The hot end nozzle on my Mini is .5mm, which is basically its limitation on how thin of a line it can print. Other printers can have smaller ones, with the drawback it's going to take you longer to print a bigger object. This is not the filament size - the Lulzbot Mini uses 3mm, but I've heard you can change the feed rate to be faster in Cura for 1.75mm...but I haven't gone down that road yet.
You can switch nozzles, but be cautious on getting it too tight — it can strip threading on the nozzle and/or the hot end block. Tighten it a bit, try extruding...if you are getting plastic out the sides of the nozzle, tighten slightly more.
ABS
Durable, but toxic fumes. Supposed to be really great at bridging. (Where the filament is essentially strung out over air, between two edges without support material beneath it.) I have been less concerned about strength, and more interested in less toxic fumes...so I basically started with PLA.
PLA
The standard for beginning prints. Easy to print, easy to remove. PLA is non-toxic...except for its dyes. It would be food safe, if not dyed...but the hot-end could introduce toxicity. The other hurdle with "food safe" plastics, is that the printing process leaves the plastic slightly porous - minuscule bacteria could grow within it. Sands fairly well, forgiving as far as temperature...a bit brittle.
HIPS
Very similar to PLA. I think it sands the best. I discovered the problems of printing larger projects with it though....the corners would pull up during the print, layers can separate in such a way that you can't even glue and clamp it. ($30/kg) Snaps easily though.
PETG
So far, this is my favorite filament after several years into printing. It's very durable like ABS, prints easily like PLA. Sanding translucent PETG (like some eSun, $30/kg, prints at 235/85) - it leaves scarring. If you need to clean up a print, consider cutting it with nail clippers. I used to be super happy with Makergeeks PETG - inexpensive, regular diameter (2.85mm experience), and free shipping on top of the constant sales. I just canceled an order that had been sitting around for 3+ months...I kept getting "shipped in 4 days" at every email exchange, or offers of alternative material that also never shipped. Maybe when they get their system back in place again. (Currently a no-buy recommendation as of 2018.10.07.)
Coffee HTPLA v2.0 - Proto-pasta
This is pretty interesting as a concept. It has coffee in the filament, so it smells like a sweet, syrupy coffee as it prints. I received a lovely gift of a half kilogram for Christmas. You can bake it afterward in the oven on glass/ceramic to give it more durability. It's...tricky to print with.
- It drizzles out even when it is below the print temp of 225.
- It..."feels" sticky. My hot end looks covered in dark molasses, preventing reliable nozzle-to-disk corner auto-level process. (Want to hear a crunching-like sound? Gah. The hot end keeps pushing down until it gets an electrical connection...and then thinks the board is level at that mistake...this is how you melt a PEI sheet.)
- Upper layers with very little to print will be a dark brown, compared to the ordinary "glossy" shine that an unbaked piece will have.
- Usually have to carefully watch the auto-level (make sure the sticky bits on the tip don't cause problems) AND first layer - the filament doesn't always feed through correctly. I typically have to restart the print 2-3 times.
Things I haven't tried:
PLA+, PLA-HT - supposedly a better PLA, more durable.
Flexible filament - brands like Ninjaflex. In order for my Mini to print it, I'd need to swap in an entirely new head. ($400 and do-able, but I don't have any ideas that need flexible filament currently.)
Wood+plastic filaments - There are plastic+wood filaments, that can be sanded and (somewhat) stained. I've avoided using it for now - I've read a bit about it gumming up the extruders for users, and I like my printer too much to risk it.
Metal+plastic filaments can actually conduct electricity.
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