Leon wrote:
>
>
>
> > I use photomasks from a inkjet printer. Recently I bought a Canon MP810,
> > and noticed the resolution and line edge sharpness was a noticeable
> > improvement over my old printers (Epson Stylus 660, Canon i550). Its
> > definitely true 1200x1200 dpi resolution. Using "3M Universal
> > Transparency" film, and printing with the driver set to "Photo Paper
> > Pro", "Quality 1" and Cannon OEM inks, I can just get away with
> > 0.008"(0.20mm) lines/spacings. 18um foil instead 36um makes etching fine
> > traces a lot better.
>
> I get similar results, using an HP 5940 printer and Premium JetStar film
> for
> the transparencies.
>
> Leon
Its good to know people are not finding it a problem making PCBs for SMD.
When I said 8mils, I meant to say thats size while still being very
reliable. I should make up a test panel one day to see how fine I can
go. I find the real limitation is etching. You need better etch
uniformity the finer the lines you go. I'm currently building my spray
etcher, which should solve the uniformity problem.
Adam