Obviously you'll need some form of an Epson inkjet printer probably of the C80 family as those are the ones I have seen modifications to in the past. So all that being said let's start with the tools and materials you'll need for this project: Hopefully this Instructable can serve as just that. I really tried to go into detail on everything I did in this process and the problems I had to troubleshoot because from looking around online there have been a few people who have done these modifications before, but no one really seems to have given a very good in-depth step by step build guide. Since I've been working on my own website ( I've documented everything about the project and thought it would be good to put it multiple places so hopefully numerous people can see it and try something new for themselves. As you'll notice that webpage is centered around an Epson C84 printer, but Epson printers are all somewhat similar so I decided to try this method on the C86 I had lying around the house. This sentiment got me exploring new ideas for PCB creation which is the topic of this project.Ībout a year and a half ago I found this webpage on modifying an Epson inkjet printer into a printer capable of printing on thicker materials such as copper clad board used by hobbyists such as myself to create custom circuit boards. I’m not a fan of hit or miss I like to know something is going to work every time I try to do it. The specific pressure of the iron and timing both make it a hit or miss approach. While the toner transfer method has been my go to in the past it’s just not nearly as consistent as I would like it to be. I like being able to design something based on what I want in a circuit and just making it myself on the random weekend. Recently one of my focuses has been to find a way to make the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) creation process easier.
SEE STEP 12 FOR NEW RESULTS AND AN ETCHING/PROJECT UPDATE!