3D Printing
PLA vs PETG vs TPU: Which 3D Print Material Should You Use?
The three filaments we print with most often, what they're genuinely good at, and where they'll let you down.
· 5 min read
Nearly every enquiry we get includes some variation of "what should I print this in?" It's a reasonable question, and the honest answer is usually: it depends entirely on what the part has to survive.
Here's what we actually use, and when.
PLA — the sensible default
Good for: decorative pieces, models, display items, prototypes, cosplay props, anything indoors that won't get hot.
PLA is by far the easiest material to print. It sticks to the bed beautifully, doesn't warp, prints at a lower temperature, and produces excellent fine detail. It's also usually the cheapest. If someone asks us for a recommendation and hasn't thought about it, PLA is the answer 80% of the time.
Watch out for: heat. PLA softens around 55°C, which in plain English means a hot car dashboard, a sunny windowsill in summer, or a mug of tea on top of it will deform it. It's also more brittle than PETG, so parts that will be dropped, flexed or loaded should not be PLA.
It also has a lower heat deflection temperature than some people expect — if you need a part to stay rigid in a warm car, that matters.
PETG — the one to use if you're not sure
Good for: functional parts, brackets, enclosures, anything mechanical, anything that gets warm, anything that needs to take a knock, outdoor parts.
PETG is tougher and more flexible than PLA, handles heat considerably better, and doesn't turn to glass when it snaps. It's noticeably heavier, and it can string a bit more during printing — which is a cosmetic issue rather than a quality one.
If your part has to do something rather than sit on a shelf, PETG is usually the right call. This is the material we recommend for anything that will be screwed, hinged, clipped, mounted or handled regularly.
Watch out for: it's fussier to print. It needs a little more temperature and a well-tuned bed. And it can't do fine detail as well as PLA — if the visual finish is the priority, PLA wins.
TPU — for things that bend
Good for: gaskets, seals, phone cases, grips, protective sleeves, anything flexible, anything that needs to absorb impact or grip a surface.
TPU is rubbery. You can bend it, twist it and squash it and it goes back. It's shock-absorbent and won't shatter. It also takes a lot of abuse without cracking.
Watch out for: it's genuinely difficult to print. It needs slow speeds, good bed adhesion and often an enclosed or partly enclosed chamber. It sticks too well to some build surfaces, and under-extrusion is common. We can do it, but it's slower and it costs more because failures are more likely.
If you need flexibility but it doesn't have to be rubbery, PETG is often the more sensible, cheaper option.
Quick comparison
- PLA — best detail, easiest to print, cheapest. Avoid heat and impact.
- PETG — tougher, heat-resistant, good all-rounder. Slightly heavier, less fine detail.
- TPU — flexible and impact-resistant. Harder and more expensive to print.
There are other materials we can source — ABS and ASA for heat and UV resistance, and nylon for serious mechanical parts — but they need a more enclosed printer and cost more. If you think you need one of those, say so and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth it or whether PLA or PETG will do the job for less.
The honest caveat about colour and finish
More colours, and more of them, means a bigger chance of a stringy or slightly blemished surface. Matte and satin finishes hide layer lines; high-gloss shows them more. If a part is going on display, we'll talk about orientation and finish before printing it, because that choice makes a bigger difference than the material does.
And if you're genuinely unsure, you can pick "Not sure — advise me" on the order form, or just describe what the part is for. We'll tell you what we'd use and why, and if a cheaper material will do, we'll say that too.