For PLA, printing cooler and slower usually helps for me on our UM2. Also, I use ribs on top of my supports (=0.5mm wide ribs with 1mm horizontal gaps in-between, for a 0.4mm nozzle): these make removal easier, but still give good underside quality. Most of the time I use a vertical gap of 0.2mm to 0.3mm between support and overhanging part.
And I provide all sorts of methods to make support removal easier: gaps to wiggle supports loose, holes to insert pliers or hooks to pull out the supports, protruding areas where I can push with my fingers, etc...When designing the support, I calculate all this in from the beginning.
For a few examples, see below. Some are parts of real designs, some are test pieces to try what worked best.
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gr5 2,224
I don't have much of an answer sorry because I rarely use supports.
However for PLA you should see no difference in stregth if the knex part is sticking straight up versus sticking horizontally. PLA does a very good job of thoroughly melting the layer below and has excellent bonding. This *should* be true for other materials but you have to do a few tricks (like lower fan speed).
When my ABS parts break they tend to break along layer lines. When my PLA parts break they don't.
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