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Home Panel

Home Panel

The Home Panel is your printer dashboard — a fully customizable grid of widgets spread across multiple pages, like home screens on a phone. You choose what appears, where it goes, how big each widget is, and can rearrange everything with drag-and-drop.


Your dashboard is built from widgets — individual cards that display printer information and controls. Widgets live on a flexible grid:

  • The grid is 8 columns by 5 rows on standard and large screens (6x4 on small screens)
  • Each widget occupies one or more grid cells
  • Widgets cannot overlap — the grid enforces clean layouts
  • Everything saves automatically and persists across restarts and updates

When you first launch HelixScreen, a default layout is created with your printer image, print status, tips, and commonly used widgets. From there, you can customize everything.


Your dashboard can have multiple pages of widgets — just like home screens on a phone. Each page has its own independent grid layout.

  • Swipe left or right anywhere on the widget grid to move between pages
  • Dot indicators at the bottom of the screen show which page you’re on and how many pages you have
  • If you only have one page, the dots and swiping are hidden — it works exactly like a single-page dashboard

One page is designated as the main page (the first page by default). This is the page shown when you first connect to your printer or navigate to the Home panel.

Home button behavior:

  • From any other panel, tapping the Home button takes you back to the Home panel — to whichever page you were last viewing
  • Tapping Home again while already on the Home panel jumps to the main page
  • So the main page is always at most two taps of the Home button away
  1. Enter Edit Mode (long-press the widget grid)
  2. Swipe to the last page — a ”+” tile appears
  3. Tap the ”+” to create a new empty page
  4. You can have up to 8 pages maximum
  5. Exit Edit Mode and start adding widgets to your new page

The dashboard supports up to 8 pages. Once you reach the limit, the ”+” tile no longer appears.


Edit Mode is how you customize your dashboard layout. While in Edit Mode, all normal widget interactions (tapping to open overlays, etc.) are disabled so you can freely rearrange things.

Page swiping in Edit Mode: Swiping between pages is disabled while in Edit Mode so you can drag widgets without accidentally changing pages. The one exception is swiping past the last page to reach the ”+” add-page tile. When you exit Edit Mode, normal page swiping is re-enabled.

Long-press (press and hold for about half a second) anywhere on the widget grid. You’ll see:

  • A faint grid of dots appears showing the underlying grid structure
  • Corner brackets appear on the widget under your finger, indicating it’s selected
  • All normal widget tap actions are disabled — you can touch anything without triggering it

The widget you long-pressed is automatically selected and ready to drag. You can start moving it immediately without lifting your finger.

Edit Mode — widget selected with gear and trash icons, toolbar at top

  • Tap any widget to select it — animated corner brackets appear at its edges
  • The corner brackets pulse gently to indicate the active selection
  • Tap empty space to deselect the current widget
  • Only one widget can be selected at a time
  1. Select a widget by tapping it (or it’s auto-selected when you enter Edit Mode)
  2. Press and drag the widget to a new position
  3. As you drag, a snap preview appears showing where the widget will land:
    • Blue/accent preview = valid drop position
    • Red preview = invalid position (would overlap another widget or go off-grid)
  4. Release to drop the widget — it snaps into the grid position with a smooth animation
  5. If the position is invalid, the widget returns to its original spot

A faint outline stays at the widget’s original position while dragging so you can see where it came from.

Not all widgets are resizable — some (like Power and Shutdown) are always 1x1. For widgets that support resizing:

  1. Select the widget by tapping it
  2. Look for thin edge lines along the sides of the selected widget — these are the resize handles
  3. Drag from any edge to resize in that direction
  4. As you drag, two previews appear:
    • A thin border follows your finger exactly (pixel-tracking)
    • A grid-snapped preview shows the final size
  5. The widget snaps to valid grid sizes based on its constraints:
    • Each widget has a minimum and maximum size (see the widget table below)
    • Resizing stops at the grid boundary
    • Resizing stops if it would overlap another widget
  6. Release to apply the new size — the widget rebuilds at its new dimensions

Some widgets adapt their content based on size. For example, the Digital Clock shows just the time at 1x1, adds the date at 2x1, and shows uptime too at 2x2 or larger.

