Has anyone tried using sulfuric acid paper for laser Ptr toner transfer to pcb? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Salome2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2025, 08:36:53 am
content: Has anyone tried to use a laser printer and sulfuric acid paper to transfer toner to blank PCB's?

author: MisterHeadache
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2025, 05:56:39 pm
content: I admit, I had to go look up what 'sulfuric acid paper' is. If you are referring to the stuff used in arts and crafts, I don't see the point. The toner transfer method works very well when laser printing to gloss heavier weight paper - the toner particles are easily separated from the paper layer by heat and stick to the copper board.What makes you want to try using this type of paper?

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2025, 06:02:38 pm
content: I'd never heard of it either. Just bear in mind a laser heats paper to 150-200C, so if you have got a temperature controlled iron or air station see how it reacts to that.Personally I'd just use JLCPCB or the like which is probably cheaper anyway if you can wait a week or so. If I had to use the toner transfer method I'd probably look at T-shirt transfer paper which is common enough nowadays.

author: Salome2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2025, 02:34:19 am
content: I was looking for a more consistent transfer paper and saw on Temu I could get 50 sheets for a few Shekels.Sulfuric acid paper quickly dissolves paper and so easily washes away when exposed to water.The time it takes to receive a board from JLCPCB without paying a king's ransom is insufferable.Not so often are my designs perfect, error free or optimized to work best the first time. The larger the PCB, the more chance to have many toner transfer flaws.Most importantly, I can't have weeks wasted doing nothing and painfully having to put my concentration and work on wait!So, until my work has been tested and optimized, I roll my own.------Most commonly, transfer paper or plastic film sold is shown to be used to on fabric or coffee cups, and with an inkjet printer.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2025, 10:47:44 am
content: I had to look u[ the term too. Vellum, which is apparently different, has been used. When toner transfer was very popular some hobbyists advocated using ordinary wax paper that is used in cooking. (I don't know how much mess that makes of the printer. I never tried it.) One might consider any of the more modern "non-stick" papers used in cooking and elsewhere.The problem one has with toner transfer is similar by analogy to the challenge in make good pressure-sensitive adhesives. You want it to stick when and where you want it, but unstick when where you want to do that.Personally, I used presensitized PCB's and photomasks, but it has been years since I last did it.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2025, 01:53:35 pm
content: I used ink jet glossy photo paper to make PCBs with 10 mil track width. I used a laser printer to print on ink jet photo paper.

author: Hiemal
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2025, 05:51:22 pm
content: My best results have been with glassine paper. It's the shiny non-stick paper they use as a carrier for adhesive stickers and the like. You can get it really inexpensively if you don't mind tossing the actual sticker and using just the backing.That + a laminator and Kapton tape. I also use a sharpie + an x-acto knife to help touch up any spots that might need to be fixed.As a note, the toner transfer process, or just, toner, as a "thing" is NOT a complete 100% flat "cover" over the copper. It's deposited as particles, which means there's going to be some level of inherent... grain? I guess? to the ultimate etch. The copper isn't fully covered, so any spots that don't have a toner particle covering it will be etched away.One of the ways I've experimented with fixing that is to use toner transfer foil as an add on step. Once you transfer the toner over to the PCB board, you add on top toner transfer foil and send it through the laminator an additional time. The addition of the foil helps protect areas you don't want etched much more thoroughly than just toner alone, but it does add an additional step + it's not particularly cheap.

author: abeyer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2025, 07:48:10 pm
content: Quote from: Hiemal on September 15, 2025, 05:51:22 pmI've never seen that sold as glassine paper... it has an additional surface treatment on the sticker side even if it's based on glassine. (and I don't know for certain, but my gut feeling is that they've largely moved to plastic films on regular paper stock instead.) If you're going to buy it alone I've always seen it called 'release liner'.Plain glassine paper is available without the release surface, but is a different thing. Parchment paper is also based on glassine with additional surface treatment, and might be another interesting option to try.

