Homebrew PCBs

Iwouldbe interested. Any information would be very welcome.

Thanks,
Les


> A while ago I tested various inkjets and transparency films for fining
what gave
> the best quality phototmask. The Epson Stylus with epson ink and epson
> transparencies gave the best results. The HP-deskjet with HP black ink on
any
> brand of transparency was not as dense due to millions of micro pinholes
and has
> a bit of ink splattering. I also tried about 4 different refill brands for
Epson
> and none gave the results as Epson ink. Calidad refill ink for epson was
the
> best and found to be completely suitable,  the only difference I could see
was a
> slight reduction in darkness. The three other refill brands (no name
brands) I
> tried were either noticeably lighter, splattered ink or formed micro
pinholes
> when printing on Epson transparencies.
>
> The published DPI numbers of inkjet printers are meaningless for black and
white
> printing. I can't remember how they define dpi but I know its not pixel
> resolution. From my tests, the Epson 720, 1440, and 2880 dpi modes all
achieve a
> fixed 720 x 720 true resolution. Higher horizontal resolutions are
simulated
> during photo printing by controlling drop size. The quantity of ink output
for
> 1440 and 2880 dpi mode is larger than 720 dpi mode.
> The ink droplets land on the printing surface with a random direction
causing
> line edge jaggedness. Line edge jaggedness is the major factor effecting
how
> close tracks and spaces can be apart.
>
> I started to write a web page of all my results of testing inkjets and
> phototmask. If people are still interest in creating phototmask from
inkjet
> printers I can finish writing it and put it online.
>
> Adam
>
> nf1z wrote:
> > On a similar note, I recently used two different inkjet printers, an
> > Epson 600 and an HP 625C, to print on decal paper.  The similarity is
> > that you want dense printing, as high resolution as possible, but the
> > difference is that decals are usually in color.
> >
> > I found no discernible differnce between the two printers, and no
> > discernible increase in quality beyond 720 dpi.  Does this mean the
> > 1440 resolution is just hype?  Or maybe my software was not up to it.
> >
> > I was using the cheapest of aftermarket ink in the Epson, but real HP
> > ink in the Deskjet - no discernible difference.  The only
> > disadvantage of the "clone" ink is that it tends to need cleaning of
> > the jets more often.  That's for color ink:  for black, the clone ink
> > isn't quite as dense, in my experience.
> >
> > BTW, I had to get more ink for the HP in a hurry, so paid full price
> > for HP ink.  Two cartridges for about $32 + $26 = $58 (plus tax).
> > Epson is a little cheaper, but not much.  I noticed that CompUsa is
> > offering the HP Deskjet 3320 1200x600 dpi for $50, so I'm wondering
> > why I didn't buy another printer, instead of the ink.  To be honest,
> > the $50 deskjet ships with a single ink cartridge, so you don't get
> > true black without adding another cartridge ($22 additional).  Still,
> > and interesting situation for one who bought his first dot matrix
> > printer when they came down below $500...
> >
> > Take it easy,
> > Jed.
> >
> > --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Russell <rjshaw@i...> wrote:
> >
> >>Les Newell wrote:
> >>
> >>>Hi all,
> >>>Does anyone have a favourite make of inkjet film for printing
> >>
> > artwork? It
> >
> >>>looks to be expensive stuff so I would like to use a brand that
> >>
> > others have
> >
> >>>had success with. I am using a Lexmark Z25 printer if it makes any
> >>>difference.
> >>
> >>I use epson over-head transparencies. They have a smooth coating
> >
> > that
> >
> >>absorbs the ink, eliminating all pin-holes. It costs more than the
> >
> > printer
> >
> >>($3 per sheet), but i can make 30 sheets last a year or more.
> >
> > First, print
> >
> >>the pcb onto paper in economy mode (to save ink). Cut out some
> >
> > transparency
> >
> >>and sticky-tape it over the paper printout area. Feed back into the
> >
> > printer
> >
> >>and print using the highest resolution black ink setting. The
> >
> > transparency
> >
> >>off-cuts can be used for other boards. Unfortunately, refill ink
> >
> > gives bad
> >
> >>results, so i have to use the genuine epson stuff. With this
> >
> > combination,
> >
> >>you can do ~5mil tracks at 720dpi. To minimize ink costs, i got two
> >
> > printers
> >
> >>the same (epson stylus colour 400 which are really cheap in the
> >
> > trading post).
> >
> >>One is only used for PCB printing using the expensive ink and the
> >
> > other does
> >
> >>the usual day-to-day printing using crap refill ink.
> >
> >
> >
> >
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