toner paper

[nye]

this is in addition to my previous post on PCBs...my electronic shop gav me a sheet of paper when i bought a PCB making kit...(the kit uses stickers)so i would like to know whether the paper they hav given me is Toner Paper or whether the paper i hav will be a good enough replacement..it is a clear sheet of glossy type paper which is sort of pasted on a piece of thick paper..i tried peeling off at the edges but couldn't...then along the line on which i folded it i was able to peel it off..the clear sheet is sticky, but the paper on which it is pasted is not oily like the sheet os a sticker...so is this toner paper??or if it is not can i still use it instead??

 

[mramos1]

Lost me on that one. Are you tring to to toner transfer to copper clad to make a PCB? Most picture and some photo papers work fine.

Make sure you iron it well..

 

[nye]

yes im tryin to do toner transfer..so i want to know whether the paper i hav is toner paper..

 

[mramos1]

Do you have to use that sheet? Not sure why it would have clear on it. I have heard of others using transparent film as well..

 

[HarveyH42]

I doubt your paper is for toner transfer, sounds more like some kind of label paper. The toner transfer paper I use has a water soluable coating, gets wet and seperates easy from the toner. Other papers work, but you have to soak longer (much longer), and usually have to scrub some paper off and do a little touch up with a pen.

 

[nye]

i hav neard some ppl sayin they use magazine paper also..so the options are toner paper,magazine paper,photo paper stuff like tht??problem is im not sure wht toner paper is called in my country

 

[HarveyH42]

Maybe this will help... Toner is a kind of plastic, you printer melts it and fuses it to paper. "Toner Transfer Paper" holds the toner in place until you re-melt the toner and fuse it to another surface (copper PCB, in our case, but it works on coffee mugs too...). The special "Toner Transfer Paper" has a coating that disolves completely in water, and releases the toner to the new surface that it is now fused with.

Google "Toner Transfer Paper", and you might find a source for your country, or atleast some examples of brands and uses to look for locally.

For injet paper, photo paper, magazine paper, overhead transparencies, and so on, many people swear they get great results. Transfer paper is a little pricey, but it comes off clean and easy, and doesn't require practice or trial and error. Acetone removes toner very quick and easy, so experimenting with whatever paper you can get, isn't that big a deal.

You never mentioned how you plan to transfer the toner from paper to PCB... This will start something here...
I use a cheap surplus hot laminator (about $20 US), get good results when the copper is cleaned well (should really invest in some gloves, bad fingerprint habit...). Many people use an ordinary household clothes iron, takes practice and some experimenting (everytime you use different type paper). I guess I just didn't stick with it long enough. I only got two boards out of many tries that way, before I bought the laminator( not the most patient man).

 

[Hayato]

I use couché papers to toner transfer.

Couché papers are those ones used for making high-quality ads, they are very smooth/glossy/satin.
And they melt easily in warm water.

They look like glossy paper, but they are lighter (glossy paper is very heavy).

 

[mramos1]

I tried the magazine paper once, but it was too thin and my laser ate it and I have to pull it all out.. Cheap picture paper has been best for me. Lexmark (I thought did not work well as it was hard to get off). Later I found let it soak 10+ minutes and it will fall off.. I have a sheet if fancy office paper with a shine I will try for my next board. But Staples and Lexmark paper work very well. No experimenting, iron it good and let it soak. My problem was I did not let it sock long enough and used a toothbrush to get the gloss film off, do not need to use a brush now.