How to Pipette Like a Pro: 7 Tips for Accurate Results

Pipetting looks simple. Draw up liquid, dispense it, move on. But small habits at the bench add up to real differences in pipetting accuracy, and those differences show up in your results. We put together this guide, alongside our ErgoOne® pipetting video, to walk through seven tips that make a genuine difference to how you pipette, whatever pipette you're using.

1. Match the pipette tip to your sample volume

If you're dispensing a 20 microlitre sample and it looks lost inside the tip, that's a sign your setup isn't working in your favour. A small sample in a large tip leaves too much dead air space, and that hurts accuracy.

Always choose a tip with a maximum volume close to the actual volume you're pipetting. Less dead air space means more reliable results. This is easier to get right when your pipette and tip are designed to work together, which is exactly why we build ErgoOne® pipettes and TipOne® tips as one system rather than two separate products.

2. Set your bench up to suit you

Straining to reach your rack or squinting to see what you're doing pulls focus away from the job. Sit comfortably, keep your elbows close to your body, and try to keep your hand no higher than your shoulder. This reduces strain on your shoulder and neck over a long pipetting session.

Your thumb does the work twice on every pipetting cycle, so a pipette with a light spring and low pipetting force saves it from unnecessary fatigue, which is one of the reasons ErgoOne® was designed around low actuation force in the first place. Get your workspace organised, get comfortable, and the accuracy tends to follow.

3. Don't force a tip on

If you're having to push hard to get a tip to fit, something isn't right. It could mean the tip cone on your pipette is damaged and needs attention.

If using high-quality tips with a well-maintained pipette, a gentle push should be enough to get a secure fit. If you're having to force it, stop and check the pipette rather than pushing through. Regular pipette calibration and servicing (UKAS-accredited available through Starlab) catches this kind of wear before it affects your data.

4. Pre-wet your pipette tips

A dry tip can skew both the accuracy and precision of your results. Pre-wetting saturates the dead air space inside the tip and tip cone, which reduces evaporation once you start dispensing your sample.

Aspirate and slowly release the plunger a few times before you take your real sample. Three to five repeats is enough to make a difference, and it costs you seconds, not minutes.

5. Mind your angle and immersion depth

Two things affect how accurately you draw up a sample: the angle you hold the pipette, and how deep the tip sits in the liquid.

Hold the pipette vertically. Angling it can pull in more liquid than intended. Immerse the tip deep enough that you don't draw in air and let the tip fill fully before lifting it out of the sample.

6. Keep the temperature stable

The air inside a pipette's tip cone expands or contracts with temperature. A sample that's much colder than the tip can lead to over-aspiration, and one that's much hotter can lead to under-aspiration.

Hold the pipette lightly and avoid touching the tip cone, since even the warmth of your hand can change the air temperature inside it. The closer the pipette, tip, and sample are in temperature, the more accurate your result.

7. Use reverse pipetting for tricky samples

Viscous, foamy, or volatile samples behave better in reverse pipetting mode. Worth knowing: a pipette calibrated for forward mode but used in reverse can carry up to 3% error, so if reverse pipetting is part of your routine, make sure your pipette has been calibrated for it specifically.

How to reverse pipette

Hold the tip vertically and press the plunger to the second stop.
Immerse the tip and let the plunger return slowly to the rest position, then wait a second before removing the tip. This over-aspirates the selected volume.
Angle the tip at 20–45° against the vessel wall and press the plunger to the first stop, dispensing the correct volume while some sample stays behind in the tip.
Let the plunger return to the rest position before ejecting the tip.

Common pipetting questions

Why is my pipetting inaccurate?

The most common causes are a mismatched tip size, a dry tip that hasn't been pre-wet, an inconsistent angle or immersion depth, or a pipette that's overdue for calibration.

How often should I pre-wet a pipette tip?

Three to five times before taking your real sample, more if you're working with a volatile or viscous liquid.

When should I use reverse pipetting instead of forward pipetting?

Use reverse mode for viscous, foamy, or volatile samples, where forward pipetting tends to leave bubbles or lose volume. Make sure your pipette is calibrated for reverse mode if you do this regularly.

How do I know if my pipette needs calibrating?

If tips are hard to fit, results have started drifting, or it's been longer than your lab's calibration interval, it's worth booking a check. Starlab runs UKAS-accredited calibration for pipettes of any brand, on-site or by mail-in.

The takeaway

None of these tips require new equipment, just attention to the small things: the right tip for the volume, a comfortable setup, gentle handling, pre-wetting, angle and depth, temperature, and the right mode for the sample. Get those right consistently, and your pipetting accuracy takes care of itself.

If your current pipette is due a service, or you're ready to switch to a system built around getting these details right by default, take a look at our ErgoOne® pipette range and TipOne® tips, or book a pipette calibration with our UKAS-accredited lab.