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Printer Management

Key Concepts​

Printer management is how you configure your physical printers so they can participate in Printago's automatic job matching and production system. Each printer needs three things to receive jobs: assigned materials (so the queue knows what filament is loaded), slicer profiles (so the cloud slicer can generate G-code for that machine), and printer-specific settings like bed type and AMS configuration. Once configured, a printer enters the queue's matching pool and can receive jobs automatically based on material compatibility and tag filters. Day-to-day operations center on marking printers as "clear and ready" after removing a completed print, swapping materials when needed, and monitoring status. The goal is to make each printer a self-sufficient worker in your production system—load filament, clear the bed, and let Printago handle job routing and slicing.

Required Configuration​

For jobs to match with printers from the queue, each printer must be properly configured:

1. Material Assignment

  • At least one material must be loaded and assigned to the Printer.
  • Materials are assigned through the Material Assignment window

2. Slicer Profiles

  • Machine Profile: Slicer setting from Bambu Studio or Orca (default or sync'd User Profile)
  • Process Profile: Used as a fallback whenever a part does not specify a process profile.

3. Printer-Specific Settings

For Bambu Lab printers:

  • Bed Type: Smooth PEI, Textured, etc.
  • Use AMS: Controls whether the printer uses the AMS system. The Printers list only shows the active material source (AMS slots or external spool)
  • Bed Leveling & Flow Calibration: Standard Bambu "start print" options

Slicer Configuration Dialog​

The slicer configuration dialog (titled Configuration for [printer name]) is where you set the printer's Machine Profile, Process Profile, Bed Type, and Additional Settings such as Use AMS, Bed Leveling, Flow Calibration, and Enable Timelapse. Profile dropdowns are prefixed with System: or User: so you can tell built-in profiles from your own synced ones.

  • Printer page: Click the "Slicer Configuration" button
  • Dashboard: Click gear icon ⚙️ on any printer
Configuration dialog with Machine Profile, Process Profile, Bed Type, and Additional Settings checkboxes
Multi-Printer Configuration

For multiple printers with identical model and nozzle configuration, click Save to all N similar printers in the configuration dialog.

Quick Select: In the Printers List, select one printer and press G to automatically select all printers with matching model and nozzle size.

Printers List​

Navigate to Printing → Printers to view all printers with their current status and loaded materials. Click on any printer to go to its Printer page

Printers list showing name, filament chips, and status columns with Add Printers button and search

Display Information​

  • Name: Shows the printer's name, model, nozzle diameter, and serial number.
  • Filament: Shows the external spool (SP) plus AMS/CFS slot chips when a multi-material unit is in use
  • Status: Current state, such as Busy, Ready, Offline, Awaiting clear & ready state, or Needs configuration
  • Material Assignment: Click any filament slot to open the Printer Materials dialog
  • Configuration Warnings: Alerts about issues that prevent the printer from accepting jobs (e.g., Missing Filament Profiles)

Use the Add Printers button to connect new printers, the search box to filter the list, and the column picker at the top right to configure which columns are shown.

Individual printer view

Multi-Printer Actions​

Select multiple printers using checkboxes to access bulk operations via the Actions menu.

Keyboard Shortcuts:

  • A - Toggle select all printers (press again to deselect all)
  • G - Select all printers matching the first selected (same model/nozzle)
  • R - Mark selected printers as ready (skips printers that are currently printing)

Available Actions:

  • Availability: Mark ready (R) or not-ready (U)
  • FabMatic: Enable/disable continuous printing
  • Control Panel: Multi-printer control (P)
  • Configure: Bulk slicer configuration (C)
  • Materials: Bulk material assignment (M)
  • Tags: Bulk tag editing (T)
  • Temperature: Quick bed/nozzle temperature presets

Printer Page​

Each printer page displays:

  1. Printer Information: Name, type, connection status
  2. Current Job: Active print information
  3. Print Controls: Pause/Stop buttons
  4. Slicer Configuration: Access printer/process profiles, bed type, and print-start options
  5. Printer Tags: Dynamic grouping labels
  6. Control Panel: Manual printer control & calibration tools
  7. Ready Button: "Confirm clear & ready for next print" - let's Printago know this printer may accept a job.
  8. HMS Alerts: Displays any Health and Maintenance System (HMS) warnings or errors from Bambu Lab printers, with direct links to the relevant Bambu Lab Wiki articles for resolution.
Individual printer view

Ready State Management​

The Confirm clear & ready for next print button is critical for queue processing. Click after:

  • Print completion
  • Printer recovery from unknown state
  • Printer comes online
  • Manual bed clearing

Once a printer is confirmed ready, the same button shows Hold, not ready so you can take the printer back out of the matching pool without disconnecting it.

Alternatives:

  • Multi-action from Printers page
  • FabMatic mode for continuous operation

Hardware Card​

The Hardware card at the bottom of the printer page describes the machine Printago believes it is talking to: its nozzles, bed, chamber, axes, fans, lights, sensors, filament sources and cameras, the capabilities it supports (start, pause, skip objects, and so on), the adapter Printago drives it with, and its firmware version. Expand any row with a chevron to see the individual components and their component refs.

Hardware card listing nozzles, bed, chamber, axes, fans, lights, sensors, filaments, cameras, capabilities, adapter and firmware
Hardware card: what Printago knows about the machine, ending with the adapter and the reported firmware version

Use Advanced in the card header to inspect or override the resolved capabilities. Editing those requires printer configuration permission.

Firmware​

The Firmware row shows the version string the printer itself reported, so you can quote it in a support thread or check it against a vendor release note. Click it to copy it to the clipboard.

