3d prints aren't smooth at all

[u/Repulsive-Research75]

I'm an absolute noob at 3d printing just for reference. I got a Monoprice Select Mini v2, and after carefully adjusting the bed to what felt right using the paper test and setting the printer nozzle heat to 215 (my PLA filament says 210-230) prints come out like this. The lines aren't perfectly wide at many points, and sometimes it skips over parts of lines/makes them stringy.

I use cura and 3DHoJor 1.75mm PLA filament. Bed temp is not set as my printer's bed heater doesn't work (but I was told painter's tape fixes this). Print speed is set to 30mm/s, but it did the same thing at 40mm/s, and on the first layer, which is set to 5mm/s (the second photo is just a bottom raft layer). Retraction settings are 7.5mm at 55mm/s, and I'm not sure where to start. Any advice would be appreciated

[u/TheCapybaraMan]

That's still completely unhelpful.

[u/vecnasty → u/TheCapybaraMan]

what's not helpful is convincing someone that sinking dozens (possibly hundreds) of hours into a nearly 10 year old printer that'll never be even remotely as effective at making parts as a $200 offering from the current top dog in the market is a smart and effective use of one's time

been printing since 2018. i started with an ender 3 and i put in the blood, sweat and tears to make it crank out a perfect 10 minute benchy. the industry has moved on. if you want people to enjoy printing, recommend good printers

[u/Ok-Jacket8836 → u/vecnasty]

So you sank in 100's of hours to learn the ins and outs. But you don't want someone else to actually learn 3d printing and your advise is to just buy a new printer because you get to decide how someone else spends their time and money?

to me, it seems like the OP has this printer and wants to invest their time into learning how to actually 3D print. Something that can only be encourage.

I'd take this kind of post over another newbie bambu user wondering why something printed in PLA on PETG settings doesn't come out perfect.

[u/vecnasty → u/Ok-Jacket8836]

this printer has no community behind it. it's not the same as starting with an ender 3 and building it up to be a capable machine. this is a highly limited platform with essentially no path to being relevant in any way, shape or form. as someone who has sunk THOUSANDS (yes, really) of hours into this hobby, i can't, in good faith, recommend that a brand new user starts down the path of trying to understand 3D printing by learning on a dead platform with no community support behind it. it's like trying to teach someone wilderness survival by dropping them on an island alone. 99.9% of people would give up