Creality Ender 3 - 3D Printing Getting Started Guide

Resources for getting started with the original Ender 3 3D Printer

Assembly & Getting Started

Assembly

Expect to take 45 minutes to 2 hours for assembly, depending on experience
Watch this video before and/or during assembly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me8Qrwh907Q

Bed Leveling

Before your first print, leveling your bed is a crucial step to successful printing. This is how close/far your nozzle is to the build surface, and how consistent that distance is across the X and Y axes.
In the assembly video above, he mentions cutting off the z-limit switch plastic stop so that it can be mounted slightly lower. This is a common need to d0. So when you first home your nozzle, if it's very far (3mm+) from the build surface, you may need to do the same. Clip off the plastic nub with your flush cuts, and mount a little lower.
Sometimes your aluminum carriage can be very slightly bent, usually this will cause the middle, along the Y-axis to be higher or lower than the left and right X-axis edges.

Main Board Fan Cover (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2935204
LCD PCB Cover (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2858209
Ender 3 Cable Chain - a chained cable is a safe cable! - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2920060
Display Ribbon Cable Clips, print 2 - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2880021
Extruder Knob - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3176144
Sharpen the spatula that comes with the kit on a belt sander, also round-over the sharp corner edges, they tend to easily gouge your bed otherwise. CAUTION! NEVER USE THE SPATULA IN A DIRECTION TOWARD YOUR ARM OR HAND!

New motherboard - https://www.amazon.com/Creality-Original-Motherboard-TMC2208-Stepper/dp/B07TCFQ816 - will help greatly in quieting your machine down and comes with a boot-loader and thermal-runaway preinstalled.
Capricorn PTFE Tubing - improves quality, longer life than stock PTFE, can withstand high temps for high-temp filaments. (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079P92HN9/
Creality Ender 3 Tempered Glass Bed Build Surface - https://www.amazon.com/Creality-Upgraded-Platform-Tempered-235x235x4mm/dp/B07QYFYX8D - I really dislike the stock surface and much prefer this. Though also magnetic/flexible surfaces are available and might be what you want too.

Slicer

Install the latest version of Ultimaker Cura (currently 4.1) - https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura
Then follow the instructions to install Creawsome Mod for Cura - https://github.com/trouch/CreawsomeMod - the default Ender 3 settings are a really great starting point to get up and running quickly!
- General instalation instructions:
  - Run Cura at least once before installing the mod.
  - Download the Creawsome mod from the link in the readme.md (not the github zip)
  - Replace your Cura "resources" folder with the Creawsome resources folder.
  - Run Cura (you should see a splash screen with Creawsome in the name)
  - Set up your Printer using the Creawsome presets.

Design

Tinkercad is a great starting point, free and easy! - https://www.tinkercad.com
SketchUp - https://www.sketchup.com
Autodesk Fusion 360, free for hobbyists and small businesses. - https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview

PLA

Prusament is top-notch
Hatchbox
3D Solutech
Zyltech
eSun
Any 1kg spool under $15 is a good deal, but be aware that some brands make terrible filament; research accordingly!

You can print via a USB cable tethered to your computer, but I don't recommend it, because CPU strain on the computer can cause the machine to slow down or pause intermittently. Instead opt to use the micro SD card.