There are two ways to add widgets:

  1. While in Edit Mode, long-press on an empty area of the grid
  2. The Widget Catalog opens

The Widget Catalog shows all available widgets in a scrollable list. Each entry shows:

  • Widget name and description
  • Size badge (e.g., “2x1”)
  • Widgets already on your dashboard are dimmed and labeled “Placed”

Tap any available widget to add it. HelixScreen places it near where you long-pressed, or finds the best available spot if that area is occupied. If the grid is completely full, you’ll need to remove a widget first.

Widget Catalog — scrollable list with size badges and dimmed "Placed" entries

  1. Select the widget you want to remove
  2. A trash icon appears — drag the widget to the trash, or tap the delete button
  3. The widget is removed from your grid

Removing a widget doesn’t delete any data — you can always add it back from the Widget Catalog.

Widget selected with trash icon in upper-right corner

Some widgets have settings you can change directly from Edit Mode. When you select one of these configurable widgets, a gear icon appears in the upper-left corner (the trash icon is in the upper-right).

Configurable widgets:

WidgetWhat the gear button does
TemperaturesToggles between Stack and Carousel display mode
Fan SpeedsToggles between Stack and Carousel display mode
Temperature SensorsToggles between single-sensor and Carousel display mode
FanOpens the fan picker — choose which fan to monitor
Temperature GraphOpens a configuration modal — toggle sensors on/off and customize series colors
Macro Button 1–5Opens the macro picker — choose which macro to assign
Clog DetectionOpens the Clog Detection config modal — set detection source, mode, and thresholds

To configure a widget:

  1. Enter Edit Mode (long-press the widget grid)
  2. Tap the widget you want to configure — corner brackets and action buttons appear
  3. Tap the gear icon in the upper-left corner
  4. For Temperatures/Fan Speeds: the widget immediately switches between Stack and Carousel mode. Tap the gear again to switch back.
  5. For Macro Buttons: a picker overlay opens listing all available Klipper macros. Tap a macro to assign it — the button updates immediately.

Configurable widget selected — gear icon (upper-left) and trash icon (upper-right) Macro picker — select from available Klipper macros

Tap the Reset button in the Edit Mode toolbar to restore the default widget layout. This resets all pages back to a single page with the default layout — any extra pages you created are removed. Widget positions and sizes are reset, and the default set of enabled widgets is restored. Your per-widget settings (like display mode preferences) are preserved.

The default layout places:

  • Printer Image in the top-left (2x2)
  • Print Status below it (2x2)
  • Tips across the top-right (4x2)
  • Remaining enabled widgets auto-fill the rest of the grid
  • Tap the Done button in the toolbar
  • Or navigate away to any other panel — Edit Mode exits automatically and saves your changes

Sizes are listed as columns x rows. For example, “2x1” means 2 columns wide and 1 row tall.

