suggestion: Print in Negative (for DIY photoresist pcb technology)

[Fox_Alex]

It is a very old suggestion, and I am not first who asked it.

All experienced Eagle users know how to make negative prints through PS_INVERTED cam job or inverting colors in Photoshop. But it will be much easier if Eagle could make negative prints itself. Just another chekbox in print dialog and user gets a ready negative image for photoresist PCB technology.

[ikalafat]

I second this (desperately)!

Not to mention numerous questions and forum topics on this subject (just google "eagle negative print" or something like that  - dozens of results).

[jorge_garcia2]

Hi @ikalafat and @Fox_Alex,

I hope you're both doing well. I have written an enhancement request for this and added your comments to it.

As noted there are already ways of getting this output from EAGLE, but you requested and easy way and that's exactly what I wrote in the report.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[ikalafat]

Hi @jorge_garcia2,

Thank you for your effort - much appreciated.

Do you by any chance have public roadmap? It would be cool if we could see what features/feature requests (like this one) are being worked on currently 🙂

Thanks again.

[jorge_garcia2]

Hi @ikalafat,

I hope you're doing well. At this moment, we don't have a public roadmap but it is something we may consider in the future. Thank you for the suggestion.

Please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[ikalafat]

@jorge_garcia2 

It's been awhile since our last conversation. How are you these days?

I'm checking Eagle release notes every now-and-then, and I see some cool new features (flip the board is awesome). It is really great to see that development is going in faster pace.

I'm wondering do you have any insights/new info about possible implementation of "printing in negative" option? 

Thanks!

PS: I've worked in support team for one SaaS product for almost two years - I know that the customers like me can be pain in ass, so accept my apologies 🙂 

[jorge_garcia2]

Hi @ikalafat,

It's nice to hear you are a fellow tech support person. You know how hard this job can be at times but it's also very rewarding. On to your question, we are currently working on some changes to how EAGLE exports manufacturing data in an attempt to make it easier for users such as yourself.

I'll bring up this thread directly with the developer that's working on this.

Please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[ikalafat]

Hi @jorge_garcia2

Thank you for your reply.

Yeah, I agree, working in support can sometimes be hard, but it is rewarding. Especially if you come up to point where you establish friendly relationship with customers (I've got a few invitations for free beer if I ever visit USA :D)

Regarding data export question - sounds great! 

Thank you (again).

Best,
Ivan

[s.zambaldi]

Hello,

some one coul'd be fed up to see my posts but i think that to do a great sotware, user feedback or suggestion are usefull.

I make some prototipe on myself, printing a negative film.

Last versions have got a cam job to print negative PCB.

In 8.6 versions i don't find it.

I can export a PNG image with high number of pixel, and that has a problem, in Windos the prin is too big, with gimp the printed are OK.

It's not usefull, i'd like to choose negative print directly from Eagle, in print window.

It coul'd be usefull too, if i coul'd print postscript file.

Thank you

Silvio

[jorge_garcia2]

Hello Silvio,

I hope you're doing well. Don't worry, we love feedback and EAGLE is the better for it so feel free to give feedback.

Right now, you have to use the old cam jobs you created in 8.6. You can't create a legacy CAM job in the 8.6.0 series. We are working on replacing that functionality with something more streamlined. Stay tuned.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[sergey.drob]

So, it's been 2 years since the initial request. Could you guys refresh me on what do we have in 2019 Eagle to print the negative photo-stencils?

Today I utilized my previous century workflow, that consists of using especially installed 8.5.2 version to produce the Negative postscript, and some mid-90's utility to view the file and try to print it appropriately.

I am not doing this very often, so every time the procedure of printing takes an hour. Can you guys share your workflows?

P.S. For me it is just another checkbox in the "print options" near to "mirror". I think we deserve this 😉 

[edwin.robledo]

Hi sergey.drob,

Thank you for your patience and participation. I few versions ago, the development did add the option to generate a Negative of the Gerber RS-274x format. It would be possible to use this option, then print your file using a Gerber Viewer. 

I hope this idea helps. 

Best Regards,

Ed

[ikalafat]

@edwin.robledo thanks for the suggestion, but it still includes additional steps, which is annoying and time-consuming. 

I saw this long time ago, and found it again: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/eagle/eagle-negative-printing/
Based on that, in theory, it is definitely possible to have direct negative print without additional steps and intermediate files, such as Postscript and Gerber files.

From my point of view, it isn't some software limitation that blocks this, it is just a lack of will/time/resource(s) to do so (or combination of those factors) 

[sergey.drob]

Thanks Ed, this sounds like a fair deal 🙂

Can you guys share your preferred Gerber Viewer that you trust? (free or opensource)

[edwin.robledo]

Hi sergey.drob,

Thank you for joining the Autodesk Forum.  I usually use GerbV on my Linux box, it's fairly simple to use.  For Windows, Pentalogix makes a free one called ViewMate.  You will need to sign up with them to download it. A long time ago I used GerbTool by Wise Software, not sure if they offer a free version.

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Ed

[Eng.Ahmed-Osama-Ibrahim]

here we are after four years of your report and changing the software from Eagle to Fusion360 and the problem still. so disappointment. you know not all users has Photoshop to invert color. and using CAM process need also other app to print it even I don't know how after google for it. 

[ericlundie]

Hi all,

I also have been trying to find a simple way to produce a negative image that is accurate enough to use, to no avail.  

Any helpful information would be appreciated. 

Eric.