What are y’all using for paper for toner transfer? I’ve done some experiments tonight and am getting frustrated.
I tried pages from both Texas Monthly and my wife’s “O” (Oprah) magazine. Neither transferred as well as I would like, but O magazine was better.
I tried running some of the glossy pages from the Sunday newspaper ads but most of 'em just jammed on the roller in the printer.
I tried Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II. This was interesting. The toner, I think, was more defined, especially in the tight trace/space areas. However, the transfer to the PCB was not as much as I would have liked. It did transfer, but most of the toner stayed on the paper. In addition, the paper melted to the iron (60 seconds of heat).
I’m at a point where I desperately need to prototype a board and I’d sure like to know what paper, in specific, that others are finding success with.
A few things to consider.
- Cheap copper clad board is not dead flat. You can see the weave of the fiberglass core. This prevents good adhesion during transfer.
1.5) Board must be perfectly clean. No oxides, durt, grease, scratches.
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Ink jet ink does not work worth beans. You need laser toner. This is a plastic thermo setting ink that will transfer with heat and LOTS of pressure.
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Make sure the ink is thick. Turn off Eco-mode and other cost cutting measures.
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I have used a blue special transfer “paper” in the past. “Press and Peel” comes to mind.
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Even with the best transfer, it is still wise to touch up spots with a Sharpy.
After doing some Google searches and finding some threads in other forums, I decided to try “HP Presentation Paper 130g” (apparently formerly called “HP Color Laser Presentation Paper”), HP part Q2546A. This product may be discontinued but can still be found online at ~$15 for 300 8.5x11 inch sheets, which is quite a bargain compared to some other papers people are using.
This paper worked very well for me. I was using a clothes iron for the transfer and had only a few minor touchup areas. (A laminator is definitely in my future.)
The paper practically fell off the board after 3 minutes in a water bath. It was VERY easy to get the paper off the board. The lines were clear and sharp and pads with 11 mil spacing had no shorts. I’m confident that if I had had a better heat/pressure source, my results would have been even better.
Attached is a picture of my results: 8 pads for a SMT MicroSD card reader with 8 pads in less than a centimeter. (And now that I wrote that, I realize I should have checked footprints before etching. Grrr.)
So if any of you need a recommended paper for toner transfer etching, I can endorse this product.
I use “Press’n’Peel” blue. Sure, it isn’t cheap, but it works every time and 1 sheet does quite a few PCBs.
MichaelN:
I use “Press’n’Peel” blue. Sure, it isn’t cheap, but it works every time and 1 sheet does quite a few PCBs.
Couldn't agree more. When you need something that works quickly & perfectly... It's my first choice.