Who this plan is for, and who should skip it
This plan is for a first printer from Bambu Lab, Creality or Anycubic, bought new and set up at home. It follows the order the vendors’ own unboxing and first-print pages use, and adds the checks a beginner tends to skip because the printer looks ready before it is.
Skip it if this is your second printer. You already know how to release shipping locks, load filament and read a first layer; read the vendor’s unboxing page for model-specific steps and move on. Also skip the day-by-day pacing if you are under a short return window and need to confirm the printer works quickly: do days one to three in one sitting, because the self-test and the bundled print are the evidence you would need for a return.
Placement, ventilation and bed-adhesion troubleshooting have their own guides on this site. This page links to them instead of repeating them.
Day 1: unbox, keep everything, release the shipping locks
Keep the box, foam and bags until the return window has passed. A P1S weighs about 12.59 kg according to Bambu Lab’s unboxing page [2], and a printer that size is hard to repack safely without the original inserts. Our return-window guide explains why the packaging matters for a refund.
Read the printed quick-start card before anything else. Bambu Lab tells P1S owners to retrieve it from the upper side cover and read it before continuing [2], and the A1 Combo page asks you to read it to learn the unboxing precautions [1]. Creality’s K1C manual is organised the same way, with unpacking steps, installation and a power-on guide before the first print [9].
The step most likely to cause a bad first day is a shipping lock left in place. The locks differ by model, so check the list for yours:
- Bambu Lab P1S: cut the two zip ties that hold the tool head, undo the three safety screws at the Z-axis to unlock the heatbed, and after the self-test remove the foam under the heatbed [2].
- Bambu Lab A1: cut the zip tie under the base that locks the heatbed, cut the zip ties and any cardboard on the tool head and X-axis, and remove the Z-axis stoppers if your printer has them [1].
- A1 handling: lift the frame by the Z-axis bracket rather than the X-axis, and lift the base by its housing rather than the heatbed [1].
- Creality and Anycubic: follow the unpacking section of the printed card. Creality’s online K1C manual presents its unpacking steps as pictures [9], so keep the paper card next to you.
- Check the accessory list against the box. The A1 Combo list includes the purge wiper, spool holder, PTFE tubes, a textured PEI plate, sample filament, an unclogging pin tool and Allen keys [1]; the P1S list includes a spare hotend, nozzle wiping pads and a scraper [2].
Day 2: placement, power-on and the self-test
Put the printer where it will live before the self-test, because calibration data is tied to the surface it sits on. Bambu Lab says vibration patterns are mapped to the surface and recommends recalibrating after moving the printer [8]. Bed-slingers need more room than their footprint: Bambu Lab asks A1 owners to leave about 695 mm front to back for the moving heatbed [3]. Creality asks for a well-ventilated, cool, dust-free place away from heat sources and a grounded outlet [9].
Power on and follow the on-screen guide. The P1S runs a self-test at first start-up [2]. Do not touch the printer while it runs, and do not skip network binding unless you plan to print only from the card; Bambu Lab notes you can bind later if you skip it [2].
On a P1S, put a box under the purge chute at the back before the first print. Bambu Lab suggests the small box the filament ships in until you print a proper container [2].
What your printer calibrates by itself
Most current printers handle the tuning that older machines needed by hand. The table lists only what the vendor pages we checked state. A blank in the vendor docs does not mean the feature is missing; it means we did not find it documented.
| Printer | Handled automatically (per vendor) | Started by you or optional |
|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab A1 and A1 mini | Z-offset, bed level, vibration resonance and nozzle pressure, for every print job [6] | Bed leveling and flow dynamics calibration are toggles when you start a print; Bambu recommends enabling both for the first print [4] |
| Bambu Lab P1S | Auto bed leveling and vibration compensation [7] | Calibration menu on the screen, in Bambu Studio or in Bambu Handy [8] |
| Creality K2 Plus | Tilt adjustment and bed leveling, described as fully automated [10] | Not stated in the FAQ we checked |
Day 3: load PLA and print the bundled test model
Use the filament that came in the box. Bambu Lab recommends the supplied Bambu PLA for the first test print on the P1S [2]. On the A1, loading means pushing filament into the tool head until it stops, pressing Load, and pushing again once the nozzle heats to 250 °C, then confirming that filament is coming out cleanly [4].
