Homebrew PCBs

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Young" <mikewhy@s...> 
wrote:
> 
> Are you printing each image into the different quadrants, then? 
Four passes?
> 
Yes that is the idea with what I presented in that message.

> I got pretty good at combining the separate images in Photoshop,
> and then printing from there. 

Yea, I have a copy of the full version of Adobe Acrobat 4.0 (old I 
know but it works) with Distiller, so when I want to do "panalizing" 
I print from Eagle to my PDF printer and import into Photoshop, layers
make it easyer to line up double sided boards and do other editing
which might be impossable without major $$$ otherwise.

> But it's still tedious. cam2images.ulp helps by 
> automating the image export from Eagle. cam2print.ulp does
> something similar for printing, but only one image per page.

Are those CAM files on the Cadsoft site? If not, where can I find 
them? 
> 
> At $1.50 per sheet, I'm still pretty miserly with the Pulsar paper, 
> especially for the very teensie weensie boards I do. 

Oh Yea $1.50 per sheet is kind of expensive, I'm using the 
Staples "photo basic" "gloss" Staples item# 471861 
UPC code 71803028561 ~$9.00 for 30 sheet pack, so about 1/5 the cost 
of Pulsar paper. Also you might want to look at my post on "WATER 
SOLUABLE PAPER" ~ $0.85 per sheet.

Are your boards just  the wrong size to use the panelize.ulp in Eagle
and get multiples to a 80mm x 100mm print?

> Either way you do it, though, you still have to trim off the
> excess. Trimming the bulk of it beforehand seems as good a way to
> do it as any. Excepting that the cut off has a real chance of being
> tainted and contaminated with skin oil, and thus one step closer to
> garbage, each time I pick it up to handle it.

You might consider going to the Pharmacy / drug store and picking up 
some latex gloves (probably should use around etchant anyway) and get 
some tweezers from the cosmetics section.
> 
> I think the only answer is to find cheap paper, something cheap 
enough even that the terminally neurotic can stand to 
>knowingly "waste". :)
>