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05SRT4:
As annoying as peeling tape of every other print its been the best for me. I just get the really thick cuts so I only need to do a few strips. I can go 4-5 prints before changing it out.

They had flexible sheets you can buy, I used one for a bit but eventual stopped when then 1st layer wouldn't stick anymore.

You can check them out here.

http://www.printinz.com/printinz-3d-printer-plates/

SammyWI:
First layer sticking (and later releasing) is one of the biggest issues. I've used a lot of surfaces and I have found PEI to be the best so far with PLA or PETG. You can get PEI kits from Amazon or EBay that have a 30 mil sheet plus separate adhesive sold for 3d printing. I personally like 3 mil PEI tape from C S Hyde. Lasts for many prints with just a quick alcohol wipe before each print. Eventually gets beat up to need replacing. I have not yet tried the specialty print surfaces like Printz but the reports seem to be no better than PEI at higher cost.

BadMouth:
I've easily done two dozen prints on my current sheet of PEI and have no plans of changing it anytime soon.

I did have an issue once where it turned white and was ever so slightly puffed where the last part was stuck to it.
I do not know if it was that I was experimenting with higher temperatures, that I stretched it slightly while removing the part, or what.
It's just enough that if I print a big flat part face down and you hold it up to the light at just the right angle, you can see the outline.
This has only happened once and I'm still using the same sheet. Just been too lazy to clean all the adhesive off and I haven't needed to print anything big and flat that needs to have a perfect shiny smooth surface. Discussion here if interested: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,151479.msg1597116.html#msg1597116

Other than that once instance, I pretty much consider PEI to be the permanent bed and not a consumable.

Howard_Casto:
Well the smooth surface is one of my concerns. Right now it is quite noticeable that I'm printing on tape because you can see the lines. With what I'm printing right now it doesn't really matter, but when I start printing stuff out for my car it would be nice to have a smooth surface, or at least a uniform one.

Howard_Casto:
I saw a youtube video where someone used a butane mini torch to smooth pla prints.... I might try it. Anyway, I figured out the z-offset. You just want to throw a G92 in your starting g-code.

Let's say you want to print on some glass and it's 10mm thick.... you would add the g-code:
G92 Z-10

That tells the printer that the current z-position is -10, so before printing it's going to move up 10mm to get to 0, which will be on top of the glass.

So I need to read up on g-code as my 3d modeling training was more on the artistic side than the industrial.

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