author: Salome2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2025, 10:45:53 am
content: Google says: Sulfuric acid paper is an attractive translucent paper. Its translucence lets it reveal a hint of what's underneath and to show background colour. You can use this paper as printing paper, but it's also great for drawing onto directly.========Sulfuric Acid Paper is used in making a 'base' for blueprints.I haven't heard of 'glassine' paper before.It is easy enough to buy full-page A4 paper sticker stock, but maybe not so cheap, yet it might work better than high gloss photo paper to be used with a laser printer?I seeinkjet high gloss photo paperrecommended for toner transfer use.Is inkjet high gloss photo paper the same/better than laser high gloss photo paper for toner transfer?I haven't heard of 'toner transfer foil'.Sulfuric acid paper contains no sulfuric acid,rather it is some kind of paper that has been treated with sulfuric acid to make it translucent and good for copying..but does it dissolve very quickly in warm water with a little NaOH and so workbetter than high gloss photo paper for toner transfer to copper pcb?----Wallmart no longer sells this but says in ad:https://www.walmart.com/ip/10pcs-A4-Sulfuric-Acid-Paper-Depicting-Paper-Copy-Paper-Carbon-Water-Soluble-Tracing-PaperWater-soluble transfer paper(sulfuric acid paper), colorwill automatically disappear once soaked with water, easily keep your stitch work neat and decent, one-side reusable, easy to copy patterns clearly with rich details, durable and reliable quality without easy rip or crinkle.

author: MisterHeadache
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2025, 04:47:35 pm
content: You absolutely don't need fancy paper.I have been using Staples premium color laser gloss, 32lb, 98 brightness for years with my HP Laser Jet Pro MFP4101FDW. I get consistently great boards etched using FeCl. If you are interested I'll detail my entire process, but the rest of the steps are well known and likely elsewhere on this forum.

author: Salome2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2025, 06:09:45 pm
content: Heimal says that the toner attaches itself to the board as small particulates. I think otherwise, the laser printer has fused the toner to the artwork at the melting point of toner plastic dust and so there is always a plastic homogeneous shape(trace) transfered to the PCB.=======MisterHeadache, thanks for your offer to help clarify PCB toner transfer.I have noticed that there are many critical variables in toner transfer:1)Choosing on my HP1312 color laser the type of paper/transparency film but always using inkjt/laser thick premium high gloss photo paper.2)Cutting the board size to allow traces near the board edge to be transferred properly.3)Cutting the artwork printout to allow folding 'wings' to tape/stabilize the artwork onto the pcb.4)Cleaning the board prior to applying the artwork, what solvents in what order to use and how to sand/steel wool to prepare properly the blank copper.5)Modifying a laminator to achieve accurate 125 degC temp using a thermocouple. Same mcu also steps paper slowly through.6)Determining the number of passes over the artwork/board or through the laminator.7)Thickness of tape to attach artwork to pcb copper plate. Also the technique to toner transfer to a double sided board.8)Using a weak NsOH solution or just plain soap and water to help dissolve the paper after laminating toner onto the pcb board.9)Adjusting the ironing/laminator pass overs in proportion to the size of the pcb.Etching the board is fairly easy with FeCL3, no problem.I have also heard of transferring the toner twice to the board to ensure the toner is thicker so there are no pinholes.Another poster has suggested using 'metal film'.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2025, 06:24:16 pm
content: Quote from: Salome2 on September 16, 2025, 06:09:45 pmYou can think that, but Heimal is absolutely right. Try printing a solid black rectangle onto a laser transparency, then hold up a bright light behind it. If your printer even makes it solid — many modern ones actually cheat a bit to save toner — you will still find pinholes. They aren’t noticeable in everyday use, but they are enough for etchant to make their way through. Lines do much better.The xerographic process has always struggled a bit with large solid areas; it’s got something to do with how the photosensitive drum holds onto electric charge.Also, why don’t you just try actual toner transfer sheets, which are easily available on AliExpress, eBay, etc??

author: Salome2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2025, 06:30:37 pm
content: Tooki..thanks, but there are on Temu/Alli/Ebay at least a dozen different transfer sheets. Can you recommend one you know works best?

