1st Layer

This is all new to me, using Cura 3.2.1, when the 1st layer is finished printing I can read the logo on the bet mat through the 1st layer. That would indicate to me that the ribbons of filament are not touching. Is this correct?

Slicer: Cura 3.2.1
PowerSpec Wahao Duplicator i3D Plus

depends how thick the first layer is and what filament you used.
But generally first layers - being really thin - are somewhat transparent.

1st layer line width is 0.4 +125%
filament: 1.75mm
Color: black
Inital layer height: 0.3

so yeah, you should be able to see through the first layer.

Don't understand the line width. so is it set for 0.5 ? or 0.9 ?

And did you actually measure the extruded filament diameter - or just guess ? :-)

Line width ends up being .5

I measure it but I didn't not take all the measurements and average them. As I remember the measurement ranged from 1.75 to 1.76 taken along 2 meters and at 90 degree angles

that's fine - I have never bothered measuring actual filament diameter.

It's one for those things that harks back a few years. Even the real cheap modern filament is dimensionally accurate.

You do need to know extruded filament diameter - as that's used by the slicer to calculate just about everything else.

I have never thought about measuring the extruded filament. That is a good idea.