New to 3D printing and weird issue

Snapmaker 2.0 Getting Started
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Hello everyone. I am new to 3D printing, and I have actually enjoyed the snapmaker so far. I have been reading a lot, and I think I have gotten everything calibrated well. Made a few prints for my kids that came out really good. Now I am trying to perfect my process before moving on to more complex prints and I have some questions.

  1. Is it normal to have very fine striations in the prints? I get these very fine lines as the layers build up. I very light sanding and it goes away. Is this normal?

  2. I printed the calibration cube with different settings to see if I can refine the process, and I am getting an anomaly in the exact same spot every time(top center in pic). It looks like it didn’t extrude there which left a very slight dent/gap. I have searched and not found what it is. Weird thing is that I am not getting it with other prints. The cube on the left is using snapmaker PLA settings. The one on the right is using my settings with slightly higher bed and nozzle temp. I personally think sightly higher nozzle and bed temps have created better prints for me.

  3. Do I need to store my filament in any specific way? Just worried about it drying out or becoming brittle as I have read others note is a possibility.

Thanks for the help.!

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IMG_20210411_1015354151500×2000 955 KB

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1. Yes, that’s normal.

3. Storing in a darkened area (inside a cabinet or cupboard) should help protect from UV. You also want to seal it inside a ziplock bag or airtight bin with some desicant to protect against moisture.

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Thank you Ellory. That is a relief. Not to get started on my first project.