Has anyone used a photo-resist method of PCB etching that includes a spray-can of photo-resist that is applied to any plain copper-clad PCB stock? I hadn't heard of it until I saw it mentioned on an electronics blog recently. The developer was NaOH, IIRC, and the UV source shouldn't be too hard to come by.
If you have used it, did it work well for you?
What about using inkjet printed transparencies as the mask? Is the ink dense enough to make a good mask?
I've had some trouble with the iron-on method lately because my latest batch of PCB stock is fairly textured instead of nice and smooth. The copper is thin and the cloth in the fiberglass substrate has telescoped through.
Many many years ago (well in 1968) I used a liquid photo resist. I applied it by pouring it on the board while attached to a motor, rather like a very high speed gramophone record. It was then left to dry in a dark box.
This worked well and a few years later there was the spray can version which also worked. The problem with the spray was getting it even without it puddling.
Now the ready coated is so much easer to use.
Hope that helps.
I get good mileage out of printing on OHP material (transparent plastic) with inkjet or laser and then using that with pre coated PCB boards with a UV table.
I have been using OHP transparencies with a laser printer for many years and I have found that different films from different manufacturers make a lot of difference to the quality & opacity of the printout, maybe the same with inkjets.
I read on the net somewhere about using tracing paper to produce PCB artwork so I tried it and it worked.
The printer produces a nice clear black image on paper and the price is a fraction of the OHP transparencies.