How hot should we print? There is an easy way to get very close to the optimal print temperature. All we need to do is read the side of the roll of filament. Almost every roll has a heat range that you should use when printing. Our printers might not accurately create the correct temperature, but they should be very close. PLA filament usually is suggested between 190°C - 220°C. It depends on the manufacturer of the filament or even the color.
I have PLA, which prints on one machine at 210 degrees Celsius and 195 degrees Celsius on another. The hotter running machine uses a direct drive extruder and a hardened steel nozzle. The best thing to do is to run a temperature tower. Using the temp tower, you can get a great idea of what temp is the best. You can get the code here from the TeachingTechs calibration site. https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#temp
I read the whole page and ran quite a few towers to ensure proper temperatures. I would suggest going through all the tabs and calibrating your printer. You will not believe the difference these things will make in the outcome of your prints.
I know this is a short post, but I can't think of anything else to say on this topic except about PID tuning. You can also get information on PID tuning on that same site from TeachingTech. In short, this makes sure your temperatures on your hot end and bed are not fluctuating too much or are unsafe. I hope this helps and don't think of this as a waste of time. It takes just a few minutes to run a tower, and that's a lot less than a failed print. Don't forget once dialed in to save the new profile in your Slicer. Happy printing, and let's make sure to have fun!
