How do you adjust Z Offset on the P1S running Bambu Studio 2.1.1.52? Orca allows you to place the desired Z Offset directly in the Printer Settings which is really sweet and easy to adjust. It’s not there in Studio. You must be able to adjust Z Offset if needed, how do you do it on the P1S? Is there a way to do this directly on the printer screen?
There is not. Is there a reason you need to adjust it?
Yes. There are always reasons to adjust Z Offset when printing with multiple filament types.
Bambu doesn’t honor the standard G92 Z Offset command but I believe you can add something like this to the Start G-Code in the Printer Settings:
G91 ; relative mode
G1 Z-0.04 F300 ; lower by 0.04 mm
G90 ; back to absolute
This goes after the G29 mesh probe but before the first move that positions for the skirt or part. So every move that happens after that is shifted down by that amount because the head was physically moved lower.
I really don’t understand why Bambu has such a problem with allowing easy access to making Z Offset changes for their printers. There are other workarounds to fudge an actual Z Offset (i.e. like increasing initial layer line height & width, changing initial layer flow ratio, etc.) but all of that gets difficult to document and remember. Much easier if you can simply set a specific Z Offset value either in the Printer Settings (like Orca allows) or directly on the printer itself.
Anyone here can tell you I’m one of Bambu Lab’s biggest critics. But in this case, I have to defend what might not be obvious. With older printer technologies, Z-axis adjustments - and a lot of other manual tweaks - were necessary due to sloppy tolerances. In Bambu’s case, the bed leveling technology makes that kind of adjustment mostly obsolete.
Based on what I’ve seen in this forum over the past two years, whenever someone tries to apply old-school RepRap printer tweaks to a Bambu machine, it usually makes things worse. Bambu requires a paradigm shift in how you approach tuning.
Here’s the analogy: adjusting Z-offset on a 3D printer is like manually tweaking the idle screw on a carburetor in an old car. You had to constantly adjust for temperature, altitude, or engine wear.
Modern cars use electronic fuel injection with sensors and ECUs that do this automatically - just like Bambu printers use mesh bed leveling and compensation to manage Z-height without manual intervention.
Unless I’ve misunderstood your question, if you’re seeing Z-offset issues, the real culprit is probably bed leveling. That’s where I’d look first, not the Z-offset.
That said, there is a Precise Walls feature in Orca Slicer (still in Beta) that may interest you. My understanding is that it only affects the last few layers to refine final Z-height. Not sure if it’ll help in your case, but here’s the link:
Now on the other hand, all of this presumes a stock setup. If one is using third party devices such as nozzle and or other build plates, I suppose this could throw off some of the design assumptions baked into the firmware. But as I’ve said, in the two years that this form has been in place, this type of observation usually winds up being a case where one is applying old-school “analog-style” reasoning to a "digital-age" paradigm.
^This. Never had a need to adjust any of my BBL printers.
You hit it on the head. I haven’t heard of any other way to do it on BBL printers. But as Olias alluded to, why are you feeling the need to adjust it?
Sometime you have to step into uncharted territory and you’d need all the tweaks you can get.
Like glass plate, garolite plate… They are just simply different than what BBL currently offers.
I appreciate everyone’s input, but I want to clarify why manual Z Offset adjustment is still absolutely relevant — especially for people using multiple build plates, various filaments, and aiming for consistent, high-quality first layers.
Automatic bed leveling (ABL) and flow compensation are great, but they don’t change the reality that:
- Different plates = different thicknesses. Even small variances (0.05–0.15 mm) matter for adhesion and surface finish. I use Bambu plates but also use Biqu Glacier & Darkmoon G10 plates since they give looks my customers want.
- Different filaments = different first layer squish needs. PLA, PETG, TPU, and wood-fiber PLA often need slightly different Z positions for best adhesion and a clean bottom layer — especially for larger parts.
- Production work = repeatability. When you sell or display parts, small flaws on the first layer (too thin = poor bonding, too thick = rough or warped) mean wasted time, wasted filament, or rework.