WidgetDescriptionDefaultMinMaxResizableHardware Required
Printer ImageYour printer’s photo. Tap to open the Printer Manager overlay where you can change the name, image, and see hardware info.2x21x14x3Yes
Print StatusCurrent print progress with filename, percentage, ETA, and elapsed time. Tap to open the full Print Status overlay when printing, or navigate to the file browser when idle.2x22x14x3Yes
Print StatsPrint history statistics — total prints, success rate, and total print time. Tap to open the full print history overlay.2x22x13x2Yes
Job QueueShows the number of queued print jobs. Tap to open the Job Queue Manager modal (see Job Queue Manager below).2x22x14x3Yes
Digital ClockCurrent time and date. Respects your 12/24-hour preference from display settings. Content adapts to size: time only at 1x1, time + date at 2x1, time + date + system uptime at 2x2+.2x11x13x3Yes
NotificationsShows pending notification count with a severity badge (info/warning/error). Tap to open the notification history overlay.1x11x12x1Horizontal only
TipsRotating helpful tips about 3D printing and HelixScreen features. Tap any tip to see the full article. Tips rotate automatically.4x22x16x2Horizontal only
NetworkCurrent network connection status — WiFi signal strength (with bar indicator) or Ethernet.1x11x12x1Horizontal only
CameraLive webcam feed from your MJPEG stream. Tap to go fullscreen. Automatically detects webcams configured in Moonraker. See Camera Widget below for setup tips.2x21x14x3YesWebcam configured
WidgetDescriptionDefaultMinMaxResizableHardware Required
Nozzle TemperatureLive nozzle temperature with an animated heating icon that pulses when the heater is active. Tap to open the temperature graph overlay.1x11x12x2Yes
Bed TemperatureLive bed temperature with current and target readings. Tap to open the temperature graph overlay.1x11x12x2Yes
TemperaturesStacked view showing nozzle, bed, and chamber temperatures in one widget. Each row shows current temp and target. Also available in Carousel mode (see Display Modes below). Tap any reading to open the temperature graph.1x11x13x2Yes
Temperature SensorsMonitor additional temperature sensors (chamber, enclosure heater, etc.) in a single-sensor or carousel view. You can add multiple instances, each configured to a different sensor. Also available in Carousel mode.1x11x12x1Horizontal onlyExtra temp sensors
Temperature GraphLive temperature chart with configurable sensor series. Shows colored lines for each sensor with optional target setpoint lines. Content adapts to size — larger sizes show legends, axis labels, gradients, and temperature readouts. Tap to open the full-screen graph overlay. Configure which sensors to display via the gear icon in Edit Mode. You can add multiple instances.2x21x16x4Yes
PreheatQuick preheat buttons with material selection. Tap a material to instantly set nozzle and bed temperatures to that material’s profile.3x12x14x1Horizontal only
HumidityEnclosure humidity reading from a connected sensor.1x11x12x2YesHumidity sensor
WidgetDescriptionDefaultMinMaxResizableHardware Required
Fan SpeedsPart cooling, hotend, and auxiliary fan speeds at a glance. Fan icons spin when running. Also available in Carousel mode with arc slider controls. Tap to open the Fan Control overlay. You can add multiple instances.1x11x13x2Yes
FanMonitor a single fan’s speed. Tap to open a fan picker to choose which fan to display. You can add multiple instances, each showing a different fan. Configure via the gear icon in Edit Mode.1x11x12x1Horizontal only
WidgetDescriptionDefaultMinMaxResizableHardware Required
Active SpoolShows the currently loaded Spoolman spool — displays the spool color, material type, brand, and remaining weight. Tap to edit the active spool. At compact sizes (1x1) shows just the colored spool icon; at wider sizes shows material details alongside.1x11x14x2YesSpoolman configured
AMS StatusMini view of your multi-material spool slots showing filament colors and status. Tap for the full AMS panel.1x11x12x2YesAMS/MMU detected
Filament SensorFilament runout detection status. Shows whether filament is loaded.1x11x12x1Horizontal onlyFilament sensor
Width SensorLive filament width reading from a diameter sensor.1x11x12x2YesWidth sensor
Clog DetectionFilament clog and flow health monitor. Shows a clog/flow arc meter, and a buffer sync meter on Happy Hare printers. Tap to open the Buffer Status detail modal. Configurable via the gear icon in Edit Mode. See Clog Detection Widget below.1x11x12x2YesAMS/MMU detected
WidgetDescriptionDefaultMinMaxResizableHardware Required
LED LightQuick on/off toggle for your printer’s LEDs. Tap to open the full LED Control Overlay with color picker, brightness, effects, and WLED controls.1x11x12x1Horizontal onlyLEDs configured
LED ControlsOne-tap shortcut to open the LED color and brightness controls overlay directly.1x11x11x1NoLEDs configured
WidgetDescriptionDefaultMinMaxResizableHardware Required
Macro Button 1–5One-tap buttons to run configured macros. Up to 5 independently configurable slots. Assign a macro to each via the gear icon in Edit Mode.1x11x12x1Horizontal only
MacrosOne-tap shortcut to open the Macros panel for browsing and executing Klipper macros.1x11x11x1No
G-code ConsoleOne-tap shortcut to open the G-code Console overlay for sending commands and viewing Klipper responses. See G-code Console Widget below.1x11x11x1No
PowerToggle all selected Moonraker power devices (PSU, lights, etc.) with one tap.1x11x11x1NoPower devices
Power DeviceToggle an individual Moonraker power device. You can add multiple instances, each bound to a different device. Shows the device name, state, and a customizable icon.1x11x11x1NoPower devices
WidgetDescriptionDefaultMinMaxResizableHardware Required
Shutdown/RebootShutdown or reboot your printer’s host system. Shows a confirmation dialog before acting.1x11x11x1No
Firmware RestartRestart the Klipper firmware. Useful when Klipper enters SHUTDOWN state. This widget automatically appears during firmware errors even if disabled.1x11x11x1No
Lock ScreenLocks the screen immediately with PIN protection. Only appears in the Widget Catalog after setting a PIN in Settings > Security.1x11x11x1NoPIN set in Settings

