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+--- Thread: PCB artwork transparencies & ink cartridges (/thread-637.html)
PCB artwork transparencies & ink cartridges - VK4ADC - 18-09-2018
I have been making my PCB artwork (layout via ExpressPCB) using Nobo brand universal transparencies (UF0025) for some years and printing them on my little Epson XP-100 inkjet printer - until recently.
My earlier stock of transparencies ran out so I dutifully chased up a new pack (and had to sit down at the latest pricing). I went to print some new PCB artwork on it and the solid black simply wasn't - it went crinkle-y. (I suspect that they are now using a different treatment process or chemical when manufacturing the product now - as against in previous years.) Simply unusable as was not dark enough but using the same Epson 200XL ink and same settings for the printer setup - Epson Matte media, best photo. I don't know how many sheets I have wasted trying alternative settings but nothing satisfactory resulted.
I even bought a pack of no-name 'universal' transparencies through eBay. The ink simply did not stick to the inkjet / rough side. Even worse outcome than the Nobo product.
I started to look for other printer options: another brand etc. Tried HP ink and still useless because the black has to be BLACK not just thick grey on either transparency material to be able to expose through to positive resist pre-sensitised PCB material.
Small light at the end of the tunnel here... I looked up Officeworks on-line and they have a Calidad 260 ink cartridge for the Epson 100/200/etc series printers. Maybe a different ink mix will react differently on the transparency material ???
This arvo I went to Officeworks and bought a Calidad cartridge (which says on the sticker that it is a re-manufactured Epson cartridge) at $9.45, installed it in the printer and then ignored all of the warning screens about non-Epson inks may damage my printer (it is long, long out of warranty..), let it do its printhead charging routine and it finally printed a Windows test page on plain paper. All good so far.
I put in the non-Nobo transparency ( ie the cheap eBay version) into the sheet feeder, same printer settings as previously (Best photo, Epson matte media), started ExpressPCB and printed. Well I was blown away. A perfect image, no blurs and super black in density. I will (eventually) try printing on the Nobo sheet once I get some more artwork that I need to work with (ie my next new project) but with it at $2-$3 a transparency sheet, I am not going to waste it.
So it seems that the Calidad inks may be a better choice if you want to print your PCB artwork but a "beware" at this point - some printers (including most of the very new products) will not accept non-brand products. Read the product's fine print.
Hopefully this helps someone else out of a similar pickle.
Doug VK4ADC