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Creating Printed Circuit Boards with a INKJET Printer
by ArduinoFun on October 29, 2009
Table of Contents

License: Attribution Share Alike (by-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Intro: Creating Printed Circuit Boards with a INKJET Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1: Equipment and Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 2: Designing Your PCB Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 3: Prepare Your PCB Transparency for the Solder Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 4: Prepare Your Component Footprints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 5: Exposing Your PCB to Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 6: Developing Your PCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 7: Etch Your PCB Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 8: Applying Graphics to Your PCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
License: Attribution Share Alike (by-sa)

Intro: Creating Printed Circuit Boards with a INKJET Printer

When I first started looking into how to etch my own printed circuit boards, every Instructable and tutorial I found used a laser printer and ironed on the pattern in some
sort of fashion. I don't own a laser printer but I do have an inexpensive inkjet printer.

This Instructable will show you how to use your inkjet printer to etch your own printed circuit boards, as well as be able to display a printed component footprint on the top
side of the board giving you a professional looking design.

CAUTION:

For this instructable you will be working with chemicals and power tools. Please wear appropriate protective wear. i.e. goggles, latex gloves, etc.
The chemicals used in this instructable will stain clothes and your skin.
DO NOT pour chemicals down your drain. Properly dispose of chemicals according to your local waste management.
Chemicals used in this instructable will eat metal. i.e. your copper plumbing pipes, metal sink, etc.

Why would you want to etch your own printed circuit board from home? For one it can be cheaper than sending your boards out to a fabrication company. The
second reason is if you are planning to send your boards out to have them professionally done, by printing a few prototypes at home to test first will save you money!
Nothing like getting your boards back in the mail to find out you had something wrong with your design!

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Example of two boards that were etched from home. Lower board does not 1. Component side of PCB with footprints added for easy identification of
have any component labeling. Smaller board does. This is a project for one of my parts.
classes.

Image Notes
1. Copper side of PCB for soldering components onto

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
step 1: Equipment and Materials
REMINDER: DO NOT use anything metal that will be in contact with the chemicals. You want plastic, plastic, plastic...

Tools:

Dremel
Various sizes of drill bits

Chemicals:

Nail Polish Remover

Copper Etchant - available at Radioshack.
Positive Photo Resist Developer - available at various online stores. I purchased from Parts-Express.

Hardware:

Daylight fluorescent bulb - available at any Lowe's

(Optional) Crock pots - I picked up two small crock pots at a thrift store for $2.00
Clear sheet of Acrylic around 8x10 in size
Start/Stop Timer (picked on up at the 99 cent store)
Plastic containers. Large enough to hold the size of your circuit board. I found some plastic paint trays at Lowe's for $1.00 each

PCB Items

Presensitized PCB board - I purchased from Parts-Express (they have various sizes, and even double sided versions)
3M transparency film for Ink Jet Printers (this is a key component, the surface is textured, otherwise your ink would run off the sheet)
Grafix Rub-onz sheets - I purchased from Hobby Lobby

Image Notes
1. Various size drill bits
2. Dremel and press
3. Crockpot
4. Copper Etchant
5. Positive Acting Developer
6. Nail polish remover
7. Plastic containers
8. plastic measuring cups
9. Sheet of Acrylic to hold your design
10. Daylight fluorescent lamp

step 2: Designing Your PCB Files

For my project, I used Eagle Cad for my schematic and PCB design. Eagle Cad has a freeware version for hobby users that has board size limitations. I never making
anything over 4" x 3" inches so it fit my needs. There is other PCB design software that you can download by searching Google.

Once your design is finished you need to print it out to size. Since this is the bottom side of the PCB, make sure you do a mirror print.

If you are using Eagle Cad, I have attached a zip file containing the CAM print job that will print your files out for you. It will make two .PS files one for the solder side, one
for the component side and will also make your solder side mirrored. Once you have those files, you double click on them and it will make two PDF files that can be
printed.

