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Toner Transfer Papers

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mvs sarma

Well-Known Member
INDIA

As of now I am able to do near perfect toner transfer. After ironing, I am just able to peel off the paper.

I use DESMAT brand 175gsm KLIK id Photo paper being sold in India as a 20 sheet packet that has list price for less than $4 equivalent. Indian ebay has them even cheaper. See the link below for details.
**broken link removed**
 
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While it may be convenient to buy the paper...I have never done so. Being on the green side I use paper from magazines only. Once photography is important to a mag u get good (clay content) paper to reuse.
Thus the majority of Women's mags, like Style, Seventeen, Oprah, Better Homes, Women's Health, Elle, then u have the other quality mags like Nat Geo, Smithsonian, Astronomy. You get an enormous amount of pages in magazines like Style, one mag. might last you a year, unless u want text only pages to use.

Don't use the paper in the giveaway catalogs like Parts Express, Harbor Freight, Jameco and so on....you get a 50% failure rate. Avoid paper that has dark images. Light coloured pics and text work the best for me.
 
I haven't tried with mag papers
Even i heard this first time.
But will it not be a problem as mag papers are very thin at least in INDIA.
I USE JK photo papers for toner transfer
these papers also work very good
I will also try with magazine
Regards
aslamshaikh42
 
The paper I've used with great success are both govt brochures and the ones salesmen give me at work, the otherday the guy from BSC was around I got 6 brochures off him. He did ask why I wanted so many and I told him straight. What I have found using these glossy brochures is after ironing the paper will stick. All I do is soak in warm water for about 10 minutes and the bulk of the paper will simply fall off. Now for the stuff left between the tracks I simply rub them with my finger under the water and anything left releases pretty easy. I use a xerox laser printer and it won't give a dark enough resolution for UV so I needed to do 2 copies then align and stick them together for the UV to work. However, printing onto the glossy paper I get a nice deep coat of toner and I was totally surprised how well it worked.

Regards Bryan
 
I use the paper they cut shapes out of in schools(very thin, glossy and lots of colors). Works the same way as bryan said except it doesn't get printed on directly(dont have my own printer and nobody else lets me put it through theirs), have to tape the sides to an A4 and than send it through the printer. Works like a charm. Have done SOIC8 footprints too and tracks of .016 inches.
 
I would like to condense this thread into a list of specific papers. There are several vague descriptions in the thread. What is perfectly clear to you may make no sense at all outside your country. Please provide country, and product or magazine names if at all possible. The following is a first draft.

The mechanism behind transfer paper.


Transfer paper needs to do two things.

  • It needs to hold the toner in place to allow you to laminate or iron it to the PCB.
  • It needs to release the toner once lamination is complete. With most paper this is done by wetting the paper.
Most paper is very good at holding the toner but can not easily release the toner because it has seeped in between the paper fibers.

Material like aluminum foil, wax paper, and velum are so slick the toner moves or falls off during the transfer process.

Suggested Papers

1 DESMAT brand 175gsm KLIK id Photo paper

INDIA: mvs_sarma:

As of now I am able to do near perfect toner transfer. After ironing, I am just able to peel off the paper.

Sold in India as a 20 sheet packet that has list price for less than $4 equivalent. Indian ebay has them even cheaper. See the link below for details.**broken link removed**

Demos and HowTo's
 
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I feel DESMAT is a German based company and thus the product may be available across the world. This is the Indian retailers location.

**broken link removed**
 
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I have used Photo paper with Good results.
You have to soak it in water to get it off.
I haven't had any good results by peeling it dry.

jer :)
 
pls can someone tell me how to print an actual pcb layout from a protues and how to stick it to the board and how to make the etching step by step pls
 
you better select the layers you need to print. you have to select back color for all like tracks , pads and VIAs. Then create a PDF at 1:1 ratio. in our case for single sided through hole components, we need solder layer alone and pads andVIAs used for jumpers. this PDF can form a base for further printing.

While printing, deselect the "adjust to page " feature. select suitable A4 or letter size paper. configure your printer for darkest print possible. Set the paper thickness feature as it helps the temperature setting needed for thicker paper.

most important, while designing pcb, add some text on solder layer like name of board. if the layer printed in pdf looks mirrored, it is fine. but if proteous doesn't do it, you need to mirror while printing by defining at printer.

never touch the surface of paper or the post printed areas of the same, by hand. preserve in a magazine or some thing till you go for toner transfer.



balance toner transfer method, there are lots of youtube videos do demonstrate. it needs to have skill and patience.


warning: don't allow children or ignorant persons near the iron, laminator, and / or the ferric chloride. yourself need to take precautions with chemicals.
once etching is completed, toner removal is easily done using NC thinner #14 sold in paint houses.
 
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I feel DESMAT is a German based company and thus the product may be available across the world. This is the Indian retailers location.
**broken link removed**
Ebay item is sold off . perhaps we can safely remove the www.ebay.in link now.
**broken link removed**

The product description says "Inkjet" so did it cause any issues at all in laser printer ?
 
You are right. I used them with HP LaserJet P1007 printer set for darkest mode and the paper selected to highest GSM 150 (grams per sq inch) , instead of plain paper.

these settings or similar settings work well.
 
I'm gradually working up to my first attempt at toner transfer. I don't think I've ever seen the "ordinary waxed paper" described. Will greaseproof paper or baking parchment do the job?
 
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