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DIY Toner Transfer Paper (cheap and easy))

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Thing is, it takes a lot less than an hour to remove paper, and the other methods work. I suspect what you are calling pulsar paper is what I used at first. I may try the Elmer Glue next. Wax paper is excellent as long as it doesn't crinkle. After feeding it though the laminator there isn't any wax left.

One of the keys to softening the paper residue is really, really hot water. I used the microwave to heat the water.

If you look at my signature it says it best.
 
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Thing is, it takes a lot less than an hour to remove paper, and the other methods work. I suspect what you are calling pulsar paper is what I used at first. I may try the Elmer Glue next. Wax paper is excellent as long as it doesn't crinkle. After feeding it though the laminator there isn't any wax left.

One of the keys to softening the paper residue is really, really hot water. I used the microwave to heat the water.

If you look at my signature it says it best.
The blue transparency may have been Press and Peel blue. Pulsar toner transfer paper is more like card stock.

Given that most people make a good number of PCB from a single 8x10 sheet you will be saving more then that hour. Some people are under the impression that it takes a full sheet to make any sized board. You cut the toner transfer paper to size and tape it to a regular sheet of paper for printing. The cost for the paper is like 2 cents per square inch, still under 3 cents (2.84) when you use the green foil with it.

If you are going to mess with the glue skip it and fake the pulsar paper. There is/was instructions on the net. I think they were even posted here once.
 
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Removing the paper to me doesn't take any more time than adding that green TRF foil and I get better results than the Pulsar Paper alone. I have Pulsar Paper and green TRF, and the only thing that I use the pulsar paper for is silkscreen/text on the top of the PCB, since it releases nice black toner without the white in it.
 
I just read the directions for making toner transfer paper!!
what a waste of time and money.
The cost of heating the oven, cooking the dextrin etc has to cost more than 3cents per square inch.
I use the PULSAR TTP method with excellent results..
First print out a test sheet on regular paper then just tape some PULSAR TTP cut to size of print over the printout with the glossy side up. Tape it down on one edge only then print out in laser printer again.
SAVES LOTS of paper. If you order some PULSAR paper then order some FREE board material(remnants) either 1x or 2x which brings down the cost to almost nothing.
Using the thin Pulsar board material it makes a 2x board easier to check your registration. I only tape one edge of the paper as the laminator tends to smear your print if you tape all edges.
I print one side then paint over the other side. Etch board.
clean off paint and printed pattern.
Print other side pattern, paint over etched side then etch.
Remove all paint etc and your done.
Have done several 2x boards in under 1 hour with excellent results.
I use 3 stick pins to register my boards.
If you are making several of the same boards you can use the registration/ stick pins to hold all your boards in one stack. Drill all your boards at one time.
 
Just a quick question for Frank at Pulsar.

I live in the UK and would like to try your product but do you offer the same buy back promise here?

Thanks in advance.........Al
 
I also tried a new etchant, the 2:1 Hydrogen Peroxide/Muriatic Acid mix. This stuff is dangerous, acid is no joke, but it works like dream. Much better than Ferric Chloride. I suspect strongly it is a lot friendlier than FeCl too ecologically speaking, even though if someone were to disrespect it it will leave major chemical burns.

Use conc. Nitric 1 part to water, 3 parts.
Far more safe than that HCL acid/peroxide mix. I can even dip my fingers into the dilute acid etchant and have perhaps 10 seconds before I MUST wash it off with no effects. Worst I ever got was a little yellowing of the skin...no burns. In 25 years.
 
First of all, sorry for my uuugly english! Also, I could not read all 37 pages ... I came to page #15 and got blurred vision ...:) So I do not know if anyone tried to use "gummed paper" like this **broken link removed** or this **broken link removed** ? I currently use a cheap children's collage paper coated with water soluble glue, just like those from eBay! This paper very well accepts the toner, and after lamination, after 10 minutes soaking in water, the paper itself detaches in one piece, leaving a pure toner without ANY paper residues! It acts just like Pulsar, it just takes longer to detach (10-15 min) in cold or warm water. After that just keep floating on the surface of the water! If someone can try it (or has already tried) these papers from eBay, please let me know!
If the thing works (and it should) I'll have to buy a pack of 100 pieces :D! I just laminated the PCB with inkjet glossy paper, and after 5 hours the paper wont to detach from the plate :mad:...
 
First of all, sorry for my uuugly english! Also, I could not read all 37 pages ... I came to page #15 and got blurred vision ...:) So I do not know if anyone tried to use "gummed paper" like this **broken link removed** or this **broken link removed** ? I currently use a cheap children's collage paper coated with water soluble glue, just like those from eBay! This paper very well accepts the toner, and after lamination, after 10 minutes soaking in water, the paper itself detaches in one piece, leaving a pure toner without ANY paper residues! It acts just like Pulsar, it just takes longer to detach (10-15 min) in cold or warm water. After that just keep floating on the surface of the water! If someone can try it (or has already tried) these papers from eBay, please let me know!
If the thing works (and it should) I'll have to buy a pack of 100 pieces :D! I just laminated the PCB with inkjet glossy paper, and after 5 hours the paper wont to detach from the plate :mad:...