TIP for APPLY TEXT and Graphics

If you want to include any text on the copper side or a silhouette of an image the best way I have found is to open the .PS file in a graphics program like Adobe
Photoshop. Keep the resolution of 300 dpi. You can then added textual or graphic elements to the design and they will come out crisp. You won't need to reverse the text
either since the copper traces, etc. are already mirrored.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
 Image Notes
1. Example of text and graphics added to PCB through Photoshop. Circuit is still
mirrored.

Image Notes
1. Example PCB file

Image Notes
1. Actual printed circuit board with graphics and text

File Downloads

home_camprint.zip (690 bytes)

[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'home_camprint.zip']

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
step 3: Prepare Your PCB Transparency for the Solder Side
The presensitized PCB board that I used was 4" x 6". My actual circuit is roughly 1.25" x 1.75" so I was able to get a total of 8 boards from one presensitized board.

In Photoshop, I opened up the solder side .PS file and the copied my single circuit design to a new 300 dpi 4" x 6" file. I then laid out a grid, and just copied and pasted
the design over and over to fill in the grid. This gave me a nice even layout to print.

TIPs:

If you don't have Photoshop. GIMP is a nice open source alternative!

In order to make sure I tape down the design the correct way, I always add a label to the top in normal view to the mirrored image. This way I know that the
mirrored side is facing upwards. I usually just title what the circuit is.

To print. Take the textured 3M transparency sheet and load it into your printer with the white strip going into the feeder. When printed, let it sit for a minute or two to be
sure the ink has dried. Then tape it to the underside of the acrylic sheet.

Image Notes
1. printed transparency taped to under side of acrylic sheet.
2. Text helps to make sure design is facing the proper direction.

step 4: Prepare Your Component Footprints

With this step you are going to use the Grafix Rub-onz sheets. This time, I opened the component .PS file in Photoshop but created a 8.5" x 11" image at 300 dpi. I then
created another grid and pasted the component footprint layout onto the sheet over and over again. The extra space down the side I placed some small copies of my blog
logo.

When you print, make sure you mirror this image as well. The reason this image gets mirrored is because you will turn the sheet over, and then rub the bottom side
to transfer the image to the top side of your PCB.

Follow the manufacturers directions that come with the Grafix Rub-onz sheets.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
step 5: Exposing Your PCB to Light
The presensitized PCB boards have photo-resist coated on them. The way the process works is everything that you have as black on your design will remain as copper.
The areas that are clear, will be removed by the developer and be left with bare board.

The boards come in a foil wrapping, with a peel of white protective cover over the photo side. It's not necessary but I usually dim the lights a little bit just to be on the safe
side while I am lining up my design onto the board.

Once you are satisfied with how the design is laid out on the PCB board, you can then turn on the natural daylight lamp. I have found that 14 minutes seems to be perfect
timing for exposure with the lamp being 5 1/2 " away. If your lamp is closer or further away you will have to experiment with timing. The manufacturer recommends 10
minutes.

Image Notes
1. Natural daylight lamp
2. Presensitive PCB Board with design and acrylic over top.
3. Timer

step 6: Developing Your PCB

Once you have exposed your PCB to the light source you will want to quickly add it to the developer. The board will still have a green color to it, but you will notice a faint
yellow color showing your design.

To develop the board: place 1 part developer to 10 parts warm water in a plastic container. Gently rock the container back and forth. Everything that was exposed to
light will now wash away leaving you with a copper board and your design on it. Rinse in cold water to stop the developing process.

TIPs:

Use hot tap water, just hot enough that you can touch it and not get burnt. About the temperature you would want to wash your hands with. If its too hot, the entire
design will wash away leaving you with a blank piece of copper board. If too cold, the developing process won't work.
Add the developer to the water before putting your design in. If you pour the developer directly on top of the board, it will immediately wash away
anything it touched.
After developing, if you find any areas where your traces show cracks or areas that seem to light, you can take a black permanent marker and touch up those
areas.

