BROWSER TOOL / IMAGE TO GERBER
PCB Art Studio.
Your picture, on a real board.
Drop in an image or start from a template, add your own text, crop it to your board, decide which tones become copper, gold, solder mask or white print, and see the finished board before you order it. Design the front and the back separately. Business cards, badges, coasters or wall art: download the Gerber files and upload them to your PCB maker. Your image stays on your device.
HOW IT WORKS
Four materials.
One picture.
A circuit board is made of only a few visible materials. PCB Art Studio sorts your image into tones and gives each tone one of them.
Solder mask over bare board
The darkest look: the coloured lacquer sits directly on the board.
Solder mask over copper
The same colour, a shade brighter, because copper shines through the mask.
Exposed metal
No mask, so the copper is plated: gold with ENIG, silver with HASL.
Silkscreen and bare board
White (or black) print on top, or bare board material with nothing on it.
FROM FILE TO BOARD
Ready to order.
The ZIP uses the common Gerber layer names that board makers recognise. Every board is a two-layer board: artwork on the front, and on the back if you want.
The back is designed the way you see it after turning the board over; the bottom files are mirrored for the maker automatically.
Copper stays 0.3 mm away from the edge.
Every download passes a manufacturing check: lines and gaps thinner than 0.15 mm are widened automatically, so the files fit the minimums of JLCPCB and PCBWay.
Download the Gerber ZIP
Pick your shape, crop your images and choose tones and colours for each side. Then download. Nothing is uploaded while you design.
Upload it to a board maker
For example JLCPCB, PCBWay or Aisler. Keep the ZIP as it is and check their Gerber viewer before ordering.
Match the preview
Choose the same solder mask colour and, if you used exposed metal, ENIG for gold or HASL for silver. Pick the option to leave out the order number so the maker does not print it on your art.
GOOD TO KNOW
Art first,
not electronics.
These boards have no circuit. They are made to look good. Thin lines and very small dots are where things can go wrong, so start with a bold image and the Balanced detail setting.
Makers print the colours slightly differently, so treat the preview as a close guide. The order notes in the ZIP list the settings you previewed.
QUESTIONS
A few answers.
Is PCB Art Studio free?
Yes. Designing and downloading the Gerber ZIP is free and needs no account. You only pay the board maker when you order boards.
Are my images uploaded?
No. Your images are read, cropped and turned into Gerber files on your device, in the browser tab. The browser only downloads this page and its code from this website.
What is inside the Gerber ZIP?
Copper, solder mask and silkscreen layers for the front, mirrored bottom layers when the back has artwork, the board outline, optional non-plated mounting holes and order notes with the settings you previewed.
Where can I order the board?
At any maker that accepts Gerber files, for example JLCPCB, PCBWay or Aisler. Upload the ZIP unchanged, check their Gerber viewer and choose the same solder mask colour and metal finish (ENIG for gold, HASL for silver).
Can I add my own text?
Yes. Add as many lines of text as you like on each side, pick the font and size, and choose whether it is printed, made of metal or copper, or cut out of the mask. Text can run straight, turned or along an arc on round boards. Drag it on the board to place it, or start from a template for a business card, badge, coaster or bookmark.
Which images work best?
Logos, drawings and bold, high-contrast pictures. Lines thinner than 0.15 mm are widened automatically so the maker can produce them, so very fine detail gets a little bolder.
Does the board work as a circuit?
No. The boards are decorative art with no circuit. They use real PCB materials, so they look like a real board.