Articles on: Troubleshooting

Got error "Printer doesn't support this file type"

In this article, we'll go over why you may encounter the error message "Printer doesn't support this file type", why it's there and what it means.

Why can't I print / select this file type?


In SimplyPrint, we allow you to upload a bunch of various file types / file extensions.

Some can be printed, some can be sliced - some can't be sliced nor printed, and some can be sliced and printed!

In SimplyPrint we support a lot of different 3D printers, and not all 3D printers support the same file types!

An example of this is Bambu Lab printers; these printers can accept a regular old .gcode file, but they have also made somewhat their own file format, utilizing the .3mf file extension.
In this file, rather than having it be a 3D model like 3MF files usually are, they put one or more Gcode files, and even remove the 3D model! This suddenly makes the 3MF file a printable file rather than a 3D model, but, only for Bambu Lab printers, as no other printers would know what to do with this file when they receive it!

Another example is the new (new as of late 2023, at least), .bgcode format by Prusa3D, which is a "binary Gcode file". Like with the Bambu Lab case; no other printers (as far as we know yet), support receiving this file, as it's not a normal Gcode file.

Printers with special supported extensions; which printers support what?


Printers in our compatibility list may be marked as supporting a special file extension or method like "zip-printing" - so, the kind of file type / extension we let you send to your printer is determined by which printer model you have selected your printer to be of, in the SimplyPrint panel.

List of supported printer files;
We have an article called; Files & storage; what is SimplyPrint cloud storage, and what & how much can I upload?, which highlights all our generally accepted file types, but this doesn't go into specifics on which printers support what file type.

All printers; we'll let you send a .gcode, .gco, nc and .npg file to all printers. These file extensions are marked as "printable"
Bambu Lab printers; all Bambu Lab printers will be able to accept .3mf files that have been analyzed and concluded to include a .gcode file
Prusa printers with new main boards (MK4, XL, Mini, MK3.9 etc.) ; .bgcode files

What can I do about this?


If you believe your printer should be able to accept a file type / extension that we don't currently allow you to send to your printer, please contact us if you believe you've made a mistake!
Otherwise, select a printer model in your printer's settings, that does allow for this file type to be sent.

Updated on: 28/10/2023

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