Each vendor reports its own format and Printago shows it verbatim: a Bambu Lab machine reports something like 01.08.02.00, Klipper reports v0.12.0-345-g8a4a1c2, PrusaLink reports 6.1.3, and an Elegoo Centauri Carbon reports V1.2.3. Printago never parses, compares or normalizes the string, and it does not tell you whether an update is available. Updating firmware stays in the vendor's own app or on the printer's screen.

Where the version comes from depends on the printer:

PrinterVersion shown
Bambu LabThe ota module's version, the same one the printer's screen shows
Klipper / MoonrakerThe Klipper software version
Elegoo (Centauri Carbon, CC2)The printer's OTA firmware version
AnycubicThe firmware version reported when Printago connects
PrusaThe printer firmware version, or the PrusaLink version on older builds that do not report one
OctoPrintThe OctoPrint server version, because OctoPrint fronts arbitrary hardware and does not expose the printer's own firmware

The row is hidden entirely when there is no version to show, and never for any other reason. That happens when the printer has not connected since Printago last started, when the printer did answer but reported no version or refused the request (Printago asks once on connect, and connects anyway when the answer does not come), or when it is a Bambu Lab printer connected through Bambu's cloud rather than through Fuse, which is a path where Printago cannot ask for the version. A printer that has just come online may take a few seconds to report it.

Taking a printer offline does not hide the row: firmware is a property of the machine rather than a live reading, and it is most often wanted when the printer is down, so the row keeps showing the version that printer last reported.

The version is read once per connection, so a printer that is updated while connected keeps showing the old version until it reconnects.

Material Assignment​

Click any AMS slot or external spool to open the Printer Materials dialog (titled Printer Materials for [printer name]).

Multi-toolhead and multi-material printers

The same slot-based assignment applies beyond Bambu AMS. Multi-toolhead machines (Snapmaker U1, Prusa XL) show each toolhead as its own slot, and printers with auto-detected filament systems (Creality CFS, Elegoo's multi-color canvas) grow their slot count as units are attached.

Printer Materials dialog with Loaded Filament slot picker, Assigned Material panel, and searchable Available Materials list

The dialog has three areas:

  • Loaded Filament: A slot picker showing the external spool plus each AMS slot. Click a slot to view or change its assignment.
  • Assigned Material: The material currently assigned to the selected slot, with Reset slot and Re-read slot buttons for clearing the assignment or re-reading the loaded filament.
  • Available Materials: A searchable list of your material library, grouped by base material with expandable color variants. Materials with profiles set up for this printer show a ✓ Profile Configured badge; starred materials sort to the top.

How Material Assignment Works​

The standard material assignment process:

  1. Click any slot: Select an AMS slot or external spool
  2. Choose material: Select from the Available Materials list and assign it to the slot
  3. Assignment options:
    • Specific material (e.g., "Bambu Basic PLA - Black") - uses configured profiles (recommended)
    • Generic type (e.g., "Any PLA") - prompts for inline slicing profile selection
Generic Material Assignment

While you can set a generic filament profile directly on the printer (bypassing Printago's material system), this isn't recommended. Here's why:

  • Limited matching: Only parts set to Any {Material-Type} will match (e.g. "Any PLA")
  • More specific Part settings won't match: If a part requires "Bambu TPU for AMS" specifically, it won't match a generic "Any TPU-AMS" assigned printer.
  • Reduced flexibility: You lose the benefits of Printago's material management system

Bambu Lab RFID Enhancement​

When using Bambu Lab RFID-tagged filament, the process is enhanced with automatic detection:

Automatic Material Detection​

  • Auto-reads: Printago automatically detects the material and color from the RFID tag
  • Instant assignment: Material is assigned without manual selection
  • Missing material workflow: Quick-add buttons appear for materials not in your library

Missing Material Quick-Add​

When RFID-tagged filament isn't in your library:

Step 1: Add Base Material Click Add missing material for [Bambu] { MATERIAL-TYPE } to add the base material (e.g., "TPU for AMS").

Step 2: Add Color Variant Click Add missing variant "{ COLOR }". This opens a compact in-place form so you can confirm or rename the variant before it's created, so no more silent web-color guesses (like "Crimson") get baked into your library. The new variant is automatically assigned to the slot you were looking at.

Step 3: Configure Profiles Save the Printer, and go to the Materials page to set up slicing profiles for the Material.

Add missing material buttonAdd missing variant button

RFID Override​

To assign a different material than the RFID tag, click "Assign a material manually" to enable normal selection from your Material library.

Manual material assignment override
Bambu Lab Material Handling
  • External spool material can be assigned without physical material loaded
  • AMS slots require physical material to be loaded before assignment
  • All Bambu Lab materials and variants are built into Printago for easy addition

Material Slicer Configuration Warning​

When selecting materials for a printer, it's possible to assign a material which doesn't have a slicing profile assigned to it for the model of printer in question.

Profile missing warning

Materials tagged with Missing Profile (won't match) is letting you know that jobs will not be able to be assigned to this material in the printer until it's resolved. This commonly happens when switching nozzle sizes (e.g., from 0.4mm to 0.2mm) or adding new printer models without matching material profiles.

Resolution: Go to Materials page → Open material → Configure slicing profiles for each printer model + nozzle diameter combination

Material Library

For detailed material management and profile configuration, see the Materials documentation.

AMS Configuration​

The Use AMS checkbox in slicer configuration controls:

When Enabled:

  • AMS slots visible in UI
  • AMS information shown on printer lists
  • Multi-slot material management

When Disabled:

  • Only external spool holder available
  • AMS hidden from interface
  • Single material assignment
Profile missing warning

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