Open Makerware and use File > Open to import a .STL file (find one on Thingiverse)
Connect the MakerBot USB cable to the PC
Translate or rotate the part to fit it within the work area
Double click the Options button to select the type of filament for each piece of the model
Press 'Make' at the top once you are satisfied to open the final options screen
Select "Make It Now" and choose "The Replicator 2X" for the printer type
Choose any resolution (usually Standard) and set raft to Color-Matched
For best results, select a fill of 30% or less. Too much fill may cause warping or make a part brittle. Too little reduce a part's weight-bearing capability.
Set [outer] shells to 2 and layer height to 0.20.
Set extruder temperature to 230 degrees C and the plate temperature to 120 degrees C to resist warping of the raft.
Leave extrusion speed at 90mm/s and travel speed at 150mm/s.
Click 'Make It!' and sit back while the printer heats up and prints the part. The whole process may take several hours. Smaller parts complete within an hour.
Do not EVER touch the print bed or nozzles with your skin! They are heated to over 100 degrees and 200 degrees Celsius and may cause severe burns.
Troubleshooting
Help! The part is warping!
The cooler the air in the enclosure, the more quickly the part will cool, increasing chance of warping. Pre-heating can alleviate this.
Make sure that the printing nozzles are calibrated using the Utilities > Calibrate Nozzles
Make sure that the bed is level using Utilities > Level Bed
Try translating the part to a cleaner or more level area on the work bed
When the first layer of polymer goes down, the nozzle should be just barely above the bed surface so that this layer sticks well
Print with the nozzles at 230 degrees C and the bed at 120 degrees C. Hotter nozzles assist with polymer flow while a hotter bed ensures that the part sticks better.
If the part continues to bend off of the bed while it cools during the printing process, a glue stick may be used. Warning: this may damage the film, which is quite expensive.
Help! The part won't stick to the build plate!
The extruder heads are most likely too far from the build plate, or the build plate isn't level. It is also possible that the film on the buildplate is not smooth on a portion of the plate.
Make sure that the nozzles are calibrated using the Utilities > Calibrate Nozzles
Make sure that the bed is level using Utilities > Level Bed
Try translating the part to a different part of the build plate, where the film is more smooth.
Help! My computer won't connect to the printer!
This is usually an issue with a portion of the software that handles printer connection.
On MakerWare, go to Services > Restart Background Services