FAQ

Questions farms ask before they switch.

Grouped by where you are in setting up. If yours is not here, ask us.

01

Getting started

What is SpoolSwift?

Print farm software for Bambu Lab P1S and P1P printers. It keeps one queue for every printer, sends each job to a printer with the right nozzle and filament loaded, and asks at the printer whether the plate was cleared before anything else starts there.

What do I need at the farm?

A Windows 10 or 11 PC, 64-bit, on the same network as your printers, that can reach the internet on port 443. A microSD card in each printer, and firmware 01.08.02.00 or newer.

How do I try it?

Start free with one printer, with no card. Or scan the label on our homepage with your phone to try a demo printer first.

Can I watch my printers before I change any settings?

Yes. Pair a bridge and add a printer, and its status shows straight away. Developer Mode is only needed when you want SpoolSwift to start prints.

02

Printers and setup

Which printers work?

Bambu Lab P1S and P1P, with one AMS each. Other models are not supported. SpoolSwift is not affiliated with or endorsed by Bambu Lab.

What stops working when I turn on LAN Only Mode and Developer Mode?

On that printer, the Bambu Handy app, printing through Bambu's cloud, Bambu Farm Manager and Bambu Lab's support for that mode. Printing from Bambu Studio over your network and the printer's own screen keep working, and you can turn both settings off again at the printer.

Can I keep using Bambu Farm Manager?

Not on the same printer. Remove a printer from Farm Manager before you add it to SpoolSwift.

What if a firmware update comes out?

A version we have not tested yet still works, but that printer starts jobs by hand only until we have tested it. If an update turns a setting off, the printer's card says so.

We have more than one site. Does that work?

Yes. Put a bridge at each site. Sites can share one queue, so any printer takes any job, or keep their own.

Full compatibility and setup list
03

Running the floor

What is the plate loop?

When a print ends, SpoolSwift asks at the printer whether the plate was cleared. Nothing else starts there until someone answers Collected or Not collected, on a phone or the website. There is no timeout.

What happens when I answer Not collected?

The plate goes back in the queue, ahead of jobs with the same priority, and the next eligible printer takes it. It skips the printer that failed it unless you allow that printer again.

Does SpoolSwift ever stop a print by itself?

No. Automatic pause on a failure alert is off unless an Owner turns it on for that printer, and even then it only pauses.

How does filament matching work?

Every AMS slot a job needs must hold the same material and colour on the printer. If it does not, the job waits for a printer that matches, and the queue says why.

Can my crew press Print again on the printer's screen?

Yes. SpoolSwift links that print to the same job, and the plate loop asks about it when it ends.

How the plate loop works
04

Shops and orders

Which shops can send orders in?

Shopify, Square, WooCommerce and eBay. Connect one, or more than one, and paid orders from each land in the same queue.

Can SpoolSwift list my products on eBay?

Yes. List your products on eBay from SpoolSwift, and eBay orders come into the same queue as your other shops.

Can a paid order start printing by itself?

Only if you turn on Start when paid for that product, automatic start is on for the farm and the printer is armed at the farm. Otherwise the order adds a job, and a person starts it.

What if an order has an item with no model attached?

It shows under Needs you, so someone can attach the model. A nightly check also catches any paid order that slipped past.

Can buyers get a quote for their own model?

Yes. Buyers upload a model on the quote portal, get a price and check out on your Shopify store.

05

Security

Can SpoolSwift staff start my printers?

No. No staff tool can send a printer command. Staff access is read-only, needs a written reason and shows in your audit log.

Where is my printer's access code kept?

On your bridge PC, encrypted. Your browser seals it to your bridge, so our cloud only ever carries a copy it cannot read, for a few minutes at most.

What happens if the internet drops?

Running prints carry on and the bridge keeps tracking every plate. Nothing new starts until it reconnects, and then any print that ended gets its Collected or Not collected question.

How we keep it safe
06

Billing

Is the free plan a trial?

No. One printer stays free for as long as you want it, and there is no card to enter.

What is usage billing?

Work that costs us each time it runs, such as slicing a buyer's model for a quote, is billed at cost plus a small markup on every plan. The camera check on your bridge is not metered.

Can a billing problem stop a print?

No. Billing never stops a running print. After a grace period your farm moves to the free plan, and one printer you pick keeps starting new prints.

Pricing

Still have a question?

Ask us, or try the demo printer on your phone.