The way I've been doing it is to go somewhere that has copying machines and make a couple ten cent copies of the layout that I want to make into a board. I use the glossiest paper they have.
Next I cut the piece of copper clad board roughly to size and clean it very thoroughly. I use a 3M white scouring pad and "Barkeeper's Friend," which is an abrasive powdered cleaner similar to Zud or Ajax. It's important to get the board really clean, so I scour and rinse several times. I finish the cleaning by wiping the board with isopropyl alcohol. Do not touch your fingers to the copper surface after it is cleaned.
Iron the paper to the board - I won't go into detail about that since it's probably well covered in the tutorials - but thicker paper will need more pressure and heating time to achieve a good transfer.
Once it looks like the transfer is good I soak the board in water for a while and then peel the paper off. Random segments of paper that remain usually come right off after a little scrubbing with a toothbrush.
You still want to avoid touching the copper surface. Touch up any sections that didn't transfer well with an etch resist pen. If you will be etching with Ferric Chloride you can use a "Sharpie" type permanent marker. But if you use Ammonium Persulphate, it can eat through that ink. For etching with AP I use a paint pen from a craft store for touching up the resist. I think a "Wite Out" pen works also - but I haven't actually tried one.
If you use Ammonium Persulphate (like I do), it will definitely need to be heated up. I boil some water and dump it into a plastic basin. Then I mix up the AP (using some of the hot water) in either a thick plastic freezer bag with a tight zippered seal, or in a plastic tupperware container. Stick the copper board inside and submerge the bag or container in the tub of boiling water.
Agitate the bag/container for best results. I wear light-medium duty insulated, rubber gloves which enable me to comfortably stick my hand in the hot water so I can shake the bag/container.
Once etching is complete, rinse board with water.
Drill component holes. You'll need a small Dremel type of rotary tool or drill press. I've actually had great luck (so far) drilling freehand with a cheap little hand drill/rotary tool I ordered from a surplus place. I think one or two of those tutorials have some info about what bits to use.
Trim board to exact size you want and clean off etch resist. I found that a bit of air freshener with a high concentration of citrus oil - like this stuff:
**broken link removed** on a rag works like a charm and the resist wipes right off. Smells better than acetone too!
For good measure, I then wipe the board with alcohol in case the citrus stuff leaves a residue behind.
Don't know where you live, but in the U.S., one place you can get supplies is
http://www.elexp.com (Electronix Express).
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Here's a quote from an article found at
http://www.geofex.com that contains some info you should know:
!PLEASE NOTE: Developing and etching PCBs is a process that involves chemicals that can burn your skin, have hazardous neurotoxic fumes, can be absorbed into your bloodstream, and CANNOT be disposed of by dumping into ordinary sanitary drains. It should NEVER be done without powered ventilation or in an area accessible by children or pets. Of lesser but significant note is that it is common for these materials to wreak havoc on flooring, furniture, and especially on clothing. (Splash some etchant on your clothes and you might not notice until after you wash them that you suddenly have what looks like a shotgun blast through your jeans.) In short: don't fool with it unless you have proper facilities to do it right, and follow ALL safety cautions mentioned on the materials. You may well be better off to farm out the process to a commercial board maker; some are listed in this list of PCB Fabricators. New . . . you might also want to check with PCB-Quote Free multiple quotes for PCB Layout, Fabrication, Assembly. The E.E. Shop can also help you fabricate a printed circuit board: click here for details on what we need and where to get the photonegatives made.