One real-world example: If you look at Bambu’s own Start G-code (at least on the A1), they explicitly apply a -0.02 Z Offset automatically whenever you select the Bambu Textured PEI plate. So clearly, even Bambu recognizes that different plates sometimes need a Z adjustment for the same printer.
On many other printers (Prusa, Voron, Creality, etc.), live Z Offset tweaking — or baby stepping — is standard. It lets you fine-tune the first layer during the print to get it dialed in perfectly. Not having quick access to this on the P1S (or having it buried in workarounds) removes a basic tool many makers rely on daily.
I’m glad ABL works for many hobby prints — but for anyone doing repeatable production work with different plates or filaments, the option to adjust Z Offset live or per plate is not “old school” — it’s standard practice.
I really hope Bambu Lab restores this as an easy, standard feature — these machines are otherwise fantastic, but this limitation is a real frustration for serious users.
Hi, I’m also struggling with trying to adjust my Z offset but so far I can only find how to adjust it on textured PEI plates, have you found a way to adjust it for smooth plates aswell?
Apparently you didn’t read the thread. The answer is right there in the second post:
I cannot think of a print parameter on a Bambu printer that is adjustable once the print begins. They are just not designed to work that way. Except for pause, resume and stop, the g-code is in full control.
A bed height change due to different plate thickness is irrelevant - the printer locates the top surface of the bed automatically when it homes.
The textured plate needs some Z-offset compensation because the surface has peaks and valleys, and the nozzle only touches the tops of the peaks during homing. The -0.04 adjustment corrects the effective height of the surface.
Babysitting a print to make live adjustments is the very antithesis of consistency and production repeatability. Calibrate your printer, filament, and process settings for consistent results.
A Bambu printer will probably get live z-offset tuning when Ford re-introduces cars with manual spark advance.
I recently bought a p1s and I’m having a strange problem. I unpacked it, calibrated it, launched a test print for a few minutes and a clicking noise appeared. I recovered the part, recalibrated it and the breakage is no longer intense and regular. It has been blocked since the sound was under the z axis at the bottom.
This is so true
There are people who just drive their cars everything stock and know that they can drive from location A to B repeatedly and reliably
But there are also people who would pull out the radio head and install an android one with beefy speakers, or install leather steering wheel cover, change all interior lights into LED…
While some others rip out the ignition and install aftermarket one with methanol injection for drag racing, or just swap in different wheels for off road adventure
I know, I know, bbl printers are apple like and not suppose to be modified, just like how car manufacturers don’t like you to mod their car. But I also know plenty of users here are struggling with PETG, which plastic I’ve been printing comfortably since reprap era.
Btw, I am one of the guys who would install aftermarket ICU for drag racing.
If there was 3rd party AP board for P1S that could do open source to overcome bbl limitations, I’d buy it in a heart beat.
I am new to this 3D printing world. So, I understand that in short, the answer is no, right? no Z offset for bambu lab P1S, right?
I definitely need this function.
welcome to the walled garden, lol
you may need it, but you can’t get it 
Welcome come to the forum.
Can I ask why you need this function? If you “need” to dial in your first layer “squish” then you can use the first layer flow rate to do this. If you filament is properly tuned you shouldn’t even need to adjust this. Since bed probing and bed meshes have been added I haven’t had a need to adjust the Z offset.
That’s not true. You can certainly adjust Z Offset on the P1S. See my post above why this is necessary at least for those of us doing production work and selling prints. I want the best looking first layer for everything I print but it’s absolutely needed on prints you are selling.
You adjust this in the Printer Definition in Studio. When you open that you’ll find a Machine Start Gcode section, that’s where you add the needed gcode to get this done. I save printer definitions with the stated Z Offset I’m using (generally several for each printer) and place a reminder in the Notes section so I know which Z Offset to use for the filament/plate combo. Bambu adds a manual Z Offset tweek for the A1 on the PEI plate and you can check that for the needed G command and location where it should be placed. It has to be placed in the correct location or it may get reset so follow the A1 start gcode structure for this and you’ll be fine. Set the offset to whatever is needed based on your filament and build plate. Adjusting initial layer flow can help but there’s no substitute for properly locking in the needed Z Offset. I use a 60 mm Cylinder primitive set to 1 layer thick as my test print and adjust Z Offset to get that locked in to the build plate/filament combo I’m using. I then do a series of test prints for the filament/plate combo to find what gives me the best initial layer. Note that if you switch plates (even to a different plate of the same type) you need to recheck the needed Z Offset to ensure you continue to get the best first layer.
