Its a strange idea and way off topic but here goes. If the moderator want to pull this no problem! { Yes I am a card carrying nut! ;) )
While crusing for Cybiko units over the last two weeks I saw a new very small hp photo printer. Not unusual but looks like it has a straight path through it! Here is the description:
/http://products.hp-at-home.com/products/detail.php?id=C8441A&j=1
Ok here is the idea. Instead of feeding photopaper through you feed a cleaned blank pcboard through. It deposits ink where you want to keep the copper. Just as if you drew, photo or toner it on. If it could work, would be great for some of these fix up projects we are all cook up here.
The key items are, if it can take a board, resolution good enough for small traces and if the ink could take the abuse of hot etching. Be nice if it is pigmented ink since that means it has supended particles for the color. If it work then it could go back through one last time to put labels and a coating on the copper.
Most send off and receive board places cost around 100. The printer is 179. Would pay for it self after a few boards.
Now if HP or one of the others would pop out a cartridge that had copper suspended like pigmented inks then you could roll out a circuit on anything. I know they have food color ones now for printiable picture on cakes.
Well it just an idea. :)
