Printing Full Color PCB Artwork using PCBWay

Introduction

Recent advancements in PCB manufacturing now allow for full-color printing directly on PCB material. The technology used is UV printing technology.

Full-color prints are particularly useful for electronic projects that don't require an enclosure, such as front panel designs and standalone circuit board projects.

In this project, I designed a custom name-card conference badge using KiCad, featuring a vibrant, full-color image background. I will also show you the process of creating your own full-color PCB design.

Choose Board Outline and Base Image

The first step is decide on a board outline and size. It is best to decide on it as the first step because this is difficult to change later on once you start laying out the PCB

I used GIMP to design this. However, any image editing software too as long as you can export the following formats: AI, PDF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, etc.

This design is inspired by a retro colorful theme, with my name font pasted on top. The board outline is interesting as it is an odd shape around the alphabets, which will show off the capabilities of the PCB manufacturing.

With this design ready, I removed the surrounding and cropped it only to the design itself. Additionally, for the manufacturer to align it properly onto your PCB, the outline of the board must be marked out clearly. So I chose to set the cutout areas toa transparent region. Finally, I exported it as a PNG file at 1200dpi.

Creating Double-Sided Images

I decided I want a double sided printing, so there needs to be Top and Bottom images.

First, we flip the top image so that the outline is kept consistent.

Next, I modified it for a different design, which includes some example test patterns to check the color, text resolution and alignment.

Similarly, I exported it at 1200dpi and PNG format. As long as the outline is kept the same, you can make any modifications later on too.

Prepare your KiCad schematic

I prepared a simple schematic mainly consisting of a screen to display my name card.

Now we are ready to start the PCB.

Import image into KiCad PCB Editor

KiCad has a feature to import the image. Go to: Place > Add Reference Image.

If your DPI settings has been correct, it should import nicely at the correct scale. If not, you may need to scale it down manually.

Next, I drew the board outline around the image on the Edge.Cuts layer.

I also imported the Bottom image and placed it at the side for reference

Routing the PCB

On the right panel, you can lower the transparency or hide the image to make it easier to view.

Route the PCB as per normal.

This is how my PCB looks like in the 3D Viewer. Note: The built-in 3D view is unable to display with the image overlay for now.

Overlay Silkscreen Information (Optional)

The UV printing images will have higher precedence over the Gerber silkscreen. So if you require the silkscreen designators, you must export it from KiCad and manually put it into your image.

Go to: File > Export > SVG

• Front: Choose F.Silkscreen & Edge.Cuts
• Back: Choose B.Silkscreen & Edge.Cuts
• (Board area only)

The SVG looks like this. You can copy this into your images.

You can import it into your image and align it like this.

However, I decided not to have silkscreen information because I want my artwork to appear clean. Therefore this step is optional.

Exporting the Gerber

You can use PCBWay plugin to export the Gerber as zip file.

Install the Fabrication Toolkit Plugin.

Click on the icon in the PCB Editor,

It will immediately generate the gerber zip file.

Packaging the Image & Gerber together

To make it easy to understand during manufacturing, please name PNG file name with "Top" and "Bottom". You may also include the dpi or other relevant information.

My files look like this and the whole folder is zipped up.

Submit it on PCBWay

Click on Quick-order PCB and upload your zip file there.

For UV Printing, I choose the following parameters:"White" soldermask base and "Double-sided" UV printing.

• If you need single-sided UV printing, the silkscreen color "White" or "Black" is for the normal silkscreen on the other side.
• But for double-sided printing, the normal silkscreen will not show up, so choose "None"

Click on "Place Order" and wait for the quotation to finalize.

Because I left in both the UV printing images and the normal gerber silkscreen in the zip file, there was an email sent to me to ask for my clarification.

After accepting it, the file was ready for payment and production. This process took less than 1 hour.

Timeline & Delivery

The process has been relatively smooth for me. Shipping to Singapore was fast.

• 13 Feb - Submitted production files
• 17 Feb - Received images of test prints

• 21 Feb - Orders have been shipped
• 24 Feb - Parcel has arrived in destination country (SF Express)

Inspecting the PCBs

On first impression the PCBs have good color accuracy and a matt finish. The masking around the solder pads have a sight offset but it not noticable unless you zoom in.

Conclusion

Wrapping up, I soldered all the components and also include the lanyard holder.

The final product looks like this, with my name card display.

I am very impressed with the new technology and it will be fun for more projects in the future.