Some widgets depend on specific hardware being detected by Klipper. If the hardware isn’t present:

  • The widget won’t appear in the Widget Catalog
  • If hardware is detected later (plugged in, configured), the widget becomes available automatically
  • If hardware is removed after placing a widget, the widget hides automatically but keeps its grid position — it reappears if the hardware returns
WidgetRequired Hardware
CameraWebcam configured in Moonraker (crowsnest, camera-streamer, etc.)
AMS StatusAMS, AFC (Box Turtle), Happy Hare, ACE (Anycubic ACE Pro), or compatible MMU system
Clog DetectionAMS, AFC, Happy Hare, or compatible MMU with clog/flow detection
LED Light / LED ControlsAny LED strip configured in Klipper (neopixel, dotstar, output_pin)
Power / Power DeviceMoonraker power devices (PSU control, smart plugs)
Filament Sensor[filament_switch_sensor] or [filament_motion_sensor] in Klipper
Humidity[temperature_sensor] with humidity capability
Width Sensor[hall_filament_width_sensor] in Klipper
Temperature SensorsExtra [temperature_sensor] entries beyond nozzle and bed

The Temperatures, Fan Speeds, and Temperature Sensors widgets each support two visual modes:

Compact vertical rows showing all values simultaneously. Each row has an icon, current reading, and target (if applicable). Best when you want to see everything at once without swiping.

Full-size swipeable pages with one item per page. Indicator dots at the bottom show which page you’re on. Swipe left and right to browse.

Temperatures carousel — each sensor (nozzle, bed, chamber) gets its own full-size page with a large animated icon and temperature readout. The nozzle icon pulses when heating. Tap any page to open the temperature graph overlay for that sensor.

Fan Speeds carousel — each fan gets an interactive page with a 270-degree arc slider. Drag the arc to change fan speed directly, without opening a separate control panel. The fan icon spins at a speed proportional to the actual fan RPM.

Carousel mode — fan carousel with arc slider (left), temp carousel with large readout (right) Fan carousel mode — arc slider for direct speed control, page indicator dots

Long-press the grid to enter Edit Mode, select the Temperatures, Fan Speeds, or Temperature Sensors widget, and tap the gear icon in the upper-left corner. Each tap toggles the mode. Your preference is saved per widget and persists across restarts.


While not in Edit Mode, widgets respond to taps and other gestures:

WidgetTap Action
Printer ImageOpens Printer Manager overlay
Print StatusOpens Print Status overlay (printing) or File Browser (idle)
Print StatsOpens print history overlay
Job QueueOpens Job Queue Manager modal
Digital Clock— (display only)
NotificationsOpens notification history
TipsOpens the full tip article
Network— (display only)
CameraOpens fullscreen camera view
Nozzle TemperatureOpens temperature graph overlay
Bed TemperatureOpens temperature graph overlay
TemperaturesOpens temperature graph for the tapped sensor
Temperature Sensors— (display only)
Temperature GraphOpens full-screen temperature graph overlay
PreheatSets nozzle and bed temperature to the tapped material profile
Humidity— (display only)
Fan Speeds (stack)Opens Fan Control overlay
Fan Speeds (carousel)Drag the arc slider to adjust speed directly
FanOpens fan picker to select which fan to display
AMS StatusOpens AMS panel overlay
Filament Sensor— (display only)
Width Sensor— (display only)
Clog DetectionOpens the Buffer Status detail modal
LED LightOpens LED Control Overlay
LED ControlsOpens LED Control Overlay
Macro ButtonRuns the configured macro immediately
MacrosOpens the Macros panel overlay
G-code ConsoleOpens the G-code Console overlay
PowerToggles all selected power devices
Power DeviceToggles the individual power device
Shutdown/RebootShows confirmation, then shuts down/reboots
Firmware RestartRestarts Klipper firmware
Lock ScreenLocks the screen immediately; requires PIN to unlock

Tap the Job Queue widget to open the queue manager — a full-screen modal for managing your print queue.

At the top, you’ll see the current queue state:

  • Queue: Ready — the queue is active and will auto-print jobs in order
  • Queue: Paused — the queue is paused; queued jobs won’t start automatically

Tap the Start or Pause button to toggle the queue state.