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2025, 07:16:42 pm
content: I had an HP4101MFP. Weighed almost as much as a small car and worked really well. As mentioned earlier, I do/did a photoresist method. Initially, I used an inkjet to make my transparencies. They were dense and worked great, but I did so few that the inks always dried. I tried the Laser Jet and then darkened the transparency by liberally covering it with a black dry erase pen (aka whiteboard pen) and wiping off with Kleenex tissue. The HP toner was durable and the transparencies were sharp. I was tired of the shear mass of the HP and got a Brother HL2270DW laser printer. Day and night difference. The Brother toner smeared with the dry erase markers and was quite fragile. I got nowhere near the definition.This comment is not to convert anyone to the photoresist method, but to warn that not all laser toners and/or printers are the same. BTY, my HP Laserjet 4 worked as well as the 4101 and was the printer that I used to develop that method.

author: MisterHeadache
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2025, 08:24:39 pm
content: Here’s all of my secrets:Store the paper in a 2gal ziplock bag, this keeps it humidity stable.Make sure your laser printer IS NOT set to 'toner saving' mode or some other mode that reduces the amount of toner, you want it to put out the maximum amount of toner. And even so, like stated above, solid areas like ground planes will not end up as solid copper. So it is normal to get a bit of swiss cheese effect on those copper areas. Small price to pay to get a usable board in less than an hour’s work…Top side copper must be printed ‘mirrored’, bottom side copper (if 2-sided) is printed regular (not mirrored).After printing, cut off the excess paper EXCEPT for one edge, leave a half-inch margin minimum to your artwork. Don’t touch the printed areas.Cut the board stock slightly larger than your pattern, EXCEPT for the edge you left wider on your pattern. cut that edge at least 1 inch wider. I prefer to use a pair of ‘right’ tin snips to cut PCB stock. It will easily and cleanly cut 1.5mm board. It does bend it a bit, so you have to trim it before you transfer the toner or after you etch it. If you trim it with the toner on it, the toner will flake off.Prep the PCB board. File the edges so there aren’t any burrs. Circular buff the surface with scotch brite or 0000 steel wool. You want fine scratches, not a mirror finish. Definitely want a bright surface, no oxides. Clean with an evaporative solvent, I use brake cleaner. Don't let the clean board sit around, use it right away after solvent has evaporated. And don't touch the surface, your fingerprints will reduce bond of toner.Use a tiny piece of blue painters tape to hold the pattern to the board. Use the areas that you left wider for the tape. Do NOT put the tape over the traces on your pattern, the traces will not transfer under it.Use a laminator, not an iron. You need consistent heat and consistent pressure. A plain $20 laminator works just fine. Begin by repeatedly feeding the taped end in first. After several passes, the board will have heated enough to start transferring the toner. Run it through the laminator 10+ times in multiple directions. Board gets HOT so wear gloves.Let it cool for 5min, then immerse it in plain tap water to soak the paper. After 5min it will float away and leave the toner on the copper surface with some remaining paper residue. Wipe the board lightly with your fingertips under the water to gently remove any bits of paper stuck between closely spaced traces, pads, or centers of through holes. The natural texture of your fingerprint is enough to dislodge it and won't dislodge adhered toner.If there are any small areas where the toner didn’t transfer, you can usually touch up with a fine point sharpie. Tricky bit is blending the sharpie into the toner, sometimes that starts flaking it off. It’s not gonna be perfect.Drill a small hole where you had the tape, and feed a scrap piece of wire through it to make a handle.For the rest of these processes, wear appropriate PPE, work in ventilated area, etc.Etch in gently warmed ferric chloride solution. I partially fill a 5gal bucket with hot tap water, then let the bottle stand in it while I’m doing all of the above steps. Pour the solution into rectangular Pyrex glass dish for etching. Use the wire handle you made earlier to constantly and gently agitate the board in the etchant. Do NOT heat the etchant any hotter than your tap water. Heating it hotter significantly increases the amount of vapor released and makes it much more hazardous.When etching done, rinse in water, then use a bit of acetone on a cotton ball to remove the toner. Pour the etchant back in the bottle. Be careful, this stuff permanently stains almost everything it touches. You can use it many times. I got at least 40 boards the size of index cards over a several year period from mine. Just recently bought a fresh bottle and turned in the old bottle at my community hazardous chemical drive.Drill any through-holes/mounting holes.Go over it again with the scotch brite/steel wool to get a bright surface. Put a piece of fine sandpaper (400 grit or higher) on your bench, set the board on it copper side down, and slide it a few millimeters 2-3x. That will remove any drilling burrs. But don’t sand it more than that, you’ll start removing copper traces.Optional – you can dip it in liquid tin solution at this point if you want (I do) to improve solderability even more.Cut off the excess material on the one side. Now populate and enjoy the PCB you made in less than an hour.