Print a file that is already on the printer. Bambu Lab ships pre-sliced models on the microSD card for exactly this [5], and the A1 guide points to Print files on the home screen [4]. A pre-sliced file removes the slicer from the equation: if this print fails, the problem is in the hardware or setup, not your settings.
Watch the first layer from start to finish. If lines are not sticking, see our bed-adhesion guide before changing anything else.
Days 4 to 7: five PLA prints, each a little harder
Stay with PLA all week. Bambu Lab classes PLA as not prone to warping, with no mandatory chamber requirement [12], so a failure is more likely to teach you something about setup than about material. Each print below adds one skill. Pick models from the vendor’s model library or any reputable model site, and keep each one short enough that a failure costs minutes, not hours.
| What to pick | What it teaches | Pass check | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (day 3) | Bundled pre-sliced model from the card [5] | That the hardware works | Clean first layer, no shifted layers |
| 2 | A small flat part you slice yourself in the vendor’s slicer | Slicing and sending a file | Same first-layer quality as print 1 |
| 3 | A part with a gentle overhang and a short bridge, such as a wall hook | How cooling and supports behave | Underside drooping is minor and supports peel off |
| 4 | A tall, thin part with a small base, with a brim enabled | Adhesion for unstable shapes; Prusa recommends a brim for tall objects with a small base [11] | Part stays put to the last layer |
| 5 | A longer print with a larger footprint | Planning time, filament and monitoring | Corners stay flat across the plate |
End-of-week checklist
By day seven you should have five parts and a short list of what went wrong. Before you try PETG or anything hotter, run through this list.
- Packaging stored until the return window closes.
- All shipping locks removed, including foam under the bed.
- Self-test and calibration completed in the printer’s final location; rerun calibration if you moved it [8].
- Plate cleaned the vendor’s way: Bambu Lab advises warm water and regular soap for the textured PEI plate, and letting the plate cool before removing prints [3].
- Leftover filament cleared from the extruder while it is still warm, using the supplied tools, as Creality’s manual advises [9].
- Children under 10 supervised; Creality’s manual says they should not use the printer without supervision [9].
Questions before you decide
Do I need to level the bed by hand in the first week?
Not on current models we checked. Bambu Lab says there should be no need to level the A1 manually and that the printer checks five points to decide whether to re-level [3]. Creality describes K2 Plus leveling as automated [10].
What should my very first print be?
A file already on the printer. Bambu Lab includes pre-sliced models on the microSD card so you can print straight after the self-test [5]. That separates hardware problems from slicer settings.
Why does the plan stick to PLA?
Bambu Lab’s filament guide classes PLA as not prone to warping and fine on open or enclosed printers [12], so early failures point to setup rather than material. Move to PETG or ABS once five PLA prints succeed.
What is the most common unboxing mistake?
Leaving a shipping lock in place. Bambu Lab lists zip ties on the tool head, Z-axis safety screws and foam under the heatbed for the P1S [2], and a heatbed zip tie and possible Z-axis stoppers for the A1 [1].
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Bambu Lab Wiki: Unboxing guide for A1 Combo Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: Unboxing P1S (includes P1S specification table) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: A1 FAQ Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: A1 first print with an external spool Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: First print with pre-loaded file on the microSD card Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab US store: A1 product page and specifications Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab US store: P1S product page and specifications Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: Printer calibration guide Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Creality Wiki: K1C / K1C 2025 user manual Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Creality store blog: K2 Plus and CFS FAQs Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Prusa Knowledge Base: Skirt and brim Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Bambu Lab Wiki: Filament guide - printer, nozzle, build plate and parameters Accessed 30 Oct 2026
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