Positioning & Coordinates
Place jobs accurately with origins, coordinate modes, framing, selection controls and repeatable jigs in LightBurn.
Precision layout with Snapping, Guidelines and Measure
Choose visual snapping or numeric dimensions deliberately, recognize the active snap point and prove alignment before output.
Print and Cut: a repeatable registration workflow
Align a LightBurn project to two physical target marks for printed contours, restarted jobs and work larger than the laser bed.
Tool Layers for jigs, positioning and material-saving layouts
Use T1/T2 geometry as non-output construction guides, then verify how it affects framing and origin before running the job.
Framing Modes: Bounding Box vs Shape Outline
Framing is a physical placement check; different frame modes trace different boundaries and can reveal different placement problems.
G54–G59 and G92: Work Coordinate Offsets
Work coordinate systems and G92 can shift commanded coordinates without changing physical machine zero; this matters when reading Console output or custom G-code.
The 9-Dot Job Origin Control
In Current Position and User Origin workflows, the 9-dot control tells LightBurn which point of the job is tied to the current/user reference position.
GRBL Negative Workspace and Workspace Offsets
Some GRBL machines home at max travel and use negative machine coordinates across the bed; LightBurn must be configured consistently with that machine coordinate model.
Machine Origin vs Home Position
Machine origin is the controller coordinate reference; the physical homing location may be a corner that establishes that reference but is not necessarily the same concept.
Set Start Point and Path Direction for Vector Cuts
Control where a vector path begins and which direction it follows, while understanding that optimization rules can still change final execution order.
Cut Selected Graphics and Selection Origin: Run Only What You Intend
Use selection-based output for controlled partial jobs while avoiding the common mistake of sending an unintended subset or positioning it from the wrong reference.
Move Window: Jogging, Set Origin, Finish Position and Fire
Use the Move Window deliberately for positioning and understand which controls move the machine, store an origin or activate low-power laser output.
User Origin: A Repeatable Custom Reference Point
Set a reusable origin on supported machines so jobs can return to a known material or jig reference even after jogging elsewhere.
Current Position: Start a Job Relative to Where the Laser Is Now
Use the laser head's current physical location as a temporary reference point and understand how Job Origin changes the direction of placement.
Absolute Coordinates: Make the Screen Match the Laser Bed
Use LightBurn's most direct positioning model, where a design's Workspace location corresponds to the same location in the machine work area.
Frame Before You Fire: Check Placement Before the Job Starts
Use Bounding Box and Rubber Band framing to confirm the physical output area before committing material.
Start From and Job Origin: Put the Job Where You Expect
A plain-language guide to Absolute Coordinates, Current Position, User Origin and the Job Origin control.