Homebrew PCBs

Hi Robin,

If you can spend US$50-60, you might be able to get a used laser 
printer on eBay.  I picked up several Lexmark Optra E+ for around 
US$50 each (including shipping/handling) and consider them a prudent 
purchase.

I do almost all of my printing in B&W these days and the cost of 
toner refills is much, much lower than ink refills.  A toner refill 
costs me about US$10 and is rated at 5000 sheets (at 5% coverage).  
I've refilled my cartridge twice and don't even think twice about 
printing board layouts for review.

I still use an inkjet for color printing, but now refill much less 
frequently.

I haven't found any significant difference between OEM toner and the 
refills I got from a place in Canada (they sell on eBay).  I use 
inkjet transparencies instead of paper and have had very good 
results with 8 mil traces and 8 mil spaces; though I usually use 
wider traces and spaces to make the boards easier to make and less 
susceptible to mild pitting.  I size my traces so pitting is only a 
cosmetic issue.

I've found that, as with paper, not all inkjet transparencies work 
well.  I'm using an HP brand.  I tried another members idea of using 
a heat gun to "fuse" the toner after transferring and found that it 
works well.  I did it on one of my "goof" boards and it turned out 
okay; more pitting than usual, but I didn't spend much time touching 
up (only traces that transferred very poorly).

If you can't spend $50, finding a place to make laser copies on your 
paper would be one method.  But with the cost of gas being what it 
is, a laser printer would quickly pay for itself if you also used it 
for general B&W printing...

Regards,
Dennis
--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Robin" <skeeterb_2002@...> 
wrote:
>
> I don't have a laser printer and I don't have the funds to invest 
in a
> laser printer right now, but I still want to create my own PCBs. 
All I
> have access to right now are 2 Inkjet printers. One is a Lexmark 
Z12
> inkjet and the other is a HP OfficeJet 5610 All-In-One
> Printer/Scanner/Fax. How would I go about creating a PCB without
> access to laser printer and only inkjet printers?
>