Below the state indicator, all queued jobs are listed with:

  • Filename — the name of the queued G-code file
  • Time queued — how long the job has been waiting (e.g., “Queued 2h 15m ago”, “Just queued”)

Start a print: Tap any job in the list. If the printer is idle, the job is removed from the queue and printing begins immediately. If the printer is already printing, HelixScreen will let you know.

Delete a job: Tap the trash icon on the right side of any job row. The job is immediately removed from the queue.

Close: Tap the X button in the top-right corner to close the modal.

Job Queue modal — queue state, Start button, job list

The job queue is managed by Moonraker, so jobs added from Mainsail, Fluidd, or the Moonraker API appear here automatically. Likewise, jobs deleted or started from HelixScreen are reflected in those other interfaces.


The Clog Detection widget monitors your filament path health in real time — detecting clogs, flow issues, and buffer sync problems. It only appears when a compatible filament system is detected (Happy Hare, AFC, or another MMU with clog detection).

The widget displays a carousel with one or two pages depending on your hardware:

Page 1 — Clog/Flow Arc Meter (always shown)

A 270-degree arc gauge that fills based on your clog or flow detection reading. The color shifts from green (healthy) through orange (warning) to red (danger) as the value increases. A red danger zone arc shows the warning threshold, and a peak marker tracks the highest reading seen.

The meter adapts to your detection backend:

BackendWhat the meter shows
EncoderClog percentage (0–100%) — how much the encoder reading deviates from expected
FlowguardSymmetrical flow deviation (−100 to +100) — negative means tangle risk, positive means clog risk
AFCBuffer fault proximity (0–100%) — how close the buffer is to a fault condition

Page 2 — Buffer Sync Meter (Happy Hare with sync feedback only)

A visual representation of the physical buffer plunger position. Two nested rectangles show the buffer housing and plunger — the plunger slides up or down to indicate filament tension:

  • Center position = balanced, healthy tension
  • Shifted up = filament under compression (being pushed)
  • Shifted down = filament under tension (being pulled)
  • Color shifts from green → orange → red as the bias increases

A percentage label shows the exact bias reading (e.g., “+5%”, “−10%”). Swipe between pages using the indicator dots at the bottom.

Tap the Clog Detection widget to open the Buffer Status modal — a detailed read-only view of your filament path health:

Happy Hare printers show:

  • Filament tension description (e.g., “Slight tension”, “Balanced”)
  • Spool motor state
  • Gear sync status
  • Clog detection mode and flow rate
  • Full-size buffer meter visualization

AFC printers show:

  • Advancing/trailing buffer state
  • Distance to fault (in mm)
  • Fault detection status

In Edit Mode, select the Clog Detection widget and tap the gear icon to open the configuration modal:

SettingOptions
Detection SourceAuto (recommended), Encoder, Flowguard, or AFC
Detection ModeAuto or Manual — in Manual mode, a G-code command is sent to the firmware
Detection LengthFilament distance threshold (Manual mode only)
Danger ThresholdOverride the computed danger zone percentage

Auto mode is recommended — HelixScreen automatically selects the best source based on your detected hardware.


The G-code Console widget gives you quick access to a full-featured command console for sending G-code commands directly to Klipper.

Tap the G-code Console widget on the Home Panel. A full-screen console overlay opens with your recent command history.

Sending commands:

  • Type a G-code command in the text field at the bottom (e.g., G28, M114, FIRMWARE_RESTART)
  • Press Enter to send

Navigating history:

  • Press the Up arrow to recall previous commands
  • Press the Down arrow to move forward through history
  • Commands are loaded from Moonraker’s G-code store (up to 200 entries)

Reading output:

  • Commands you sent appear in the scrolling log
  • Klipper responses appear below each command
  • Error messages are highlighted in red
  • Color-coded output from plugins like AFC and Happy Hare is preserved
  • Periodic temperature status messages (T:/B: reports) are filtered out to reduce noise

Scrolling:

  • The console auto-scrolls to the newest entry as responses arrive
  • Scroll up manually to pause auto-scroll and read older output
  • Scroll back to the bottom to resume auto-scrolling

The grid adapts to your screen size:

