Brother Laser Printers not good for PCB transfers?

[Solidhex]

Maybe some other Brother laser printer owners can weigh in on this. I just bought a Brother HL-2040 model laser printer specifically for the purpose of making some pc boards. My friend had recommended it due to its good Mac compatibility. I tried to make some transfers on Blue PNP with really bad results. After I've read about people having bad luck with Brother model printers. Something about them printing too hot or using some type of toner that doesn't work well? Of course I didn't find any of this stuff when I was researching which printer to buy haha.
  Has anyone had any luck with theirs or should I try to return mine before its too late?

--Brad

[remmelt]

In another thread, I've asked this same question but about another printer. The reply was: "Toner is toner, can't go wrong."

Are you sure you're doing everything right? My main mistake in toner transfers is that I want to peek if anything is happening while ironing the stuff on. This does not work! The way I understand the transfer works is that toner is heated up and thrown on the page in the printer, then when ironing, the toner melts again and sticks to the more receptive metal surface. It has to solidify against that surface to work: this is why you need it to cool down after applying the iron.

Clean your board/box, I use a little bit of vodka for that in lieu of rubbing alcohol. You can leave the etching surface semi-rough, it doesn't need to be super smooth. I think I get better results when last pass of sanding paper is 400 or something like that. No need for mirror shine.
Check for lint on the paper. No greasy fingers on the surfaces - no fingers at all.
Iron on, for PnP I set the iron on the two dots, for inkjet paper on three. Rub, push, use the tip on the edges and corners, leave the iron on for a while. I take between five and ten minutes for this. NO PEEKING!
Put the entire thing in water with a little detergent (when using paper) or under the cold tap (PnP). Make sure it gets cold.
Remove the paper, the thing should be super good.

Good luck!

[lynessmy]

i heard Brother does not up for toner transfer PCB.
I had tried on my HP laser as well. The quality is not as good as the photocopier.

So, do follow all the instruction suggested in previous post and tried it for another time.
If no luck, you might tried a photocopy machine.

For heating, if you have a laminator machine or afford one, use it, as it will give more consistance result compared to the iron.
for my own practice, i let it run 10 cycles @ 140 degree C before soaking and peeling.
The toner is 99.99% transfered for a perfect PCB.

good luck

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

In another thread, I've asked this same question but about another printer. The reply was: "Toner is toner, can't go wrong."

I disagree. The quantity of toner deposited varies greatly between different machines (some machines can be set for a lighter 'economy' mode - you don't want that.)
Whether the actual NATURE of the toner varies between manufacturers, I don't know. The basic principle is the same, of course.

[mdh]

I  have a Brother HL-1440 that I've used for all of my PNP transfers, and I have had some troubles, but I don't think they're different from what people experience with other printers.  One problem I've had lately is that my toner cartridge is on its last legs, so I get poor print quality, and not very good transfers (even so, I've been able to touch them up with a fine tip paint pen to be useable).  When the toner cartridge was full, though, I mostly had problems with edges and corners.  I think that's more of an issue of ironing technique that toner quality.

If these are your first attempts with PNP, then maybe you should read some more threads on PNP technique before you start a new-printer-a-month habit

[dmk]

i use a brother HL-2030 which is virtually the same model. works great for me, although i never use the proper PNP paper, just glossy inkjet photo i have lying about.
make sure you have it on the highest resolution and the darkest setting to deposit as much toner as possible on the paper. not sure if it really makes a difference, never tried using a 'lesser' setting.
preparation of your copper clad board is essential. i think thats where its easiest to cut corners. you've really got to make it shine.

[Hambo]

Brother HL1430.
No problems at all... except with pnp and glossy photo paper.

[JoeGuitar]

I have a HL-5140 & have no problems making PCBs with either PNP Blue or Staples Photo Paper.

Joe

[jrc4558]

HL-2030 here!:D
I had similar problems, but found that if you prepare the surface not with the super fine steel wool, but slightly rougher, the toner sticks much better. And I'm talking glossy paper method...

[Barcode80]

board prep is likely the culprit. make sure you are thoroughly sanding the board in ALL DIRECTIONS with the steel wook or whatever you use. also, make sure the burrs on the edge of the pcb are flattened. the slightest lip on the edge of the board will prevent your iron from contacting evenly and will give you a lousy transfer. clean with solvent, blah blah the usual. i use goof off to take off dirt and grime, sand with 800 grit sandpaper, then clean again with lighter fluid. i get great transfers. i've also had to adjust my iron settings some. too hot AND to cool are both problems. you have to find the sweet spot of your iron. mine is just a touch hotter than the lowest steam setting.

[Solidhex]

  I have definitely made some progress. Initially I was using the blue press and peel. I tried different techniques and heat settings with the iron with limited success. Then I tried the basic gloss photo paper from Staples (inkjet version). It was night and day pretty much. With the photo paper I got two perfect transfers on the first try. I didn't need to fix any traces. I'm not sure why but it seems to work much better with my printer. I noticed the "sweetspot" on my iron is also a little bit into the steam zone Barcode80...

--Brad

[luap77]

Hi Brad,

I've been using PnP blue for years with an old HP laser printer. Works perfectly with 100% transfer for me as i'm very careful about surface preparation. I purchased a Brother HL-2040 an had HORRIBLE transfer. After research, I managed to confirm that it was the type of toner used in the Brother cartridge supplied with the printer, along with some other factors (temp through fuser etc). My surface prep. is very good and I can assure you that it is this model of printer. I went back to my old and slow HP laser and once again acheived perfect results from the same sheet of PnP blue and the same pcb. My advice would be to find a old (cheap) laser with toner in the cartridge and dedicate this to pcb's. A cartridge will last a long time.

Paul E

[remmelt]

Hmmm, that's something to remember then... Have you ever tried toner from a different vendor? Maybe that will fix the problem.

[Nasse]

I remember some talk few months ago, about some companies are making their toner more "greasy" so it helps maintenance... I think some manufacturers were mentioned but I might be wrong

[ranchak]

The Brother 2040 DOES NOT work for PnP transfers. I bought one myself and returned it the same day. At work I have a Brother 5140 that works great, so I thought that the 2040 would have the same print quality as it's bigger brother. WRONG.  I tried everything to get the cheaper printer to work and I had average results at best. I never did get a complete transfer. I finally decided that it was easier to use the printer at work or use the copier machines at Staples or Office Max. At $.06 a copy it really isn't worth it to buy a $200 printer.

[96ecss]

I don't have a laserjet printer so I print on my HP deskjet and then copy on my Brother 2800 laser fax machine. It seems to work fine that way. I don't know if Brother laserjet printers are any different than their laserjet fax machines but mine works well.

If you haven't seen it yet, check this out. http://www.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/DirectPCBoards/DirectPCBoards.htm

I do it the way Steve demonstrates except that I use a laserjet copier like I said and I don't scrub the board with Bon-Ami. I use regular dish soap with a green Scotch Brite pad before I iron.

Dave

[goodrevdoc]

Brother HL-2070N, PnP Blue. Works well for me, provided I don't get impatient .
-justin