PCB Toner Transfer Mask Maker: Everything You Need to Know

What a PCB toner transfer mask maker is for

Etching at home with toner transfer or photoresist needs the copper printed black on white, exactly 1:1 and mirrored the right way for each side. The PCB etching mask maker does that, with drill holes left as centring dots.

Where most converters let you down

Plenty of tools will happily take your file and give you something back. The trouble is what they give you: many need a desktop EDA install, or produce artwork that breaks the board house’s minimum line widths. You only find out later, when the file will not cut, print, import or open the way you expected.

What you actually want is board files you can see, check and send to a manufacturer. That is the standard this PCB toner transfer mask maker is built to.

How to use the PCB toner transfer mask maker in 6 steps

Download the etch mask and print it at 100% on a laser printer, darkest setting, on glossy paper.
Measure the 50 mm scale bar. Scrub the copper with steel wool and degrease it with alcohol.
Lay the print toner side down on the copper and iron or laminate it for 3 to 5 minutes until evenly yellowed.
Soak in warm water and roll the paper off. Touch up any gap with a permanent marker.
Etch in warm ferric chloride or sodium persulfate, rocking the tray, until the bare copper is gone.
Remove the toner with acetone, drill at the white dots, and tin the copper.

Open the PCB toner transfer mask maker

Why Veconvert is the better PCB toner transfer mask maker

Read to the specification. Checked against gerbv and KiCad output.
Real size. Everything at 1:1 in millimetres.
No install. No EDA suite needed to view, convert or make board art.
Nothing uploaded. An unreleased board stays on your computer.

What happens to your file

Gerber and drill files are read in your browser to the specification: apertures, macros, arcs, regions, polarity and step-and-repeat, checked against gerbv and KiCad. Layers are stacked and drawn as the board will look.

The conversion runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded: client work, statements and unreleased designs stay on your computer.

Getting the best result: mistakes to avoid

Print on glossy paper with a laser printer, and clean the copper with fine abrasive and alcohol before transferring.
Keep lines at least 0.15 mm (6 mil) wide for most board houses; check yours.
High-contrast, simple artwork gives the cleanest copper.
Always open the files in the manufacturer’s own Gerber viewer before ordering.

What it costs

Yes, converting is free: the conversion and checking the result cost nothing, and the work runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. The side-by-side preview on the converter pages comes with a free account. Saving the finished file is paid: $3.49 for one file ($3.99 for a technical file such as DXF, G-code, STL or embroidery) with no account needed, or included in a plan from $6.99 a month.

You see the result before you spend anything, so you only pay for a file you are happy with.

Frequently asked questions

Should I mirror the top or the bottom layer?

Mirror the top copper layer for toner transfer. Do not mirror the bottom: Gerber already shows it from the top, which is mirrored compared with looking at the bottom. This page sets it for each layer.

What is the smallest track I can etch at home?

With toner transfer, 0.3 mm is about the limit and 0.4 mm or more is reliable. Photoresist can do 0.2 mm. A board house does 0.15 mm (6 mil) or less.

Is it free?

Is my file uploaded?