Nozzle Too Close to Bed

2 Calibration

Run Auto Bed Leveling

Wash the plate, then run Auto Bed Leveling from the printer's calibration menu; if the printer was moved or the bed serviced, Bambu says to re-level.

Use water and dish soap, and keep your fingers off the print surface afterwards. Bambu also says to make sure the nozzle tip is clean before leveling and to keep the Bed Leveling option on when you start a print.

3 Fine-tuning

Run a full calibration

Run the printer's full calibration first; use the first-layer fine-tuning only when the other steps did not help.

Let the printer warm up to operating temperature first, thermal expansion shifts the Z-offset slightly.

Restore Factory Settings resets the whole printer and cannot be undone; it is not a fix for a first layer that is too close.

4 Test Print

Print a calibration pattern

On the X1 series, enable First Layer Inspection in the print options; the printer checks the first layer and warns you. Alternatively, print a simple single-layer square (20 × 20 mm, 0.2 mm height).

Still over-squished? Check the first-layer settings in Bambu Studio: the bed temperature for your plate type and the Flow Ratio of the filament profile. Bambu calls a flow ratio above 1.00 very rare; if a calibration gave you more, clean the extruder and hotend and run the flow calibration again.

5 Advanced

Hardware issues and edge cases

If the Z-offset keeps drifting, there is usually a hardware problem. Expand the topic that matches your situation:

Hardware causes of Z-drift

Loose bed screws: Check the heatbed mounting screws, loose screws change the Z-offset after every print. Dirty LiDAR sensor (X1 series): Clean the lens with a microfiber cloth or cotton swab and a little IPA, dust on the lens causes a systematically incorrect offset.

Dirty nozzle tip

Residue stuck to the outside of the nozzle tip throws off bed leveling: Bambu says to make sure the tip is clean and free of debris before you level. A partial clog inside the nozzle shows up differently, as under-extrusion or filament that curls when you extrude by hand; clear it with a cold pull or the cleaning needle. A worn nozzle tip can lose material over time and increase the Z-gap.

Material- and plate-specific offsets

Different materials and build plates need slightly different Z-offsets. Bambu Studio allows filament-specific offsets. Cool Plate: typically needs a slightly higher Z-offset. Textured PEI: Bambu Studio's start G-code lowers the nozzle 0.04 mm on X1/P1 (0.02 mm on H2D, 0.01 mm with a 0.2 mm nozzle). High-temp plate: calibrate only after reaching operating temperature.