Image Notes Image Notes

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
 1. Developed PCB board 1. Developer poured directly onto design. Not good :(

step 7: Etch Your PCB Board

Now that you have your developed PCB you are going to use the etchant solution to remove the copper. Everything that green (or black) on your design will be protected
from the copper etchant. The exposed copper areas will be removed.

I used my Dremel and a router bit to cut out the 8 circuit boards off my 4"x6" panel. Next you will want to pour the copper etchant into a PLASTIC container and then
gently rock it back and forth until all the exposed copper has been removed.

TIP: This is where the crock pots come in handy. If you use the etchant at room temperature it will take some time to fully remove all the copper. However, if you heat the
etchant up, the process is a LOT quicker.

If you use the crock pot method, make sure you have good ventilation. This stuff smells bad heated, and don't inhale the fumes when you lift the lid of the crock pot!

Make sure you wear latex gloves and old clothes. The etchant will stain your clothes no matter how careful you think you will be.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. PCB ready to be etched. Exposed copper areas will be removed. The sections 1. Finished etched board
covered with the green color will remain as copper when the process is completed.

Image Notes
1. Dremel used to cut out circuit boards, as well as drill holes for component
placement.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
step 8: Applying Graphics to Your PCB
Once your PCB is completely etched wash it with a little soap and water and then drill out your holes for component placement.

Now comes the tricky part. Cut out one of the Component side graphics that you made earlier. You will place this inkside down on the top section of your PCB. (Make
sure both are going the same direction, in my photo they are not. I did line them up correctly but when I took the photo I was holding the rub-onz wrong).

The Grafix Rub-onz are on a light colored material. To make things easier to line up, I used a small light board and laid the PCB down on it. Then when I had the rub-onz
close to the PCB I could see through it which enabled me to line up the holes.

TIP: If you don't have a lightboard... you can take a cardboard box, cut out the bottom, place a piece of plexiglass on top, and a lamp underneath it.

Once you have the rub-on in place, take a Popsicle stick and start rubbing firmly over the back. Peel off paper and your footprint design will be transferred to your PCB.

You are now finished!

You could also use a hobby screen printing kit for this process, but that is a whole other Instructable.

Image Notes
1. Graphics rub-onz, PCB and lightboard.

Related Instructables

Design a PCB (Mostly) easy

Cheap and Easy Two sided PCB using a etch PCB
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How To Make A How to make a ferric chloride.
for PCB Making method by guerroloco
PCB by printed circuit by cliffyd
by hilarycheng jmengel
PARKOUR123 board (PCB)
using the UV
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method. by
JoeyJunior

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Comments
49 comments Add Comment

jackdi says: Sep 30, 2010. 9:23 AM REPLY

Great & innovative ideas! Thanks.

- Jack -

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
 Foxau2 says: Apr 5, 2010. 8:45 PM REPLY
When you use the rub onz film, does it apply a continuous film across the entire surface? Or does it only apply exactly what you printed? My question is just,
could I use these rub onz sheets to create my first circuit layout so i don't have to use the photochemical process, instead using this to do something similar
to using a laser printer with photo paper that you iron the design on?

planet sutcliffe says: Jan 31, 2010. 2:48 PM REPLY

Yes very good, I will try this at some point, still veroboarding for the time being; nice to know I can use the inkjet in the future though. Thanks!

Shadyman says: Jan 30, 2010. 2:08 PM REPLY

+1 Ingenuity!

Shadyman says: Jan 30, 2010. 2:07 PM REPLY

So THAT's what that stand thing is for! Epic. Thanks!

PyromaniacDaniel says: Nov 13, 2009. 10:07 PM REPLY

I have a printer designed to print on CDs. the CD goes in this tray thing and then it passes through the machine. I wonder if there is a way to sub the tray for
a PCB board and print directly on it and if that would be enough to keep it from etching? I don't know how well it would like printing on metal but who knows
might work.

