While they can be both disappointing and infuriating, facing errors is a natural part of the 3D printing journey, and in most cases, the errors that prevent you from performing particular actions are there to protect you and ensure that the 3D printing process runs smoothly.
As a result, we believe that thinking of each error as a learning experience that furthers your 3D printing knowledge is the best attitude to have in such cases, as these experiences will eventually become beneficial and allow you to solve things more efficiently.
In today’s article, we will be going through one of the issues that you can face while using Cura that particularly pops up when you import a G-code file rather than an STL file, where you’ll notice that the print settings section is grayed out with the “print setup disabled” message, preventing you from making any changes.
So, what can cause the “print setup disabled, G-code file can not be modified” error in Cura?
The “print setup disabled, G-code file can not be modified” message will appear on the Print Settings tab when you import a G-code file into Cura instead of a 3D model file, such as an STL, as a G-code file is already processed by the slicer and cannot be modified anymore.
In the upcoming sections, we will dive deeper into the reasons behind the print setup disabled error in Cura, find out how to fix the problem as quickly as possible, and finally, go through the process of recovering print settings from G-code files whenever necessary.
Table of Contents
What Causes the Print Setup Disabled Error in Cura?
The “print setup disabled, G-code file can not be modified” error is technically not an error but rather a warning informing you of it not being currently possible to modify the parameters in the print setup section of Cura, with a logical reason behind it.
When you attempt to import a G-code file into Cura, the only action you will be able to take is to preview how the 3D printer will theoretically print each layer, with the standard modifications such as positioning, orientation, and print settings being entirely disabled.
In this case, the “print setup disabled, G-code file can not be modified” warning pops up where the print settings tab would be located during regular usage, which allows Cura to let you know that you won’t be able to access these settings.
While they may seem similar, as they both depict a 3D model to an extent, 3D model files (such as STL files) and G-code files are entirely different than one another, with the 3D model files being the only ones that you can combine with external configuration.
As the G-code files are versions of the 3D model file with the customized print settings attached, there is no more room for configuration in this case.
How to Fix the Print Setup Disabled Error in Cura?
Even though getting rid of the “print setup disabled” error is not exactly possible in the scenario where you directly import a G-code file into Cura, there are ways to work around the situation and perform the necessary actions.
The primary way to “fix” the print setup disabled issue is to import the 3D model file (such as STL or 3MF) instead of the G-code file, perform the appropriate configuration, and slice the model again to create a new G-code file with the correct print settings.
On the other hand, for more minor adjustments, such as changing a single temperature value, you can also open the G-code file in your favorite text editor, perform the adjustment, and save it again, which will save you from the process of re-slicing the model.
If you plan on following the text editor path, ensure that the syntax of the G-code file remains correct after your modifications, as improper syntax, such as two commands ending up on the same line, will prevent your 3D printer from reading the file.
How to Recover Print Settings from G-Code Files in Cura?
While it may not seem possible due to the process not being an apparent one at first look, it’s entirely doable to recover the print settings from a G-code file that you have created with Cura in cases where you don’t have access to the print settings anymore due to reasons such as not saving them.
Here is a step-by-step guide you can follow to recover print settings from a G-code file in Cura:
- Click the Prepare tab located on the top of the Cura window.
- Click the pane on the right to bring up the Print Settings.
- Click the Profile dropdown menu and choose Manage Profiles.
- Click the Import button.
- Choose the G-code file you want to recover the print settings from.
If the process worked as intended, a pop-up with a message that states the profile was successfully imported should appear, and you should see the name of the G-code file you have imported in the list of Custom Profiles.
While this should work most of the time if the G-code file you’re attempting to recover the print settings from is one you have created with Cura, there are also cases where Cura will fail to pick up the configuration, such as when there are version differences.
Make Sure the G-Code is Suitable Warning in Cura – What to Do?
When importing a G-code file directly into Cura, you may be faced with a warning that has the message “make sure the G-code is suitable for your printer and printer configuration before sending to file to it,” which raises some red flags about the health of the printing process.
The “Make sure the G-code is suitable” warning in Cura is a message that pops up when you import a G-code file into Cura, which is a default message that will always come up in this scenario unless you manually disable it.
In a nutshell, the error pops up to let you know that the G-code file may not be suitable for usage with your 3D printer (as the file itself has no data about which printer the model was sliced for) and should not be a cause for concern.
To get rid of the “Make sure the G-code is suitable” error in Cura, you can open up the Preferences dialog of Cura (Preferences -> Configure Cura in the menubar) and uncheck the “Caution message in G-code reader” checkbox.
Finally, as opening a G-code file in Cura creates a scenario where you are unable to modify anything, we highly recommend saving your adjustments as a project file for later use, which essentially combines the 3D model(s) you have imported, the print settings you have modified, model orientations, and practically anything else that comes to mind.
Wrapping Up
Even though the “print setup disabled” error is not exactly an error, it’s still a roadblock that prevents you from performing the necessary adjustments to the G-code file that you have produced with Cura, requiring a solution to be able to move forward.
To quickly recap, the “print setup disabled” message results from importing a G-code file into Cura, which is already sliced and configured with the configuration that you have input at the time, making it impossible to perform further adjustments to the print settings in Cura.
While it’s entirely possible to open the G-code file up in a text editor and perform manual modifications, this is only feasible if you are planning on making minor adjustments, and in cases where considerable adjustments are required, it’s better to re-slice the 3D model as such.
Happy printing!
Mike started his 3D printing journey with the Anet A8 when it first came out back in 2017, and has been obsessed with 3D printers ever since. Nowadays, he primarily uses his Ender 3 to print functional parts that make his life more convenient whenever possible.