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AutoPrint clearing methods: every way to clear the bed

AutoPrint clearing methods: every way to clear the bed


For AutoPrint to start the next print on its own, the bed has to be empty first. The clearing method is how that happens, and SimplyPrint supports several: from simply removing the part yourself, to a gcode script that sweeps the bed, to a hardware mod that swaps the whole plate. This guide explains the method types, how to choose one, and links out to a setup article for every supported method.


AutoPrint is part of the Pro plan and up. See the AutoPrint overview for plans and licenses.


Table of contents



How the method picker is organized

Open the AutoPrint settings panel and click the method selector. The picker has two modes:


  • Manual waits for a person to clear the bed.
  • Automatic clears the bed for you, and splits into auto-clear methods (gcode-based) and API-based methods.


Under the hood every method falls into one of three types: manual, gcode, or API. The type decides how clearing happens and what you need to set up.


Manual clearing

Manual is the simplest method and needs no hardware or gcode. When a print finishes, AutoPrint pauses and waits for you to take the part off and mark the bed clear. You do that with the Clear bed button in the printer's control panel.


This still saves you the work of matching and starting each next print, because once you clear the bed AutoPrint immediately finds and starts the next matching queue item. It just keeps a human in the loop for the physical part removal. With manual clearing, AutoPrint also respects your working hours, so it never expects you to clear a bed in the middle of the night.


Manual clearing is the right starting point while you set up and test a fully automatic method. It is also a solid permanent choice if you are around the printers and just want SimplyPrint to handle the queue matching.


Automatic clearing with gcode

Most automatic methods clear the bed by sending a short gcode script to the printer between prints. This covers both the "push the part off with the print head" approach and the hardware mods and kits that physically eject or swap the plate.


When you pick a gcode method, SimplyPrint loads the right clearing script for that method and printer model into the AutoPrint settings. For partner hardware, this is the gcode the vendor (or SimplyPrint) provides for that mod. You can review it in the gcode editor in the settings panel, and for most methods you can edit it if your setup needs a tweak.


Automatic gcode methods move the print head or hardware to clear the bed, so they need testing. Use the Test bed clearing button in the AutoPrint widget to run the script once and watch it before you run unattended. Confirm the part releases cleanly and that prime lines, skirts and brims get swept off too.


A few gcode methods clear by pushing the finished part off the front edge (push-off clearing). Those are designed for cooled, smooth plates where parts release easily. Plate-swap mods instead eject and load a fresh plate, which is why some of them support a max cycles limit (you only have so many plates in the stack).


One method, FarmLoop, is maintained end-to-end by SimplyPrint in partnership with the vendor. Its gcode is kept current for you, so you do not edit it yourself - you just pick your hardware stage and mode.


API-based clearing

Some clearing happens through an external system rather than gcode on the printer. With an API-based method, SimplyPrint hands off the "clear the bed" step to a connected service or device, which does the clearing and signals back when the bed is ready.


This also covers driving AutoPrint from your own automation. The two API-type methods (the generic API method and the webhook method) let an external system either be the clearing mechanism or be notified when a clear is needed, so you can wire AutoPrint into custom hardware or an order-management workflow. See the API feature page for what the SimplyPrint API can do.


Which method should I pick?

Match the method to your hardware and how hands-off you need to be:


  • You are around the printers and just want SimplyPrint to handle queue matching: pick Manual.
  • You print cooled parts on smooth PEI and want zero extra hardware: try push-off clearing with the print head.
  • You have a belt (infinite-Z) printer: it clears itself off the end of the belt, so use the belt printers method.
  • You have a plate-swapper or ejection kit (swapmod, JobOx, 3DQue, PrintFlow3D, FarmLoop, Chitu PlateCycler, and so on): pick that exact partner from the auto-clear methods list so you get its tested gcode.
  • You run custom hardware or an external automation: use an API-based method.


The method picker flags any method that is not compatible with the printer model you have selected, so you will not accidentally pick a Bambu Lab mod for a Prusa.


The AI bed-check safety gate

When you use an automatic clearing method, you can layer AI bed check on top of it as a safety gate. When it is on, SimplyPrint looks at the printer's camera after clearing and confirms the bed is genuinely empty before it starts the next print. If a part is still there, AutoPrint pauses instead of printing on top of it. (With manual clearing you are already removing the part by hand, so the check is not needed there.)


AI bed check needs a camera on the printer, and it works best with a clear bed timeout set so the check has a window to run. It is currently in beta. There is no better safeguard for unattended printing, so if your printer has a camera, turn it on. Full details are in the AutoPrint overview.


Partner subscriptions and credits

Most hardware methods are free to use once you own the hardware: you buy the mod, pick it as your method, and run its gcode. A few partner integrations have their own connection or subscription tiers that unlock extra capabilities (for example a higher hardware stage). When a method needs an active partner connection, the settings panel shows the connection status and prompts you to connect, and AutoPrint holds clearing for that printer until the connection requirement is met.


Where a method links out to buy the hardware, some links are affiliate links and a few partners offer a coupon code that shows right in the method picker. SimplyPrint earning a commission never changes how the method works or what it costs you.


Every supported method

Each method has its own setup article with the supported printers, what to buy, and how to configure it.


Push-off and self-clearing

  • Push-off clearing - use the print head to sweep the part off the bed
  • Belt printers - infinite-Z printers that clear off the end of the belt
  • AutoClear - the AutoClear One, which opens the door and clears the bed on the Bambu Lab X1C and P1S
  • AutoSwap - plate swapper for the Bambu Lab A1 and Anycubic Kobra 3


Plate-swap and ejection hardware

  • FarmLoop - SimplyPrint-maintained, with hardware stages and modes, for Bambu Lab printers
  • swapmod - plate swapper for the Bambu Lab A1 Mini
  • JobOx Mod - plate swapper for Prusa MK4, MK3S+ and Mini (and the Bambu Lab A1)
  • Loop Mod - deployable arm for the Prusa MK3S+
  • PrintFlow3D - plate changer for the Bambu Lab A1 series
  • 3DQue Ejection Kit - print-head ejection for a range of printers
  • 3DPrintomat - plate changer for the Bambu Lab A1 series
  • InnoCube SwapMod (A1) - plate swapper for the Bambu Lab A1
  • Chitu PlateCycler - plate swapper for the Bambu Lab A1 Mini


Do not see your hardware in the picker? There is a Let us know what we're missing link at the bottom of the method picker so we can look at adding it.



Updated on: 26/06/2026

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