Articles on: Printing: start, queue & track

Auto-matching queue items to printers

Auto-matching queue items to printers


The SimplyPrint platform features a powerful and intuitive system for automatically matching your 3D print jobs with the appropriate printers. In this article, we will break down the process and criteria of auto-matching, to help you understand how SimplyPrint ensures your printing operations run smoothly and efficiently.


Auto-matching is a big part of our AutoPrint: put your printers on autopilot feature and print queue!


Want to know exactly why one specific item won't start on a free printer? The queue inspector breaks it down criterion by criterion: why won't my printer print this queue item?


Criteria for auto-matching


When matching a queue item or file to a printer, the rule is that the printer must satisfy ALL of the item's requirements, but the printer may have tags the item does not.


Our auto-matching system bases its matching process on the following parameters:


  • Printer availability: Is the printer online and ready to accept new print jobs? If the printer is occupied, offline, in maintenance, or waiting on a bed clear, it won't be selected for new jobs until it's available again.


  • Material type: Matches the required material family (like PLA or ABS) with what's loaded on the printer. A PETG job won't be sent to a printer loaded with PLA.



  • Nozzle size: Matches the required nozzle size for the print job with what is installed on the printer. For example, if a job needs a 0.6mm nozzle, it will only be matched with printers equipped with a 0.6mm nozzle. Nozzle type (e.g. hardened steel) and nozzle volume (e.g. high flow) can also be matched, but those two checks are off by default.


  • Bed type: Matches the required build plate (for example a textured PEI plate) with the plate fitted to the printer. Plates you consider interchangeable can be grouped so they match each other.


  • Custom tags: Printers and print jobs can both have custom tags. These can specify unique capabilities or requirements. A print job will only be matched with a printer if the printer contains all of the job's custom tags.


  • Gcode analysis: The system checks the specific instructions in the Gcode file (the file that instructs the printer on what to print) to ensure the printer is capable of performing those operations.


  • Print size: Checks if the size of the object to be printed fits within the printer's build volume. A job to print a large object won't be sent to a printer with a small print bed.


  • Print temperatures: Matches the required temperatures for printing the material with what the printer can provide. If a job needs a printing temperature that a printer can't achieve, they won't be matched.


  • Material quantity: Checks if there's enough of the required material left on the assigned spools for the printer to complete the print job. If a print job needs a lot of material, it won't be matched with a printer that's low on filament.



Understanding tags and their role in matching


Tags provide critical data points for the auto-matching process. Whether they specify nozzle size, material data, bed type, or contain custom requirements, tags help ensure that each print job is matched with the most capable printer.


Here are some key points to understand about tags and their role in matching:


  1. Nozzle size: If a queue item tag specifies a nozzle size, only printers with that exact nozzle size will match with the queue item. For example, if a queue item tag reads "Nozzle size: 0.6", only printers with a 0.6mm nozzle size will auto-match with this queue item.


  1. Material data: For material data, both material type and color must match. If a queue item tag specifies "Material: PLA, Color: Blue", only printers equipped with blue PLA filament will be matched with this job. Color is matched on both the color name and the actual color (hex), not the name alone - so if the item's blue and the printer's blue are different named blues or different hex codes, they may not match until you group them as equivalent with a color cluster or map one to the other. See why won't my filament color match a printer?.


  1. Bed type: If a queue item is tagged for a specific build plate, only printers with that plate (or a plate grouped as equivalent to it) will match.


  1. Custom tags: Custom tags can specify any additional requirements or capabilities. Printers can have more custom tags than a queue item, but they must contain all of the queue item's custom tags to be matched. For instance, if a queue item has the custom tags "High Precision" and "Fast Print", only printers with both these tags will be auto-matched with this queue item.


  1. No tags: If a queue item has no tags, the system defaults to matching the print job with a printer based on other standard criteria such as Gcode analysis, print bed size, print temperatures, etc.


Which of these checks are enforced is up to you - your queue matching criteria (Settings > Queue) and AutoPrint matching criteria (Settings > AutoPrint) turn individual checks on or off.


With SimplyPrint's auto-matching system, you can be confident that your print jobs are always matched with the most suitable printer, improving efficiency and reducing manual oversight.


Updated on: 04/07/2026

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