[sdiy] PCB making: how to get a transparent foil with real black lines?

[Joerg Schaaf]

Hi,

I tried several inkjet Transparancy Films with my Deskjet 815C. Only one 
type give me good results - but I never checked those from HP.

I am using now CG 3460 from 3M.

I always dry the film after printing the first time and print it again after 20 minutes or so. I never
belived that this can work but it really does.

After that everything depends on the time you are UV lighting it. I measured the time with one test PCB.
The wrong time can destroy all your efforts. When everything is made carefully this techniques gives
excellent results.

Cheers,

Joerg 

> I'm considering to buy an etching machine as well as UV light source.
> It's a bundle, some saving.
> I remember that 20 years ago, when I made my first PCBs,
> the transparent foil was the issue. Or really: the black
> areas on it. Because I couldn't manage to make them really
> black, so there was some light comming through and this made the photo
> process very instable.

> Now, 20 years later there are things like ink-jet printers,
> or laser printers, but my experiment showed that at least the HP870
> ink-jet couldn't make really black lines. So much for that.


> Is there someone out there how can propose a better method
> to get a layout on film?


> You may ask "why not using a comercial service?".
> Well, I think they take EUR 40 - 50 for a single sided,
> 160x100 mm^2 PCB, that's about 4 times what the materials
> cost! The PCBs would in this case determine system cost.

> m.c.