PyromaniacDaniel says: Nov 13, 2009. 10:20 PM REPLY

HA! what do ya know someone else already came up with it. And its the exact same printer I have.

hackaday.com/2009/09/02/direct-to-pcb-inkjet-printing/

als_liahona says: Nov 11, 2009. 11:17 AM REPLY

What do you use on the dremel for cutting the boards?
Do you drill the holes prior to etching?
Thanks!

ArduinoFun says: Nov 11, 2009. 12:41 PM REPLY

I use a router bit that they sell for dremels to cut the boards with and then a sanding stone to smooth off the edges. I recently picked up a scroll saw for
dirt cheap at a new uses store, and today I cut some boards with it. Works great. You can drill the holes prior or after etching. I have done it both ways.

als_liahona says: Nov 12, 2009. 11:16 PM REPLY

Thanks much! I tried using my scroll saw on a board and while it worked, the friction nearly caught the board on fire. I'll try a dremel router bit.

technicaldude says: Nov 5, 2009. 11:57 AM REPLY

Hi, would you specify the wattage of your bulb please? Thanks.

ArduinoFun says: Nov 5, 2009. 1:47 PM REPLY

It is a 15W bulb.

technicaldude says: Nov 12, 2009. 10:26 AM REPLY

Thanks a lot!

brunoxyz says: Nov 6, 2009. 8:00 AM REPLY

awesome tutorial, it really makes me want to build a circuit board for something..... too bad I don't know much about electronic circuits.

johnpombrio says: Oct 31, 2009. 7:00 PM REPLY

Well, the traces are there anyways. I would assume that some drilling would be necessary at some point to actually use the PCB! As drilling usually causes
some lifting of material as the drill bit removes the debris, I wonder how much chance the pad would lift or break. For one of's, this looks like too much work.
Breadboarding or wire wrap sounds more reasonable.

stoobers says: Nov 5, 2009. 10:29 AM REPLY

Believe it or not, you can skip drilling the holes!

Instead of little circles, make little square pads with no holes. Then, snip the legs off some component sockets and solder the sockets to the pads.

After the sockets are tested for conductivity, insert the chips into them. LEDs and capacitors can be soldered directly to the little square pads.

I use the sockets because sometimes I mess up and melt things. Sockets are usually cheaper than the chips. You can make double sided boards this
http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
 way, and connect the two sides with a little hoop of wire, if needed.

The only problem doing it this way, is the glue under the pad can overheat the the trace can lift off the board surface.

I am trying to find some way to use a conductive glue, so I can skip the soldering phase, as it is hot and stinky. I'm not sure if there is a SMD glue or not.

ArduinoFun says: Nov 5, 2009. 2:07 PM REPLY

Good tip! I have done a few times. My binary clock I did that as well on the second version. I used surface mount parts, but on stuff that wasn't
surface mount I still just soldered to the pads. The chip sockets I just bent the leads out and soldered it to the board so that I can always upgrade the
chip if I wanted to later on.

Herbie says: Nov 5, 2009. 6:08 AM REPLY

The trick for successful drilling of vias (the through-holes for component parts) is to use the correct carbide "bits" and to use high RPMs.

The correct bit isn't really a "drill", it isn't the regular fluted drill bit, it looks more like a router bit (but very small). The flutes on a regular bit are what "pull
up" on the material and might lift the pads. The router bits aren't as efficient as moving the debris, but they don't lift pads either! I got a graduated set of
bits from my local electronics place for $10 or so.

These bits also require high RPMs. Much faster than my drill press can spin. Fortunately the size of the shank matches perfectly to a Dremel tool. The
first few boards I etched were drilled "by hand" just holding the dremel, but I purchased the dremel "drill press" holder since I was doing enough boards to
justify the expense.

johnpombrio says: Nov 5, 2009. 10:57 AM REPLY

Good solution Herbie! I know the kind of bits you are talking about and makes good sense. Thanks!

ArduinoFun says: Oct 31, 2009. 7:43 PM REPLY

Yes, you need to drill out your holes. I will have to add that in to the step.

