Prusa layer height: PrusaSlicer presets and first layer for MK4S, CORE One, MK3S and XL

Prusa printers default to 0.20 mm layers with a 0.4 mm nozzle: the 0.20mm SPEED preset on the Original Prusa MK4S, Prusa CORE One, Original Prusa XL and Original Prusa MINI+, and 0.15mm QUALITY on the Original Prusa i3 MK3S and MK3S+. All of them print a 0.20 mm first layer. Figures come from the Prusa profiles bundled with PrusaSlicer 2.9.6 (profile version 2.4.14), the latest stable release.

What layer heights do Prusa printers use?

On a standard 0.4 mm nozzle, PrusaSlicer’s presets span 0.10 to 0.20 mm (MK4S, CORE One, MINI+), 0.10 to 0.25 mm (XL) and 0.05 to 0.30 mm (MK3S/MK3S+). The default is 0.20mm SPEED (0.15mm QUALITY on the MK3S). The MK4S and CORE One need the High Flow nozzle for 0.25 and 0.28 mm.

PrusaSlicer lists only the presets for the printer and nozzle chosen in the Printer list. Pick the nozzle variant first, such as “Original Prusa MK4S HF0.4 nozzle” for the High Flow 0.4 mm nozzle. On the MK4S, CORE One, XL and MINI+, most heights come as a SPEED and a STRUCTURAL preset.

The Min to Max column in the tables below is the printer’s Layer height limits. They cap variable layer height, height ranges and support layers, not the Layer height you set.

MK4S and CORE One

Nozzle	Preset layer heights	Default preset	First layer	Min to Max
0.25 mm	0.05, 0.07, 0.12, 0.15 mm	0.12mm STRUCTURAL	0.20 mm	0.05 to 0.15 mm
0.4 mm	0.10, 0.15, 0.20 mm	0.20mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.07 to 0.30 mm
0.4 mm High Flow	0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.28 mm	0.20mm SPEED (CORE One: 0.20mm BALANCED)	0.20 mm	0.07 to 0.30 mm
0.6 mm	0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.32 mm	0.25mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.15 to 0.40 mm
0.6 mm High Flow	0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.32, 0.40 mm	0.32mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.15 to 0.40 mm
0.8 mm	0.30, 0.40, 0.55 mm	0.40mm QUALITY	0.20 mm	0.20 to 0.60 mm
0.8 mm High Flow	0.30, 0.40, 0.55 mm	0.40mm STRUCTURAL	0.20 mm	0.20 to 0.60 mm

Both printers share these heights and limits. The CORE One adds BALANCED presets: 0.15 and 0.20 mm on the 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.15 to 0.25 mm on the 0.4 mm High Flow and 0.20 to 0.32 mm on the 0.6 mm High Flow.

The 0.25mm SPEED, 0.25mm STRUCTURAL and 0.28mm DRAFT presets exist only for the High Flow nozzle, whose Prusament PLA profile allows 24 mm³/s of flow against 15 mm³/s on the standard one.

Original Prusa XL

These are the XL Input Shaper profiles for the single-tool XL.

Nozzle	Preset layer heights	Default preset	First layer	Min to Max
0.25 mm	0.05, 0.07, 0.12, 0.15 mm	0.12mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.05 to 0.15 mm
0.4 mm	0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25 mm	0.20mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.07 to 0.30 mm
0.4 mm High Flow	0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.28 mm	0.20mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.07 to 0.30 mm
0.6 mm	0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.32 mm	0.25mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.15 to 0.40 mm
0.6 mm High Flow	0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.32, 0.40 mm	0.25mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.15 to 0.40 mm
0.8 mm	0.30, 0.40, 0.55 mm	None that exists	0.20 mm	0.20 to 0.60 mm
0.8 mm High Flow	0.30, 0.40, 0.55 mm	0.40mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.20 to 0.60 mm

Unlike the MK4S, the XL’s standard 0.4 mm nozzle gets a 0.25mm STRUCTURAL preset, but 0.28mm DRAFT still needs the High Flow nozzle (22 mm³/s of Prusament PLA against 15 mm³/s). The 0.8 mm printer profile names “0.40mm SPEED” as its default, but the 2.9.6 bundle has no such preset for that nozzle, so pick 0.40mm QUALITY yourself.

Original Prusa i3 MK3S and MK3S+

Nozzle	Preset layer heights	Default preset	First layer	Min to Max
0.25 mm	0.05, 0.07, 0.10, 0.15 mm	0.10mm DETAIL	0.20 mm	0.05 to 0.15 mm
0.4 mm	0.05, 0.07, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.30 mm	0.15mm QUALITY	0.20 mm	0.07 to 0.25 mm
0.6 mm	0.15, 0.20, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40 mm	0.30mm QUALITY	0.20 mm	0.15 to 0.40 mm
0.8 mm	0.30, 0.40, 0.55 mm	0.40mm QUALITY	0.30 mm	0.20 to 0.60 mm

The MK3S firmware drives Z at 400 steps per mm with 16 microsteps, so one full motor step moves Z 16 ÷ 400 = 0.04 mm. Of the 0.4 mm presets, only 0.20 mm (5 steps) is a whole number of steps: 0.15 mm is 3.75 and 0.10 mm is 2.5.

Prusa’s Z axis calculator explains why that matters: a Z axis switched off partway through a step jumps to the nearest full step and adds error. The effect occurs “to some extent” with the motors on, and the MK3S firmware never switches its Z motors off (Z_AXIS_ALWAYS_ON). For whole-step custom heights near the presets, use 0.12, 0.16 or 0.24 mm, or run the layer height calculator.

