Turn on machine: large switch, right side of cabinet

Confirm blower is running: ducting will obviously be moving air

Turn on computer: if it isn't already

Wait ~10s before opening Lightburn: a background process needs to configure the laser first

Open Lightburn, wait for homing cycle: the machine will automatically “home” itself i.e. confirm the position of each axis by driving motors to reach endstop sensors

Pick a coordinate system: you probably want to use absolute coordinates. See the official docs

Cut selected graphics (or not): sometimes it's helpful to enable “cut selected graphics” in Lightburn, sometimes not. Best to double check if it's enabled before a surprise either way.

Focus laser to workpiece: use the move tab in Lightburn with the plastic focusing puck or macros from the console tab to jog to the right height for common material thicknesses

Test power/speed: Pick some starting values by cutting a material test pattern or referencing one from the small box on top of the machine.

Align design to workpiece: make sure everything fits as expected in x/y axes using Lightburn's frame button