That is great! All my work is now obsolete. I dont know how this paper has been overlooked by me and everyone else, all this time.
Did you try boiling hot water to cut down on the soaking time? That worked for me.
 
Hi, Rolf! If you (and others) can get to that paper, please try it. Every experience and opinion is welcome before I decide to buy it. The first is only available in the UK! My experience with collage paper says that the result depends mostly on the amount of toner which printer can give - combination of gummed paper and TRF green seems very good (I didn't try it yet)!
Rolf said:
Did you try boiling hot water to cut down on the soaking time? That worked for me.
Boiling water? Thanks for hint, I will try!
 
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Well guys today I had fun trying to get my pcb design onto the circuitboards, as I run out of transparency paper I used the vege oil method on normal paper, this has worked before but today the UV resist didn't work. I had a bit of PnP left and every print out was stuffed due to errors :mad:
On the bench near my puter was a brochure we got from the primary industries dept. I cut it in 1/2 and the friggin thing got caught in the printer. But I did notice the transfer was purfect. I cut out some small sections as my pcb is only 75x75mm and it printed out purfect. My first iron on attempt didn't get 100 % coverage so I cleaned the board and with the next attempt I ironed on longer. It did work purfect so I did the second board and after spending close to 5 hours of stuffing around the yardarm arrived so I'll etch the boards in the morning.

shunt boards.jpg

For a first attempt using magazine paper I must say I am impressed so that forgotten project using a laser printer heating unit for a laminator is now back on the cards. I do have a heap of UV resist boards here but I will need a new laser printer as the one I have won't print images dark enough to use.

My next attempt will be a double sided board using the iron on method as this system is just so easy and did I say I was impressed?????

Cheers Bryan
 
3v0 please take a look at this link: Gummed Paper White 100 A4 Sheets! They ship around the world, but you must contact the seller regarding postage. I have not tried this paper yet, because postage was too high to me: it is approx. 8,40 GBP (or 9,50 EUR) to Croatia. I think it should work. I ordered TRF Green directly from Dipmicro so I'll try how it works with my (cheap) gummed collage paper. If somebody buy this paper (from link above) please let me know!
 
I have been thinking about this gummed paper. But it seems to be a UK only thing or it goes by some other name in the US. Does anyone have additional reports on using it ?

Hate to ask this, but did you try searching for this (Google or other search engine)?

I did, and found this stuff--LickNStick Gummed Paper. Dunno if it's what you want, though: they call it "gummed decal paper", water-soluble.
 
LickNStick Gummed DECAL Paper: 25 sheets 8,5"x11" = 9,97 USD (without postage) -->40 cents per page (without postage!)
(If you thought of this paper!?, if not sorry).

Ebay gummed paper from my link above: 100 sheets A4 = ~8,20 USD + ~13,80 USD (to Croatia! maybe less to USA?) = ~22 USD --> 22 cents per page.

Edit: I suggest everyone to first look in your local bookstore or paper shop for ordinary GUMMED children's collage paper (it is usually glossy on colored side but that does not matter). I bought my paper at a local store for approx. 2 USD (12 A4 sheets)! **broken link removed**
 
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My next attempt will be a double sided board using the iron on method as this system is just so easy and did I say I was impressed?????

I tried to do a video and picture with my method for two sided boards and via's, but unfortunately the video was too blurry. The video camera's minimum focus distance is a little far. Also I only got about half the pictures I took from my kids camera, because I was too lazy to get out my own. I use the pocket method and I align the two halves with a light. I don't think that's going to work with magazine paper though, because of all the printing, so you'll need to use one of the method were people poke holes in the paper.

These are the only pictures I got out of it. Not that helpful, unfortunately.
**broken link removed**
 
If you want "magazine paper", then get some unprinted stock. You could buy a ream of it at a paper supply house, or you could just go to a local printer (a real printer, meaning an offset printing shop, not a computer printing place) and ask for some lightweight coated stock (I'd get "dullcoat" myself); they'd probably just give you a few sheets. Not sticky, but at least you don't have to deal with printing on both sides.
 
@ChildOfVision Yes I have seen the ebay site with the stuff for sale in the UK. I do not care to be the first to order an untried paper from UK. Perhaps someone over there can give it a try.

@carbonzit LickNStick Gummed Paper is nearly as expensive as the real stuff.

The hope was that somebody has found the stuff in the US at a chain store. I live 3 hours from 'decent' shopping and once we get there we do not have time to go from store to store looking for things.
 
Hi Guy's,
Well 5 day weekend here and I got a new batch of etchant ( ammonium persulphate), my futurlec order finally arrived so I'm going to design a pcb to fit the breakout board for the 64 pin tqfp with the pic32 on it. I'll take some pic's of the glossy paper I'll use and show the results. My first efforts using FREE glossy paper has been with great success really if people can get hold of similar I don't see why people should waste money buying pcb toner transfer stuff.

Cheers Bryan
 
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