Screen WidthGrid SizeTotal Cells
480px and below6 columns x 4 rows24
481-700px6 columns x 4 rows24
701px and above8 columns x 5 rows40

When widgets don’t have an explicit position (newly added, or after a reset), HelixScreen places them automatically:

  1. Larger widgets (multi-cell) are placed first to ensure they get contiguous space
  2. Smaller widgets (1x1) fill the remaining gaps
  3. Placement scans from top-left to bottom-right

When you update HelixScreen and new widgets are added:

  • Your existing layout is preserved — nothing moves
  • New widgets are appended with their default enabled/disabled state
  • If a new widget is enabled by default, it auto-places into available grid space
  • If the grid is full, new widgets stay disabled until you make room

If you downgrade and a widget type no longer exists, it’s silently removed from your layout. Upgrading again restores it.


On printers with a toolchanger (IDEX, multi-head, tool-changing systems), the Home Panel displays an active tool badge:

  • Shows the current active tool (e.g., “T0”, “T1”, “T2”)
  • Updates automatically when tools are switched during a print or via macros
  • Color-coded to match the tool’s filament color (if configured via Spoolman or AMS)
  • Only visible on multi-tool printers — single-extruder printers won’t see this

The red Emergency Stop button in the top bar halts all printer motion immediately. By default, a confirmation dialog appears before executing. You can disable the confirmation in Settings > Motion > E-Stop Confirmation.


Tap the LED widget to open the LED Control Overlay — a full control panel for all your printer’s lighting. What you see depends on your hardware.

If you have more than one LED strip configured, a row of chips at the top lets you pick which strip to control. The overlay heading updates to show the selected strip name.

For neopixel, dotstar, and other Klipper-native strips:

  • Color presets: 8 preset swatches — White, Warm White, Orange, Blue, Red, Green, Purple, Cyan
  • Custom color: Tap the custom color button to open an HSV color picker. Pick any color — HelixScreen automatically separates it into a base color and brightness level
  • Brightness slider: Adjust from 0-100%, independent of color selection
  • Color swatch: Shows the actual output color (base color adjusted by current brightness)
  • Turn Off: Stops any active effects and turns off the selected strip

LED Control — strip selector, color presets, brightness slider, effects

For [output_pin] lights (auto-detected by naming convention):

  • PWM pins: Brightness slider from 0-100%
  • Non-PWM pins: Simple on/off toggle
  • Color controls are hidden since output pins don’t support color

If you have the klipper-led_effect plugin installed:

  • Effect cards appear for each available effect, filtered to the currently selected strip
  • The active effect is highlighted with an accent border
  • Stop All Effects button kills all running effects at once
  • Tap any effect card to activate it

For WLED network-connected strips:

  • On/Off toggle to control the strip power
  • Brightness slider from 0-100%
  • Preset buttons for each WLED preset — fetched directly from your WLED device, with the active preset highlighted

Custom macro devices you’ve configured in LED Settings appear with controls matching their type:

  • On/Off devices: Separate “Turn On” and “Turn Off” buttons
  • Toggle devices: A single “Toggle” button
  • Preset devices: Named buttons for each preset action

The Camera widget shows a live view from your webcam. It works with any MJPEG stream configured in Moonraker (crowsnest, camera-streamer, ustreamer, etc.).

  1. Make sure your webcam is working in Mainsail or Fluidd first
  2. Open Edit Mode on the Home Panel (long-press)
  3. Tap + to open the Widget Catalog
  4. Add the Camera widget
  5. Resize to your preferred size (up to 4x3)

Tap the camera feed to open a fullscreen view. Tap again or press back to return.

For the best camera streaming performance on Raspberry Pi, install libturbojpeg0:

Terminal window
sudo apt install libturbojpeg0

This enables SIMD-accelerated JPEG decoding, which is 3-5x faster than the built-in software decoder. HelixScreen detects and uses it automatically — no configuration needed. Without it, the camera still works fine, just with slightly higher CPU usage.

Note: This only applies to Raspberry Pi. The installer attempts to install this package automatically, but if it fails (e.g., offline install), you can add it later with the command above.


Tap the Printer Image widget to open the Printer Manager overlay. This is your central place to view and customize your printer’s identity.