author: abeyer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2025, 11:30:25 pm
content: Quote from: MisterHeadache on September 16, 2025, 08:24:39 pmThis is why I've always kind of questioned toner transfer as an approach. It's not that it doesn't work... but if the goal was to be faster than photoresist, and you end up a with a whole page of detailed process to get decent results, I'm not sure you've succeeded.I've done both, and been able to get quick and dirty results with "naive" toner transfer where quick and dirty is all you need, but trying to get the same or better quality from toner transfer compared to photoresist has never seemed like a good tradeoff to me.

author: Salome2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 01:52:46 am
content: The blessing of toner transfer is the ability to make a board without any wait. No wait for 5 very cheap ($2 to $20) high quality professionally made pcbs that usually turn out to be beautiful but useless, especially as a first prototype and then waiting again a few weeks for another attempt to get everything right.High Gloss laser printer paper is cheap, has a very long shelf life and copper plates can be made as new with a little elbow grease with a large rubber pencil eraser and then using fine sandpaper. Blank copper pcb plates are very cheap to buy and always high quality and high quality high gloss photo paper is easy to find and inexpensive.My main issues with photoresist tech is cost, availability(shipping time) and shelf life and I often have an old stock that has exceeded the shelf life and photoresist becomes troublesome in that one must best guess how much longer to expose with UV compared with same exposure time as when it was new. Sometimes experimenting with different exposures and developing time with small samples can take a lot of time and having photoresist boards with different expiration dates makes testing results applicable to only one or a few boards.The film idea involves many steps and one must be very careful to not have areas where there are bubble troubles.Transfer film techniques often require working with direct positive or negatives and playing with water and squeezes and peeling this layer and that layer, as well as becoming skillful in setting exposure and developing time. There are also issues with darkroom handling.I really appreciate to being able to reuse old photoresist long stored blank pcbs. I can reuse photoboards that didn't develop well or toner transfer well, and there are no shelf life issues and no money is lost because I can reuse unetched misdeveloped photoresist plates that would be otherwise discarded.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 03:18:58 am
content: Its best to put your time into other things that DIY PCBs.If you want to do it for fun, sure, it's interesting and you learn stuff. But the results (even when things go perfectly) are always bad compared to some boards from JLCPBC for $5+pnp

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 07:13:30 am
content: Quote from: Salome2 on September 16, 2025, 06:30:37 pmJust the common yellow ones. They’re basically just like sticker backing paper, but with no stickers.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 07:17:51 am
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on September 16, 2025, 07:16:42 pmIndeed. The best results I ever had were with a super cheap Samsung. (I am not sure if HP, who bought Samsung’s printer division, is still making any printers based on the Samsung engine designs; I vaguely recall reading that HP had gone back to buying print engines from Canon or wherever.)I had very bad results with the Brother at my old workplace. The Kyoceras weren’t much better, as they adhered to the transfer paper too hard. :/

