Drying is one possible correction for stringing, not a complete stringing diagnosis. Prusa identifies nozzle residue, temperature, retraction, filament, and hotend issues as relevant checks. If a supported drying cycle did not resolve the problem, keep the next test controlled and investigate the remaining causes one at a time.
Confirm what the drying comparison established
Check that the exact filament and spool supported the selected process and that the dryer operated normally. If you used a generic preset without verifying the material instructions, the comparison may not tell you much. Correct that uncertainty before concluding either that moisture is impossible or that the dryer is defective.
Next, compare the before-and-after samples. Did stringing decrease slightly, stay unchanged, or move to different features? Preserve that distinction in your notes. A partial improvement can coexist with a separate profile problem, while an unchanged result suggests you should broaden the diagnosis rather than repeat the identical cycle indefinitely.
Return to a known starting profile
Save the current slicer project, then select the appropriate manufacturer-supported printer and material profile as your reference. Verify nozzle diameter and material identity. If you copied a profile from a different printer, you may be testing several hidden differences at once.
Use a small model that reproduces the stringing without unnecessary complexity. Keep speed, cooling, travel behavior, and temperature fixed for the first repeat. Name each saved project after the single variable you intentionally change. This turns a sequence of guesses into a record you can compare and, if necessary, reverse.
Inspect the nozzle and extrusion hardware
Prusa highlights material residue on the nozzle as one source of unwanted strands and recommends checking hotend assembly when components have been changed. Follow your printer's cleaning and inspection instructions; do not improvise work around hot or moving parts.
Ask whether the problem began after maintenance, a nozzle change, or a different feed arrangement. If so, verify that change before tuning around it. A slicer adjustment that conceals a hardware problem may work for one sample while making another print worse. Your goal is to recover a sound baseline before fine tuning.
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Comparing equipment? Review the documented limits before buying.
View SUNLU S4 on Amazon ↗A relevant option to investigate, not a diagnosis or a universal recommendation.
Tune one supported parameter at a time
Within the filament maker's permitted range, investigate nozzle temperature using your printer's established calibration workflow. Then assess retraction and travel settings with the printer or slicer documentation. Retraction distances and speeds should not be copied blindly between different extrusion systems.
Judge the complete sample after each adjustment. Fewer strands are not a useful improvement if the change creates gaps, weak-looking extrusion, or unreliable feeding elsewhere. Retain only adjustments that improve the relevant defect without producing a new one. Write down an unsuccessful change too, so it does not become the next experiment again.
Check whether the material changes your expectations
Some specialty materials behave differently from ordinary PLA. Prusa's lightweight PLA guide, for example, explains that its foaming behavior can produce oozing during travel. That is a material-specific reason to consult the appropriate guide rather than interpreting every strand as evidence of incomplete drying.
Once you find a repeatable result, save the profile with the material's full name and keep the preparation record beside it. If the problem persists, send support the original project, photographs, material identity, and the sequence of single-variable tests. 'Still stringing after drying' becomes a useful technical report when it states exactly what drying and subsequent checks actually changed.
Sources and research notes
This guide synthesizes published guidance. It does not describe our own laboratory or hands-on product testing. Material instructions apply to the named manufacturer and grade.
