stick or hairspray to make things stick, and you wait for it to cool before parts let go. Many people keep a glass plate purely for that mirror finish.
The go-to answer for nylon, which refuses to stick to PEI or glass. Garolite grips polyamide beautifully with no glue at all. It is a niche plate you add for one job rather than an everyday surface, and because it is a composite laminate you keep it dry rather than soaking it.
A textured sticker you apply to a flat bed or a steel sheet. Grip is good and they suit printers without a coated plate, but they are a consumable — the surface wears, scratches, and eventually peels, so think of them as something you replace periodically.
A specialist surface aimed at high-temperature materials like polycarbonate, where ordinary coatings struggle to hold a warping part down. It gives a glossy bottom and pairs with a hot bed and enclosure; for everyday PLA/PETG it offers no real advantage over PEI.
Nine times out of ten, a part that won't stick isn't a temperature or Z-offset problem — it's a greasy plate. Every time you touch the surface, you leave an invisible film of skin oil that filament can't grip, and isopropyl alcohol on its own mostly just smears it around. The single most effective routine is to wash the plate with warm water and a drop of dish soap, rinse, and dry it with a clean paper towel — then handle it only by the edges.
| Surface | Routine wash | Also OK | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI smooth | Warm water + dish soap | IPA 90 %+ between washes | Acetone, abrasives, steel wool |
| PEI textured | Warm water + dish soap | IPA 90 %+ | Acetone, metal scrapers, scrubbing the texture |
| Smooth glass | Warm water + dish soap | IPA, acetone, scraper, glass cleaner | Thermal shock (cold water on a hot plate) |
| Garolite (G10) | Wipe with IPA | Light sanding to refresh grip | Soaking / heavy water, acetone |
| Adhesive sheet | Damp cloth, then dry | Light IPA wipe | Acetone, soaking, hard scraping |
| PC sheet | Warm water + dish soap | IPA | Acetone, abrasives |
A PVA glue stick adds grip on slippery glass — but on smooth PEI it does the opposite job, acting as a release layer so aggressive filaments like PETG don't tear the surface. Same stick, two reasons.
Most surfaces release best once the bed has cooled — adhesion drops as the part contracts. On a spring-steel sheet, take it off and flex it gently rather than levering parts off hot. For ABS, an enclosure or draft shield stops corners lifting mid-print.