no, it's still a toner transfer method, just like the photo paper method, so it still relies on sticking the toner to the board.

that said, I got my first laser printer for $20 from a local guy who wanted to get rid of it.. it was big and ugly and crappy but it worked, and made many a board for me. my latest printer (laserjet 1100) was bought on ebay for about $50 including shipping, from a large company that had replaced several hundred of its printers in a big technology upgrade. if you look around on ebay you can find the same printer for reasonable prices. (just make sure it comes with the cable, those are proprietary)

it's a bit of an investment, but for me, it's a good one anyway, because I have no reason to do color printing, so I can print off loads of things on the laser printer (school papers and such) without going through expensive ink cartridges like candy... the toner cartridges last for a couple thousand pages, and are only about $30 to replace from ebay (which is as much as some ink cardtridges anyway)

edit: WILLIB! you need to look at this!
http://www.wimtv.be/techniforum/file...jet_4v-4mv.pdf

that is the service manual for the laserjet 4mv! I can't believe I found that, I had to BUY one for mine :lol:

anyway, it looks like you can set darkness in software, with the same software settings my laserjet 1100 uses (advanced options in printer settings, turn economode OFF and set REt to "DARK")

usually a low toner cartridge will cause white streaks, rather than even lightening, so I think you should mess with darkness settings before you try replacing the cartridge.

http://www.eegeek.net/electronics/pnpetching.htm

I just etched my first board using a press-n-peel transfer. came out perfect! (except for some minor scratches due to apparently getting some dirt under my iron while i was rubbing it hard on the film... oops... only caused some minor, harmless blemishes)

Originally Posted by evandude

http://www.eegeek.net/electronics/pnpetching.htm

I just etched my first board using a press-n-peel transfer. came out perfect! (except for some minor scratches due to apparently getting some dirt under my iron while i was rubbing it hard on the film... oops... only caused some minor, harmless blemishes)

Wow, it looks awesome... Can you tell us what kind of tape did you use to attach PnP onto normal Paper? Also tell me more about you etching method, never seen it before ops:

I just used clear packing tape. hasn't shown any signs of melting in the printer or anything so I think it's pretty safe.

I agree, that board came out very good. I am very happy with press-n-peel... it's good to find a product that works like it's supposed to... or even better

as for my etching method, I take 1/4 cup of water, and microwave it until it's boiling, and put it in a ziplock freezer bag (I use freezer bags because they're extra tough)

and then I spoon in 3 or 4 teaspoons of sodium persulphate, and shake until dissolved.

then I put in the boards, carefully force out as much air as possible, and seal the bag. then i can hold the bag in my hands as I etch, which allows me to agitate it by hand to make sure it etches quickly and evenly. it's also REALLY easy to see the progress of the board, as you can see in the pictures...

and it only uses a very small amount of etchant at a time, so it's not wasteful. sodium persulphate turns blue (like windex) as it etches, so when it gets very blue it's time to replace it. I can usually get 3 or 4 boards in a baggie of etching solution... and when it's time to clean up... i just have to dump the solution down the toilet, and throw away the bag. doesn't get much easier than that!

Originally Posted by evandude

I just used clear packing tape. hasn't shown any signs of melting in the printer or anything so I think it's pretty safe.

I agree, that board came out very good. I am very happy with press-n-peel... it's good to find a product that works like it's supposed to... or even better

as for my etching method, I take 1/4 cup of water, and microwave it until it's boiling, and put it in a ziplock freezer bag (I use freezer bags because they're extra tough)

and then I spoon in 3 or 4 teaspoons of sodium persulphate, and shake until dissolved.

then I put in the boards, carefully force out as much air as possible, and seal the bag. then i can hold the bag in my hands as I etch, which allows me to agitate it by hand to make sure it etches quickly and evenly. it's also REALLY easy to see the progress of the board, as you can see in the pictures...

and it only uses a very small amount of etchant at a time, so it's not wasteful. sodium persulphate turns blue (like windex) as it etches, so when it gets very blue it's time to replace it. I can usually get 3 or 4 boards in a baggie of etching solution... and when it's time to clean up... i just have to dump the solution down the toilet, and throw away the bag. doesn't get much easier than that!

Cool, is this method enviromentally friendly? I don't feel confident dumping chemicals down the toilet...

Also, what's the price of PnP where you live? I can only get it for $5 pcs, and that Expensive!

I don't know how environmentally friendly it is, but I don't know of any other very good ways to dispose of it... but that's part of the reason I try to use as little as possible! according to the safety data, it doesn't appear to be extremely toxic as such, so I doubt that in a watered-down form it would be all that harmful. but if you look at the instructions on the radio shack etching solution (or in the little instruction manual if you buy the etching kit) they tell you to dispose of it by flushing it down the toilet. granted, that's ferric chloride, but I can't imagine this stuff is all that different.

I bought it online for about $1.50 a sheet (2 packs of 5 sheets each = about $15)

you can buy it straight from the manufacturer or from elexp.com for about $29 for 20 sheets, however I'm sure getting anything shipped to your country might be a challenge.

but if you look on their site (techniks.com) you will see they list themselves as the international distributor, so you should email them and see what kind of postage they'd charge.

Originally Posted by evandude

I'm sure getting anything shipped to your country might be a challenge.

You are so right! :cry:

Originally Posted by panic mode

looks good but... i don't see etched board...

http://www.eegeek.net/electronics/pnpetching.htm
:?: there's several pictures of it during and after etching on there...

Originally Posted by evandude

http://www.eegeek.net/electronics/pnpetching.htm
:?: there's several pictures of it during and after etching on there...

Nice pictures! - and a beautiful board, well done!.