Homebrew PCBs

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "aitken_bryce" 
<bryce.aitken@...> wrote:
>
> Hi folks I am new at this and as I have a Epson R300 printer which 
> allows printing on CD it should be possible with the correct driver 
> to print a PCB up to the size of a CD (120mm) diameter. 
> 
> Now I am sure I am not the only person to have considered this but 
> unfortunately my programming expertise precludes me from even 
> attempting it! 
> 
> The black ink cartridge could be filled with resist instead of 
> normal ink and providing that a flusher solvent was available for 
> use at the end of each print run the printer should come to no harm 
> either. A CD is a similar thickness to a PCB so a very 
> accurate "print" would be obtained directly onto the PCB.
> 
> Have any of you clever guys out there done any work on this front??
> 
> Look forward to some replies telling it has all been done and 
> telling me where to download the necessary software!!
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Bryce

I'll start by saying that I don't like Epson. Their printers make the 
best quality photos for the low price, the printhead technology is 
different than HP or Canon and allows for better prints, but the rest 
of the hardware in the printer is junk. I bought an R340 and only had 
it for 3 months before it broke down, the CD printing function failed 
first, then the rest of the printing functions slowly broke. Their 
warranty service is terrible, it's not an 800 number, and they hassle 
you every step of the way to get it fixed, the staff is rude, and 
they charge your credit card (they said it was just a hold, but then 
they tried to charge it) before they send you a replacement. So if you 
buy an Epson, expect a very big fight if you have to claim warranty 
service and don't give them your debit-with-credit-ability card 
number, only give them a 'real' credit card if you /have/ to.

I know for a fact that the R340/320/300M/300/220/200 ink (all the 
same) will not work on copper or brass. Since I use paper thin sheets 
for what I do, I could feed it through the normal paper path and it 
would print on it, but then bead up. The higher end pigment printers, 
such as the R800, R1800, and R2400 use Ultrachrome inks which are slow 
drying, and only designed to work best on special art print papers, 
and not 'standard' inkjet papers which is why they don't work on 
transparencies and can smear if not allowed to dry for quite awhile. 
However, the Epson C-series printers take Durabrite ink, which have 
something similar to an acrylic enamel in it, which dries nearly 
instantly, and is waterproof. It dries so fast that the C-series 
printers have an extremely long history of breaking down nearly 
instantly - if you do not print constantly, at least 1x a day, and 
preferably much more, the ink will dry in the print heads and destroy 
the printer. The C-series printers do not have a CD printing slot. 
However, the printheads in the R-series and C-series printers are very 
similar (there are aftermarket pigment inks for people who want to use 
Ultrachrome-quality ink in the cheaper R printers). The cartridges are 
also exactly the same size and shape. 

My suggestion would be to go to Epson's website and get a refurbished 
R200 printer, which runs around $60-70, less than a set of the ink 
would cost. Order a black Durabrite cartridge with it, or pick one up 
from the store (the newest Durabrite Ultra type cartridges have the 
Chair logo on them), swap the chips with the black cartridge that the 
printer came with, and try using it that way. Make /sure/ that you 
print at least a little black every day after doing this, or the 
printer /will/ clog up. I wouldn't be able to tell you how to modify 
the CD tray to accept PCBs.

I have seen 'Sublimation' aftermarket refill kits (not the same as a 
real dye-sub printer) for Epsons which allow you to create prints that 
can be transferred to mugs, and I have seen one webpage that also 
mentioned printing on 'specially treated foil paper'. I cannot find 
this website right now, though.