Homebrew PCBs

On 02/11/13 08:53, beefyzee@... wrote:
>
>
> Well my head is spinning in my quest for finding the ultimate print method for
> getting a solid opaque print for the UV method of making PCBs.
>
> The more I read the more it seems inkjets annihilate laser printers in this
> regard. So far it seems Epson Stylus inkjets with Epson transparency and
> original DYE based ink produce good results, when printing in best photo quality
> mode.
>
> I would like to gain an in depth understanding of how all the different choices
> in my Epson printer software affect the print output (resolution, ink useage,
> print speed, etc). For example there's print quality choices, lots of paper
> choices, high speed mode, etc, but neither the printer manual, the help file, or
> Google / Youtube searching can give explanations of all this.
>
> I know some are using lasers, tracing paper, doubling or tripling the positives
> on top of each other, etc, but for reasons based on my research I'm wanting to
> get away from those "workarounds" and get a solid opaque print on
> transparencies. The screen printing industry seems to use primarilly inkjet
> printers, and there's even special ultra black opaque inks available for these guys.
>
> So my finishing question is does anyone know of any detail guides on all the
> settings in Epson inkjet printers.

I'm still using an Epson Stylus 400 (10+ years old) with cheap refill dye ink 
because the genuine cartridges are discontinued.

After upgrading the PC (debian linux), i couldn't get all the unexposed resist 
to develop off the pcb.

After testing the UV blocking of the ink with a UV light meter, i found the 
black ink is only blocking two-thirds of the light.

The printer used to put out bucket loads of ink on to the gelatine transparency 
such that it would pool for a second before soaking in.

Because i've got a detailed user manual, developer manual, and source code to 
the printer driver (gutenprint), i'll figure out how to get more ink out.

http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net/p_Documentation.php