Open this lesson in your favourite AI. It'll walk you through the why, explain the demo, and quiz you on the try-it list.
Your printer's firmware decides what features you have, how fast you can print, and how easy it is to tweak settings. Marlin runs on the printer's own controller and is what most stock hobby printers ship with. Klipper offloads computation to a Raspberry Pi or similar host, enabling much higher speeds and easier configuration via a text file. Knowing which you have — and the trade-offs — affects every other choice you make.
Marlin and Klipper side by side.
Use these three in order. Each builds on the one before.
In one paragraph, explain the difference between Marlin and Klipper.
Walk me through what happens when you set pressure advance in Klipper: where does the math happen and how does it change what the extruder does?
I have an Ender 3 with Marlin. Should I switch to Klipper? What do I gain and what's the upgrade path?
MARLIN (default for most kits and stock printers):
Runs on: printer's mainboard MCU (AVR Mega2560 on old; STM32 on modern)
Configured: by editing C++ source and reflashing (or via M-codes for runtime tweaks)
Speed ceiling: ~120mm/s for typical 8-bit; ~250mm/s for 32-bit boards
Strengths: works standalone; runs without a network; mature codebase
Weaknesses: every config change needs a reflash; speed limited by MCU
Tuning: G-code-based commands at runtime (M205, M203, M201, M900)
Auto-leveling: G29 builds a mesh
Linear Advance: M900 K0.05
KLIPPER (modern, popular for upgrade builds):
Runs on: a host computer (Raspberry Pi, custom SBCs, mini PCs)
The host computer sends pre-computed step events to the MCU at high rate
Configured: by editing printer.cfg (text file) — no reflashing required
Speed ceiling: ~500-1000mm/s (with input shaping; depends on hardware)
Strengths:
- Configurable without reflashing
- Better motion planning (input shaping, pressure advance)
- Web UI (Mainsail / Fluidd) for control
- Macro system for complex sequences
Weaknesses:
- Requires a Pi or similar host (~$50)
- More moving parts in your setup
- Some plug-and-play firmware (Bambu's) is closed-source and Klipper-incompatible
Tuning: edit printer.cfg, save, run RESTART
Auto-leveling: BED_MESH_CALIBRATE
Pressure Advance: SET_PRESSURE_ADVANCE ADVANCE=0.05
OTHER FIRMWARE:
RepRapFirmware (RRF) — for Duet boards; high-quality alternative
Prusa firmware — Marlin fork with Prusa-specific features
Bambu firmware — closed-source; CoreXY with extensive automation
For a beginner: stick with whatever your printer ships with.
For a hobbyist who wants to learn: switch to Klipper after you're comfortable.
For a power user: Klipper or RepRapFirmware.