6. What should be the first print?
The idea of the first print is to know if there are any tweaks or calibration to be done on the hardware assembly. Probably the most important aspect here is the bed leveling.
The first lesson that I learned was it is not easy to do the bed leveling until you get a hang of it. Clearly there is no defined tangible action that you can perform repeatedly. It is more about trial and error, figuring out the correct resistance when you slide a paper between the nozzle and the bed.
Let me quote a comment from Creality Users Official Group on Facebook.
“ Until you feel a little resistance from the nozzle snagging the paper. Can you move paper freely? too far. Can’t move the paper at all? too close. Just a little drag.”
At first, I started with an A4sheet paper, then a sticky note, then I folded the sticky note and finally got the correct result using a different A4 paper. The thickness of the A4 size sheet is 0.1 mm. The expected gap between the nozzle and bed is 0.2 mm.
If this step makes you frustrated, that's perfectly normal. You are on the right path.
My first test print was the XYZ calibration cube that I downloaded from Thingiverse as suggested in this video of the TeachTech channel.
Few things I learned from it is that I should have bought an electronic caliper, there is warping at the bottom side that points to poor adhesion on the glass hotbed.
When I tried another test cube, I applied glue and it came out perfectly.
Below are a few videos that helped me learn bed leveling:
