I found my new toner transfer paper!

[pappasmurfsharem]

All chemical free etching? very cool.

No of course not typical acid bath, Although I use the sponge method because I'm impatient. but that would be awesome.

[Perrow]

Thought I posted this yesterday but apparently not, a bit late but anyway.

It's impressive how much you can improve the toner transfer method while still having it so much more cumbersome than photo sensitive boards 

Perhaps but then you need photo sensitive boards and a UV lightbox, which is to me a tad more cumbersome.

My UV-box set me back about $15-$20, and it's about 10x10x15cm (four by four by six inches), to me that's neither expensive nor cumbersome. Plugs straight into my lab power supply. I print my layouts on transparencies using my inkjet, one layer, others talks about doubling up on the transparencies but I've never had a problem with coverage.

You want the led to be about 360nm-380nm (ish) for maximum yield (that's about where the PCBs are most sensitive, if I'm not completely mistaken).

I've ordered PCB stock from [http://www.musikding.de/Photo-positive-copper-board-epoxy-100x160mm-one-sided]musikding[/url].

[deadastronaut]

I usually see it suggested to avoid third party refills and stick with the printer manufacturer's products if going to be doing toner transfers. Did try it and wouldn't do it again, was fine for printing to paper but even decal stock was getting buggered up.

yep read that too, the ''branded'' toner is way more expensive...but it will do a great job, and last for years...

buy cheap, pay twice..

[CodeMonk]

I mentioned using glossy presentation paper in one of the previous toner transfer threads not to long ago.
Its like 1/3 the price of photo paper.
I think I even have the same brand that you got.

[Jopn]

I usually see it suggested to avoid third party refills and stick with the printer manufacturer's products if going to be doing toner transfers. Did try it and wouldn't do it again, was fine for printing to paper but even decal stock was getting buggered up.

yep read that too, the ''branded'' toner is way more expensive...but it will do a great job, and last for years...

buy cheap, pay twice..

Yeah, it sucks that the cheap toner works fine for everyday stuff but not for toner transfer.  I'm probably going to need to get a second laser printer so my kids aren't printing their coloring pages with brand name ink that's 3x the price.  We go through a fair bit of toner (homeschooling 4 kids), and I'll go broke if we use the brand name stuff all the time.

[garcho]

Nice UV box!

[Perrow]

Nice UV box!

Thanks, works like a charm.

[ch1naski]

Looks good smurf.  YOu should try sticker backing paper.  The toner FALLS OFF that stuff. Its amazing!
Paul

huh. Never thought about that. And I have a bunch of letter sized stickers...

[tubegeek]

To answer my own question:

The hp P1006 printer prints very cleanly onto (Avery) sticker-backing paper. I had some encouraging results last night. It wasn't up to the level of, say, a good UV light box method (yuk yuk) but on my second try I did get a decent transfer. (There were some issues on the first try with blurring due to [I think] too much/too aggressive ironing.) On the second try I went too far the other way so the toner did not attach to the copper perfectly everywhere, but where it did it was very sharply defined. I filled in dead spots with nail polish and the etch was great. Where there was fine detail that the toner had provided, the results were pretty darn good!

The sticker-backing paper was very easy to get off, it both dissolves and peels readily, much better than the photo paper I've used which is too robust to dissolve and takes some patience to peel off sometimes.

Still working on it, but the results were very promising so far with the sticker-backing and my new/old printer. And the price is oh-so-right for the sticker-backing paper.

[jwar]

Will any of these work well on enclosures?

[tubegeek]

Will any of these work well on enclosures?

I'm working on finding out - I have an enclosure etch design that I hope to do this way. My first attempt at a transfer was about 90% successful on the face of the enclosure and about 0% successful on the sides. The face wasn't quite flat so I'm re-sanding and trying again. I'll let you know how I do!

[John Lyons]

Finally got around to using the HP paper. Works very well.
I found that soaking it off worked the best for me.
Thanks for posting this Nick!

[deadastronaut]

and a pic of a guitar on it too..must be a good  omen

[pappasmurfsharem]

Finally got around to using the HP paper. Works very well.
I found that soaking it off worked the best for me.
Thanks for posting this Nick!

I'm probable going to soak as well now. My first two attempts were perfect and came off like butter. After that there was a bit if residual but water cleaned it instantly but it's pretty simple. I heat until I see the trace mask through the paper and it's pretty much perfect every time

[quad]

Perhaps but then you need photo sensitive boards and a UV lightbox, which is to me a tad more cumbersome.

Actually you don't need any peculiar UV device to make it work. I use a simple 13 watt CFL bulb with exposure for up to 10 minutes at a distance of ~ 7 inches. It works alright. The only thing keeps me from getting a little better results is the output of my printer.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3si9a6hqar60fxl/board1.png?m

[Perrow]

Actually you don't need any peculiar UV device to make it work. I use a simple 13 watt CFL bulb with exposure for up to 10 minutes at a distance of ~ 7 inches. It works alright. The only thing keeps me from getting a little better results it the output of my printer.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3si9a6hqar60fxl/board1.png?m

When I tried it, it gave me exposure times of ~1 hour (perhaps a different quality of bulb, less UV radiation), thus the UV-leds.

[deadastronaut]

Finally got around to using the HP paper. Works very well.
I found that soaking it off worked the best for me.
Thanks for posting this Nick!

I'm probable going to soak as well now. My first two attempts were perfect and came off like butter. After that there was a bit if residual but water cleaned it instantly but it's pretty simple. I heat until I see the trace mask through the paper and it's pretty much perfect every time

have you tried peeling it off while its still pretty warm, thats what i do , and its the same as your first results...no residue...clean paper peel.

[gjcamann]

Do you guys think this will also work well for etching enclosures? I'm still working of the nerve to try it.

[KazooMan]

I just use the cheap flourescent light fixture I have over my workbench for my photoresist boards.  Nothing special about the bulbs.  They are several years old and have a nice coating of sawdust on them.  I mount a scrap piece of wood about two inches away from the bulbs with a sling of masking tape and then put the board on it under a piece of glass.  Exposure takes about four minutes.

If your printer doesn't give a dark enough transparency, just print two and carefully align them (tape the edges to hold them in alignment).

Having said that, I still make most of my boards by toner transfer.  I often use ammonium persulfate for the etching, but the ferric chloride with a sponge method is really fast and easy.

[pappasmurfsharem]

Finally got around to using the HP paper. Works very well.
I found that soaking it off worked the best for me.
Thanks for posting this Nick!

I'm probable going to soak as well now. My first two attempts were perfect and came off like butter. After that there was a bit if residual but water cleaned it instantly but it's pretty simple. I heat until I see the trace mask through the paper and it's pretty much perfect every time

have you tried peeling it off while its still pretty warm, thats what i do , and its the same as your first results...no residue...clean paper peel.

I have not. Usually let it cool but I'll try it.