  1. Tap the printer image on the Home Panel to open the Printer Manager
  2. Tap the printer name (shown with a pencil icon) — it becomes an editable text field
  3. Type your new name (e.g., “Workshop Voron”, “Printer #2”)
  4. Press Enter to save, or Escape to cancel

The name defaults to “My Printer” if left empty. It’s saved to your config file and persists across restarts.

Auto-import: If you’ve already named your printer in Mainsail or Fluidd, HelixScreen automatically picks up that name on first connection — no need to re-enter it.

Sync: When you rename your printer in HelixScreen, the new name is automatically pushed to Mainsail and Fluidd so all your interfaces stay in sync.

Tip: You can also set the name directly in the config file under the printer_name key — see Configuration Reference.

  1. Tap the printer image on the Home Panel to open the Printer Manager
  2. Tap the printer image again (marked with a pencil badge) to open the Image Picker
  3. The picker shows a scrollable list on the left and a live preview on the right
  4. Choose from one of three sources:
    • Auto-Detect (default) — HelixScreen selects an image based on your printer type reported by Klipper
    • Shipped Images — Over 25 pre-rendered images covering Voron, Creality, FlashForge, Anycubic, RatRig, FLSUN, and more
    • Custom Images — Your own images (see below)
  5. Tap an image to select it — your choice takes effect immediately

Printer image picker — scrollable list on left, live preview on right

You can use your own printer photo or rendering:

Option A: Copy to the custom images folder

PlatformCustom images directory
MainsailOS (Pi)~/helixscreen/config/custom_images/
AD5M Forge-X/opt/helixscreen/config/custom_images/
AD5M Klipper Mod/root/printer_software/helixscreen/config/custom_images/
K1 Simple AF/usr/data/helixscreen/config/custom_images/

Copy a PNG, JPEG, BMP, or GIF file into the directory, then open the Image Picker — your image appears under the Custom Images section.

Option B: Import from a USB drive

  1. Insert a USB drive containing image files into your printer’s host
  2. Open the Image Picker
  3. A USB Import section appears at the bottom showing images found on the drive
  4. Tap an image to import it — HelixScreen copies and converts it automatically
  5. Once imported, the image appears under Custom Images and the drive can be removed

Image requirements:

  • Formats: PNG, JPEG, BMP, or GIF
  • Maximum file size: 5 MB
  • Maximum dimensions: 2048x2048 pixels (resize before importing if larger)
  • HelixScreen automatically generates optimized display variants

Removing a custom image:

Delete the image files from the custom_images/ directory via SSH:

Terminal window
cd ~/helixscreen/config/custom_images/ # adjust path for your platform
rm my-printer.png my-printer-300.bin my-printer-150.bin

If the deleted image was active, HelixScreen falls back to auto-detect.

Below the identity card, the overlay displays current software versions for Klipper, Moonraker, and HelixScreen, with update indicators when new versions are available.

A row of chips shows detected hardware capabilities: Probe, Bed Mesh, Heated Bed, LEDs, ADXL, QGL, Z-Tilt, and others depending on your Klipper configuration.

Printer Manager — name, image, software versions

Requires beta features to be enabled and at least two printers configured.

When you have multiple printers configured, the Printer Manager overlay shows a Manage Printers button at the bottom. Tap it to open the printer management screen (same as Settings > Printers).

You can also switch printers directly from the navigation bar. When multiple printers are configured, a badge with your printer’s name appears in the nav bar. Tap it to see a quick-switch menu listing all your printers — tap any printer to switch instantly.

  1. Enable beta features if you haven’t already
  2. Go to Settings > Printers (under the Printer section)
  3. Tap Add Printer
  4. The Setup Wizard launches — enter the new printer’s IP address and port, select hardware, and complete the wizard
  5. After the wizard finishes, you’re connected to the new printer

Quick switch (fastest):

  1. Tap the printer name badge in the navigation bar (bottom of screen)
  2. Tap the printer you want to switch to
  3. HelixScreen reconnects and shows a “Connected to [name]” toast

From Settings:

  1. Go to Settings > Printers
  2. Tap the printer you want to switch to
  3. The active printer is marked with a checkmark
  1. Go to Settings > Printers
  2. Tap the trash icon next to the printer you want to remove
  3. Confirm the deletion
  4. You cannot delete the printer you’re currently connected to, and you cannot delete the last remaining printer

Note: Removing a printer only removes it from HelixScreen. It does not affect the printer itself, its Klipper configuration, or Moonraker.


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