Its not too bad actually as far as time concerns. It took me longer to write the tutorial than to actually make a board. I put the attached board together
today, and it turned out nice.

Zybeon says: Nov 5, 2009. 10:57 AM REPLY

I don't use the copper etchant from R-shack anymore. You can make your own etchant much cheaper using two items. Using one part muriatic acid and two
parts peroxide. There is an instructable on how to make it in here somewhere. It takes a bit to maintain the solution but with a little care and practically no
money, it can be used almost indefinitely.

ArduinoFun says: Nov 5, 2009. 11:20 AM REPLY

I am going to have to look into that. Sounds great!

kea says: Nov 5, 2009. 9:57 AM REPLY

Hi, Folks I use A commercial program lite version PCB3 from England.
I pint the circuit with a laser printer & use Kinsten Positive acting presnsitised board. Exposure by light box useing compact UV flouro tubes for 10 minutes
on a 4 by 4 board. I am in the process of building another light box which will be shallower & have 2 tubes. Etching upuntill this time I have used Ammonium
Persulphate which is slow & has to be heated. This method I have found to be 100% reliable unlike the iron which does not take completely at times.
I also intend to try Hydrogen Peroxide with Hydrochloric acid or solder flux easy to get. This I think was picked up from Instuctables.
Cheers guys Kiwi John

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
 mikej_w says: Nov 5, 2009. 7:51 AM REPLY
Just a couple of notes:

you have the holes showing on your resist pattern, which is vital to get the drill to center.

Usually you would drill a couple of registration holes on the board before exposing the first side, so that the other side can be placed correctly afterward. I
didn't see how you did that, but you must have because you had good results :)

eli2k says: Oct 30, 2009. 10:15 PM REPLY

Thank you for writing up the tutorial! I'm unfamiliar with PCB boards in general, but on the third image in step 2, it looks like most of the board is copper (like
the area where you placed the graphics in)? I thought the traces would only be connected to the holes where you place components in. It looks like it would
be easy for solder to end up on there and cause short-circuits? Unless I have it all backwards somewhere.

ArduinoFun says: Oct 31, 2009. 4:02 AM REPLY

That's the ground plane. The solder doesn't stick to the bare board, so it doesn't travel across and stick to the other side as easily. It is possible and can
happen which is called a solder bridge. Its not as tight as it may look in the photo due to the photo not being a close up.

You can remove all the copper and just leave the traces going from component to component. It all depends on the person. I like to etch less copper
away so I don't have to use up a lot of the chemical.

Likewise, when you design your PCB you could make the area between the traces wider and then you would still etch less copper.

jlew says: Nov 5, 2009. 6:37 AM REPLY

You would want to connect your ground plane to the ground of the circuit. Otherwise it is floating isolated from the circuit. Very nice looking boards!

eli2k says: Oct 31, 2009. 10:01 PM REPLY

Ah, I see. Thanks for the explanation, that makes sense because on kits and PCB boards with the holes already in them, the solder stays inside the
metal pad and making a solder bridge between two of them is pretty hard without a wire.

Can you reuse the chemical, ie store it between uses, or you have to use it during that day?

ArduinoFun says: Oct 31, 2009. 10:37 PM REPLY

You can use them several times over. I store them in a container and then once I notice that it is starting to take a long time to complete the
process I know its time to change them out.

mad_mat says: Nov 1, 2009. 3:09 PM REPLY

Awesome 'ible ArduinoFun, nice work.
Just to clarify for eli2k; its best to store used ectchant separately, dont put it back in the bottle with your new stuff.
And just adding a bit more new etchant to used etchant doesn't really make it work faster, it just makes more used etchant ;-)

Cheers

ArduinoFun says: Nov 2, 2009. 1:26 AM REPLY

Good point!

TopJimmy says: Nov 5, 2009. 5:00 AM REPLY

Good article.

I have been looking for a method for using an inkjet instead of laser.

I saw that J-Tron had a sale of PCB chemicals last week.

www.j-tron.com

Will have to give this a try and see how it works out.

