Four dimensional (4D) printing is a process that consists of the additive manufacturing of smart materials. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a thermosensitive shape memory polymer that can shift shape when heated above its glass transition temperature and that is commonly used in Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). Once filled with carbon black (CB) particles, CB/PLA can be 3D printed and electrically heated by Joule effect, giving the possibility of remotely electrically triggered structures. However, this material raises multiple questions, such as its electro-thermo-mechanical coupling. In this study, CB/PLA samples undergo monotonic tensile loading to better understand the influence of the printing direction on the electro-mechanical properties of three dimensional (3D) printed samples. In addition, the resistivity of the samples is measured throughout the tensile tests. Results show that the printing direction highly influences the mechanical and electrical properties, highlighting the superior properties of the 0° samples. The conclusions drawn by this study underline the interest in using the longitudinal and unidirectional printing direction to improve the conductive path within the samples, therefore leading to the manufacturing of a hinge able to recover more than 90% of its initial shape.