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 07:56:50 am
content: I had best results with Press-n-Peal blue sheets, but i've not done it in 20 years so i dunno how things have changed.I used a Kyocera, it was terrible with glossy paper method (transfer not dark enough), but worked well with press-n-peal blue because its a 2 layer medium that separates easily. The toner basically glues the press-n-peal to the PCB and you then pull off the clear backing. So works better than trying to separate glossy paper from the toner.I got a usable PCB with 100pin 0.8mm TQFP, but it was pushing things.Side etch was an issue, so you need really good etchant to so you can get it done fast. If it takes too long side etch becomes an issue and your tracks come out smaller than in your design and gaps get bigger. You can compensate for that by making the min clearance width smaller than the min track width. So when you have multiple tracks running in parallel the clearance gaps are small and the tracks thicker. So have like 12mil / 4mil (track/gap) and it will becomes 8mil/8mil after etch. Your results will vary based on your etchant and the time.Another thing to do to make it easier is use 0.5oz copper boards if your design allows it, so it etches fast. That will help reduce side etch a lot.Pretty sure i was using 2oz and that was a bit too thick.The other thing i remember is you need to clamp/heat it evently. You really want a jig with two solid metal plates. A hand iron is a bit hard to control.A press iron works better.Even if you get a good transfer and etch you now have the horrible task of trying to drill 0.3mm holes in the center of all your pads to make vias/TH.If your drill press is not up to the task you will keep snapping drill bits. Or the drill will wander off the center of the pad.Dont buy that crappy Dremel brand mini drill press, its wonky as hell and no where near sold enough to drill 0.3mm holes.And dont get me started in trying to make 2 layer boards and get them aligned. hahah, its doable but damn.If your interested to see i'll go find my old PCB that i did and take some photos, its like 140mm x 140mm 2 layer with that 100TQFP on it.

author: Salome2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 08:17:40 am
content: Psi, the price of a five pieces done professionally by JLPCB is very little, but weeks waiting for the boards is too high a price.The price of being idle on a project and forced to wasting weeks doing nothing except waiting for them to arrive at the door is intolerably high.Love to see your masterwork PCB! It might be that ordering a breakout PCB as a daughter card might solve the .3mm drilling punishment you've endured.Tooki,I also have an older Brother 2070 that fails to deposit enough toner. No doubt some older HP's work best. Fortunately, there are many older HP's still easily available.The sticky toner problem you have with a Brother may actually be a blessing and exactly what you are looking for. You just haven't found a super glossy photopaper that will disintegrate easily and/or a hot enough iron or modified a laminator to get hot enough to remelt the toner onto the copper, assuming your Brother is depositing enough toner upon your photo paper.Remember my initial posting's aim, to find out if Sulfuric Acid Paper can be found that disintegrates very easily when wet.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 08:22:43 am
content: Quote from: Salome2 on September 17, 2025, 08:17:40 amYep, understandable, if you have the time, go for it.Might be worth a try to use a 3D printer to put a layer of plastic onto a PCB or draw ink with a PCB pen, see if you can add a etch mask that way.There's lots of pens/plastic types you could try.I think it might be easier than the toner transfer method, if you have a 3D printer that is.Might have to hit the copper with 2000 grit so it sticks better.I guess it depends how much fine detail you need. 3D printer wont beat laser printer for fine detail but is much faster/easier.An interesting thing to try would be to coat the entire PCB in etch resist and then use a 3D printer to scrape it off where you want the etch.That might work quite well.

author: Salome2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 09:03:59 am
content: Psi, Using a 3D printer to maKe PCBs is opening up another can of worms requiring many moons to get this idea to work well, if at all.

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 10:18:01 am
content: I was brain storming a slightly different related idea with GPT a while back.Using arts and crafts transfer papers to produce a solder paste stencil. The target material would be the rubberised T-Shirt print transfers. Print it, line it up, then put a clothes iron on it to cure the rubber. Peel off the remainder. Brush apply solder paste, then peel off the rubber transfer.Problems.1. Thickness of paste application will be poor.2. Sharp edges might not transfer properly.3. Small shapes will not "peel out"4. It's more expensive than getting PCBWay to make a metal one.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 10:36:40 am
content: Quote from: Salome2 on September 17, 2025, 08:17:40 amI have never attempted using dissolvable paper; I have always used only toner transfer paper.I may be remembering wrong about which printer brand (Brother or Kyocera) stuck too hard, and whatever the problem was with the other one. Both of them were printersat my old workplaceso I cannot perform any tests on them now.I always used a professional laminator I purchased used. (It was one that would have cost about €600 when new; I paid 2 CHF.)I have since gotten an old HP that I need to get a new toner for.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 10:47:14 am
content: There's also laser ablation of etch resist. An entry level CO2 laser cutter or sub 10W blue diode laser etching machine can be used to remove a coating of etch resist off a prepared copper clad PCB surface. Acrylic paint is generally preferred as the fumes from ablating it when fully cured are less noxious than those from many other etch resist coatings. With a well focussed laser, features down to sub 0.2mm are possible.https://hackaday.com/2017/08/22/laser-etching-pcbs/Note that the blank PCB should be cleaned with fine grit abrasive and very lightly pre-etched so the copper surface is matte under the paint as specular reflection of the beam could possibly damage the laser or its optics.On the toner transfer side of things, one of the reasons that glossy paper works well is it is usually coated with kaolin (china clay) and calendered to get the smooth high gloss surface. This keeps the toner on the surface rather than letting sink into the paper between the fibres. When soaked in water the clay forms a slick that easily releases the toner.

