PCB toner transfer stuff?

[Oznog]

I recently got a laser printer.
Now I was wondering about the toner transfer options here. I looked it up and saw the Press-N-Peel sheet system, the Pulsar system which uses a sheet to print and transfer the toner and then another green iron-on sheet which I guess fills in pinholes or whatever.

But apparently people have success with using laser transparencies, or just certain printer papers? Does this work ok? Are the 2 "pro" systems really useful or are they just digging for something they can put their name on so they can sell? Which of these is really the most practical?

 

[inaPICle]

I use the Pulsar stuff. I like it a lot.

The only problems I have had were making sure the board was totally clean and also that the laser printer toner didn't fuse at too high a temperature.

I have a brother laser printer and the toner in that will not work with Pulsar system, nor with any others that I know of, because the temperature needed is too high.

It works fine with my little HP Laserjet though.

I typically run .25mm traces with .25mm clearances on signal traces with no issues. Power traces obviously I make bigger. I usually need to spot a trace here and there with an etch resist pen where the toner sometimes leaves a little hole.

If you do a lot of board prototyping it works well. For finsihed projects that are actually going to get used on a day to day basis I will still get the boards made, but only after I have validated the design on my home fabbed PCB first.

inaPICle.

 

[DirtyLude]

I use the Staples photo paper, and I don't have any problems with it. I can't comment on the commercial alternatives, since I haven't had any need to try them out.

 

[Jay.slovak]

I use Press-n-Peel toner transfer film (blue coloured film) with good results. I suppose this method is ideal for prototyping (small cost, no chemicals, fast). But If I wanted to make more, I would go for Photo transfer or get the boards made by a pro.

 

[MrMikey83]

I too have never used a commercial product for this. I've tried transparencies and normal paper with varrying degrees of success.
What I found to work the best is a thin, glossy photo paper from staples. Once your design is printed, iron it on well, then soak it in water till the paper gets soft. I usually use an old toothbrush to get the paper off and then steel wool the toner off.
~Mike

 

[evandude]

I've had good luck with press-n-peel. i get better-looking traces than with photo paper (including the staples picture paper), and it's faster because there's no soaking or scrubbing like I had with the picture paper.

the pulsar system seems very similar, only the PnP system does it in one step... the blue coating on the transfer sheet is the same idea as that green stuff the pulsar system gives you, so you transfer both the toner and the adhered blue coating in one step. I'd be interested in trying the pulsar system sometime, but it looks like it's going to cost over $20 to get 10 transfer sheets plus the green TRF film, which is a bit more than PnP, plus it's more time consuming to use. I guess it'd have to provide some significant benefit for me to switch over.