[Noisebridge-discuss] laser printer for circuitboard etching

[Daniel Pitts]

On 6/13/12 10:27 AM, Jake wrote:
> Oh brother!
>
> that's perfect, the great hacker and circuitboard fabbing pioneer
> Reboots at Random recommends Brother printers for circuitboard printing over
> all else, so I was actually looking on craigslist for such a thing.
>
> bring it in, I will supply paper and we will hide the thing where only
> circuitboard etching ninjas will know where it is.  and also we will need
> a teflon-bottomed clothes iron (maybe teflon doesn't matter though) but
> there are like four irons in the textiles dept. so we can just take one of
> those.
>
> I don't think it matters if it curls paper.  We will be using slightly
> thicker paper, glossy paper which is made for inkjets.  The toner transfer
> process relies on the fact that the glossy surface does not absorb the
> toner, and the glossy surface has no fibers, so after you iron it onto the
> board and the toner sticks to the board, everything else can be washed
> off.
>
 From what I've read, magazine paper is better for this process, with 
the caveat that it really wasn't designed for printers (and printers 
weren't designed for it).  The benefits being that it is cheaper and 
dissolves in water more easily.

Full disclosure, this is only from what I've read. I'm a complete n00b 
with circuit board creation, and would like to get into it soon. Take 
this comment with a heaping tablespoon of salt.