author: elektryk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 11:46:57 am
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on September 16, 2025, 07:16:42 pmI've still got this printer (HP4100MFP) and it is ok for photoresist PCB but I put two masks together using staples, so it is well blackened.The best results I've got with "Photosensitive Dry Film" from Ali, good price and still works even when it sits for years in a basement.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 01:04:07 pm
content: @elektrykMy HP laser jets alone gave satisfactory results, but one could still see etched areas that shouldn't be. I only used a single layer of printed mask. That was particularly true for large areas. Attached are some images of a process I developed for darkening the laser print. Microscopic images are about 100X total.Figure 1:A single pad untreatedFigure 5:Same pad treatedFigure 3: My treatment. Note: Don't scrub with the dry erase/white board marker. Use a single pass. From what I could find, the marker used diacetyl acetone as solvent. That is almost odorless to most people and was probably chosen for that reason. In my experience, it is a weaker solvent than common alternatives such as ether alcohols. Recently, it's been harder to find. Maybe its lack of odor prompted some idiot to drink it.Figures 6 & 7: These show after etching effects of the treatment.I tried other colors of markers, like yellow, but they did not work as well. I suspect the particles used for black per se help. FWIW, when I used inkjet, the black may actually be all three colors. I got my best transparencies with inkjet using a film for artists that had a microparticulate ceramic coating. Treated laser was almost as good and avoided the problem of inks drying out.

author: MisterHeadache
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 01:17:20 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on September 17, 2025, 10:47:14 amThat's it exactly. I've never had a problem getting that Staples paper I mentioned earlier to easily release from the board. So again back to the OP's question that started this interesting discussion, I don't see there being a problem here that needs solving by changing the paper. It doesn't need to 'dissolve', it just needs to transfer the toner to the copper and then go away.It's also clear to me that each of us fanboys has a strongly preferred method for getting a PCB that fits our specific needs. Nothing wrong with that - we are lucky to live in an age with so many options.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 01:46:42 pm
content: Quote from: Salome2 on September 17, 2025, 09:03:59 amtrue, but it does get rid of a lot of the problems trying to get the toner transfer method to work reliably.For toner transfer method, there's a lot of factors all which play a critical role in it working.printer type, paper type, toner type, heater setup, press/clamp force, washing step.All of which have an effect on your result, and may cause it to fail and force you to go back to the start and try again.Using a 3D printer to laser/scrap off etch resist is just one step. True, it might take a little while to set it up but its simple.In fact you could probably just buy a $200 china laser cutter and use that out of the box. The bed size needed is tiny and the power doesnt need to be that high. The only thing I'm not sure about is how fine the resolution is on those cheap laser engravers/cutters.hehe, i wonder if anyone has hacked a DLP/Laser SLA resin printer to do this, they have pretty high resolution and the bed size would be ok for most PCBs.But if you are sure you want to go down the toner transfer merhod, see if you can find some press-n-peel blue to try.

author: abeyer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 07:40:12 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on September 17, 2025, 01:46:42 pmYeshttps://github.com/TMaxElectronics/Gerber2Chitubox?tab=readme-ov-file

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2025, 09:39:42 pm
content: Quote from: abeyer on September 17, 2025, 07:40:12 pm"min. copper spacing: 0.1mm (4mil) min. trace width: 0.15mm (6mil)"awesome.