Thanks & Best Regards,

Nerdz says: Oct 29, 2009. 10:49 AM REPLY

Grafix Rub-onz? Ive never heard of that, and your silkscreen looks A LOT better than how I do it. Can you use different colors other than black for the
Silkscreen? If So, that would be sweet!.

ArduinoFun says: Oct 29, 2009. 11:31 AM REPLY

Yeah you can use any color, print full color images even.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
 _Vyper says: Nov 2, 2009. 9:55 PM REPLY
Yeah the possibilities...

Think things like:

- Resistor coding right right on the board
- LED colors for correct placement
- Warning logos near "High Voltage" or otherwise "Dangerous" components
- Your mugshot/logo/signature
- Tons more than I can think of right now

16zzundel5 says: Oct 31, 2009. 6:24 PM REPLY

Couldn't you just use the Rub-Onz for transfering the image?

ArduinoFun says: Nov 2, 2009. 1:30 AM REPLY

I wouldn't recommend it, because after you add the board to the etching solution I think it wold make a mess and it wouldn't properly etch because they
cover the entire surface.

achollowell says: Oct 30, 2009. 6:00 PM REPLY

very interesting I was wondering how to do this at home

gmoon says: Oct 29, 2009. 11:27 AM REPLY

Nice--I do this all the time. Presensitized PCB boards win every time over iron-on photopaper transfers.

Normally I sandwich two inkjet transparencies together to get enough density. If you align them well, it doesn't effect the process.

One thing I don't understand--what's the Rub-onz used for?

ian says: Oct 30, 2009. 2:50 AM REPLY

Try 'high quality black' mode on your printer. I had to use two layers until I started using a mix of ink colors, they seem to have much better resistance.
I've done some tests using single color strips on the same PCB, but noting comes close to using a mix of colors.

There's an ink refill place nearby, I've always wanted to ask them to fill all the tanks in my old carts with a photo quality/UV resistant ink.

ArduinoFun says: Oct 29, 2009. 11:34 AM REPLY

I use the Rub-onz to make the silkscreen of the components.

gmoon says: Oct 29, 2009. 12:06 PM REPLY

Oh, "silkscreen"-- I get it.

That's a very clever way to add component graphics. Well done.

ian says: Oct 30, 2009. 2:45 AM REPLY

Great description. This is exactly how I do it. Here's some tips I didn't see (maybe I missed them):

I find that printing with 'high quality black' mode, something that mixes all the inkjet colors, gives the best UV resistance. I have to double up like gmoon if I
just use black ink alone.

Put the ink side directly against the PCB for the best exposure. It lessens shadows and light creep through the plastic. With this, print the top mirrored and
the bottom normally.

I use a home tanning lamp directly over the PCB, with everything justified in a picture frame. Exposure time is only 90 seconds with this method.

I print to PDF and then edit in Illustrator so I can position a single tile anywhere on a sheet. I can make 4-5 designs from a single inkjet transparency if I'm
careful about cutting.

Didn't know about the warm developer. I mix a liter bottle and use it at room temperature. Never had a problem with over developing, sometimes I need to
rub tight areas a little to get the mask out (between TQFP100 pins, for example).

keastes says: Oct 29, 2009. 2:09 PM REPLY

seems relatively messy enviormentily speaking. in most cases milling would probably be better. no offence

clark says: Oct 29, 2009. 6:32 PM REPLY

But not everyone has the tools required to mill a pcb. The goal of this instructable is to make creating pcbs easier and more accessible to the average
hobbiest.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/
 jeff-o says: Oct 29, 2009. 10:51 AM REPLY
Now THIS is something I haven't seen before! Excellent idea!

ArduinoFun says: Oct 29, 2009. 11:50 AM REPLY

Thanks Jeff-o!

ilpug says: Oct 29, 2009. 11:09 AM REPLY

this is a sure-fire win. this is amazingly rad. i commend you. faved

ArduinoFun says: Oct 29, 2009. 11:50 AM REPLY

Thank you!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/