Do you print using SD/USB or direct from PC through USB?

[TypeR]

All my printers have a USB-connection port as well as a SD-card slot.

During all my years of 3D Printing, I ALWAYS print using the SD-card after copying the gcode to the card of course.

It might be a little bit more work, but they idea is that the printer(s) can then print independently from any outside source (except power of course) for however long it takes (sometimes more than four days).

For a short print that would take only an hour, I might try it, but I don’t really see the benefit outweighing the possible hickups using a direct USB connection.

So, I am wondering:

Do you print using an SD-card/USB-stick or do you print directly from your PC/laptop?

[steveprinters29]

Exactly the same. I too print a 3D object with the use of an SD-card, which follows the process of copying the gcode to the card. I know it’s a bit daunting to work, but is way better than the other option.

[wirlybird]

SD card. I use wifi SD cards then load the gcode directly out of S3D or Slic3r to the card. SD card never leaves the printer!

[SLeepLeSS]

I have multiple types of printers and use each of those methods, I have one constantly plugged into my desktop, another that runs of Octopi, another that runs off astroprint, and the last uses sd cards, out of all of them the sd fails the least since there aren’t as many variables such as wifi cutting out, network issues, computer updating and restarting in the middle of a 40+ hr print, things of that nature are no longer an issue when using the sd card

[cobnut]

SD card (or WiFi loading of the code) every time. It only took one time when I accidentally shut down a PC that was controlling an 8-hour print to convince me that SD is a better way to go…

[wirlybird]

I switched over to wifi SD cards (just ordered two more) when cards started to wear out! The little plastic “lines” in-between the contacts started to break off.

Love the wifi setup. It’s not perfect but once you learn its idiosyncrasies it works well. Mapped as a drive and save the gcode directly from the slicer!

[DbM1]

For the same reasons you listed I choose to use SD cards on my CR-10 as I don’t have to worry about the PC/Mac shutting down and potentially ruining a print, however with my Flux Delta+ it has onboard memory to save the Gcode files after its sliced via the pc/Mac SW uploads via WiFi and all is good

[TypeR]

Thank you all for the replies.

Seems that most users prefer using the SD-card option.

Makes me wonder if it would not be preferable to have printers using a USB-stick instead of a SD-card solution?

Would you agree with that?