3D printing of polysaccharide solutions is widely recognized as a highly promising method in the biomedical field for achieving complex customized shapes. One of the main challenges is in selecting conditions, in particular, the rheological properties of the system, to retain the printed shape. For the first time, the direct ink writing (DIW) is successfully applied to neat carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) solutions without any additives or crosslinking, only by adjusting solutions' rheological properties. The influence of CMC molecular weight, degree of substitution and polymer concentration on solutions' viscoelastic properties is investigated. Extrusion velocity at various pressures and pressure calibration curves are determined to optimize printing parameters. Lightweight and nanostructured materials, aerogels, are then made from the printed structures through drying with supercritical CO