So, I bought some Pulsar paper to try it out. Here's a step thru of my process with a mini review. This is just a breadboard module for a Stellaris Cortex-M3 ECU. The last photo's show it beside and ARM7 module I had made up, which was much more complex, due to the external PLL and external VCore routing. I wouldn't be able to do the ARM7 on a single sided board without a lot of jumpers and it looking pretty messy.
I wont inline the images, you can click on them on the bottom.
1. Print design. I'll print out the design on a normal piece of paper, then cut out the resist paper to completely cover it and print again. The piece of paper, I then cut out to use as a template for cutting the copper clad the right size. You'll see the cut out paper later.
2. File off the raised copper around the edges of the board. If you don't, the toner won't stick to the edges.
3. Roughen/clean the surface of the board. I use some gray scotchbrite pad. Then I use some alcohol and paper to clean off fingerprints.
4. Board is ready for transfer. The white paper here is the regular printer paper I had cut out to use as a template for cutting the copper.
5. Pattern is ironed on with a regular iron. The Pulsar paper just drops off once it's been wetted, which is really nice. Only problem I have here is that it releases too well. You can see the places where the toner has not covered in the black areas. Top left edge of the board and bottom edge. The photo paper I usually use, is a real hassle to remove, but it fills those areas with gunk, so I usually don't get this problem. I see why they sell that green TRF stuff. I also found that the Pulsar paper tends to squish lines easier. Perhaps that's because none of the toner soaks into the paper. I filled in these area's with sharpie marker.
6. Done. Well, I skipped the etch, drill, populate phase. I had a real problem etching the board. The new etchant, like I mentioned earlier, seems to have died on me. The board looks dull because the etch took way too long to do its thing.
7. This is the first time I've done this, but I decided at the last moment to put on a silkscreen with the pin labeling. Turned out pretty good, except for the SCL, SDA.