First off, thank you for the response and offering insight.
To give a bit more detail... I originally had set up a Custom Printer Profile in Cura, with the correct dimensions for the Minibot's bed (75 x 70 x 70mm). I made sure the material settings were for 1.75mm PLA.
The included designs (a bunch of vases, a hedgehog, a fish cup, etc.) print quite well but when I tried to generate my own gCode files it seems the nozzle height is incorrect - it's up off the bed slightly - I level before each attempt at printing. Print temp (200° C) is right but the results were not good.
It had occurred to me that if I have existing gCode files that work, I could possibly translate those into a makeshift printer profile. I will study, as you suggested, and see if I can gain understanding.
I ran through the included 200g of filament in 2.5 days so I'm currently waiting on more to be delivered, which gives me a few days to troubleshoot.