Hi, thx so much for the advice. I see your point. It looks like that must be a good way to do (I am trying to understand exactly how to apply this).
well, I am really pretty new to this crafting thing so basically I just do it and when I get into some problem, I simply ask GPT for trouble shooting.
Yesterday I printed sevel war chess pieces on one single plate, and the result is catastrophic… the reason is that the nozzel move across different pieces and somehow some tiny little variation of the z position got extra filament sticky and accumulated and then kicked start a terrible chain effect… finally all pieces got destroyed when I went out and left the printer do its own job…
So when I told GPT the process, I got an advice to get this z offset thing fix and seemingly I took it as the bible.
But that is interesting. thanks again for the reply and that is very nice talking to you!
Going forward I suggest asking questions on the forum to real people instead of using AI as it gave you the entirely wrong answer. AI isn’t always right and being new to something you can’t tell when it is wrong. On the forum, generally if bad advice is given it is called out.
Concerning your problem, can I ask how you are cleaning your bed? It sounds like your parts detached during printing and this it normally caused by oils from your hands on the build plate.
ifferent plates = different thicknesses. z offset doesn’t matter in this case, select the right plate.
Different filaments = different first layer squish needs. - you don’t use Z offset to acomodate for differen filament, not in Bambu eco system.
Production work = repeatability. - no matter what anyone says Bambu shines in this departament, results are very consistent.
There’s a reason why Apple, Bambu, and many other companies don’t allow certain settings to be easily changed. One of the main reasons is consistency and repeatability. When used correctly, Bambu delivers a perfectly consistent first layer with any filament, every time.
Post photos of your issue and people will help you troubleshoot.
Your statement is wrong, sorry. You absolutely can (and should) use Z Offset to adjust the initial layer with Bambu printers. Just because you haven’t doesn’t mean others shouldn’t. I can show you many instances where my A1 and P1S DO NOT provide perfect first layers as I’ve described above. As I’ve stated even Bambu themselves make Z Offset changes on the A1 in the machine start code to help give reasonable first layers (but even this does not always work correctly without you going in and adjusting as needed).
Studio does give other ways of making first layer adjustments including Initial Layer Flow Ratio which is on the Quality tab in the Advanced section in the Process profile. There are also other process and filament profile changes that you can apply to help give better first & top surface layers. These can help in conjunction with Z Offset changes but Z Offset itself is your best starting point. I use a combination of all setting changes with my Z Offset change in order to get the best first layer results. I sell my prints and need very good first layer looks and overall quality on all visible areas on my prints. If I wasn’t selling my prints I probably wouldn’t go through the effort of locking in Z Offset and other parameter changes in order to ensure a quality look. You do have to work at it to get good results and this may not be worth the effort for personal projects.
You are absolutely correct in stating that the combination of build plate and filament used needs to be taken into account in order to get quality results. If you are only using Bambu build plates and Bambu filament then you should get reasonable results using stock settings. In that case I agree with your statements. But many people don’t always stay within the Bambu ecosystem (I certainly do not). I use many different filaments for my prints but stay with PLA for my products using mostly Matte PLA but also use Wood PLA, Marble PLA and various coextrusions and Rainbows. I do use some Bambu filaments but also use 3DHojor, COMGROW, Elegoo, Eryone, iSanMate and Sunlu. I also don’t use Bambu build plates for my products. I’m a big fan of BIQU Glacier plates, they hold extremely well and have a very nice surface texture. I also use Darkmoon G10 plates, again very good holding and texture. So you have to take many things into account in order to get a setup that meets your needs.