Original Prusa MINI+

These are the MINI & MINI+ Input Shaper profiles.

Nozzle	Preset layer heights	Default preset	First layer	Min to Max
0.25 mm	0.05, 0.07, 0.12, 0.15 mm	0.12mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.05 to 0.15 mm
0.4 mm	0.10, 0.15, 0.20 mm	0.20mm SPEED	0.20 mm	0.07 to 0.25 mm
0.6 mm	0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.35 mm	None that exists	0.20 mm	0.15 to 0.40 mm
0.8 mm	0.30, 0.40, 0.50 mm	0.40mm QUALITY	0.20 mm	0.20 to 0.55 mm

The 0.6 mm profile names “0.30mm QUALITY” as its default, a preset the 2.9.6 bundle doesn’t contain, so pick one yourself. The older MINI & MINI+ profile, without input shaping, keeps 0.4 mm presets from 0.05 to 0.25 mm with 0.15mm QUALITY as the default.

Layer height limits and the nozzle ceiling

The Min and Max limits sit under Printer Settings > Extruder 1 > Layer height limits and appear only in Advanced and Expert mode. The MK3S’s 0.4 mm profile shows they don’t cap Layer height: its 0.30mm DRAFT preset sits above the profile’s own 0.25 mm Max.

The hard ceiling is the nozzle. Above it PrusaSlicer refuses to slice: “Layer height can’t be greater than nozzle diameter”. Prusa’s knowledge base keeps layers below 80% of the nozzle (0.32 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.48 mm on a 0.6 mm). It doesn’t suggest going under 0.10 mm, because 0.07 and 0.05 mm layers add little quality for much longer prints.

PrusaSlicer’s Max tooltip recommends 75% of the extrusion width, and a Max of 0 means 75% of the nozzle. Prusa’s 0.4 mm presets print 0.45 mm lines, so the recommended Max is 0.45 × 0.75 = 0.34 mm. Get the width for other nozzles from the line width calculator. For the same nozzle in Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and UltiMaker Cura, see layer height for a 0.4 mm nozzle.

What first layer height do Prusa printers use?

Prusa printers use a 0.20 mm first layer. In PrusaSlicer 2.9.6 the Prusa presets for the MK4S, CORE One, XL and MINI+ print it on every nozzle. The MK3S/MK3S+ and the older MINI profile do too, except with the 0.8 mm nozzle, where they use 0.30 mm.

Prusa’s knowledge base notes that a thicker first layer helps bed adhesion. The value is fixed, not scaled to the nozzle: 0.20 mm is 80% of a 0.25 mm nozzle and 25% of a 0.8 mm one. On the 0.25 mm nozzle it even exceeds the printer’s 0.15 mm Max, which doesn’t apply to the first layer.

The same article warns that a new first layer height will most likely need a new first layer calibration. The method depends on the printer:

Printer	After changing the first layer height
MK4S, CORE One, XL	A load cell calibrates the first layer automatically. Live adjust Z (hold the knob during the first layer) fine-tunes that print only and isn’t saved. For a lasting change, set Printer Settings > General > Z offset in PrusaSlicer, where a negative value squishes the first layer more
MK3S/MK3S+	Rerun First Layer Calibration from the LCD menu (see below)
MINI+	Live adjust Z sets the nozzle height, and a change made while printing is saved permanently

MK3S and MK3S+ first layer height

The MK3S and MK3S+ print a 0.20 mm first layer with the 0.25, 0.4 and 0.6 mm nozzles and 0.30 mm with the 0.8 mm nozzle.

The MK3S sets Z zero with its P.I.N.D.A. or SuperPINDA probe, and the nozzle height comes from First Layer Calibration. After changing the first layer height, rerun it from LCD menu > Calibration > First Layer Calibration. Turn the knob counter-clockwise to bring the nozzle closer; the value moves further below zero. Prusa gives -0.400 to -1.500 as a common range and notes that each sheet type needs its own calibration.

XL first layer height

The XL prints a 0.20 mm first layer on every nozzle, High Flow and 0.8 mm included. If a new first layer height prints too high or too squished, set Z offset in Printer Settings > General. Live adjust Z isn’t kept for the next print.

First layer height in PrusaSlicer

Set it under Print Settings > Layers and perimeters > First layer height, directly below Layer height. It takes millimeters or a percentage of the layer height: 150% with 0.15 mm layers gives 0.15 × 1.5 = 0.225 mm. PrusaSlicer refuses a first layer taller than the nozzle with “First layer height can’t be greater than nozzle diameter”. The setting shows in all three modes, Simple included.

How do you change the layer height in PrusaSlicer?

Pick another preset from the Print settings list in the right-hand panel, such as 0.15mm STRUCTURAL. For any other value, open the Print Settings tab (Ctrl+2) and type it into Layer height on the Layers and perimeters page, then save the preset. Both work in Simple mode.

1. Select your printer and nozzle in the Printer list, so the matching presets load.
2. Pick a preset in Print settings, or set Layer height under Print Settings > Layers and perimeters.
3. Click the save icon (Save preset) to keep a typed value as your own preset.

Different layer heights in one print

• Variable layer height: select the object and click Variable layer height in the top toolbar. Adaptive sets heights from the Quality/Speed slider, Smooth evens out the profile, and left-click or right-click adds or removes detail by hand. Prusa suggests starting from a preset near the height most of the print will use, such as 0.15 mm for a 0.4 mm nozzle.
• Height range modifier: in Advanced or Expert mode (Simple mode hides it), right-click the object and choose Height range Modifier. Set each range’s Min Z and Max Z, then its layer height, which must sit between the printer’s Min and Max.