Technical Guidance: Character Design Specifications
3 min
- 1. Character Size Parameters:
- 2. Character-to-Solder-Pad Distance:
- 3. Treatment of Characters on Copper Surface:
- 4. Treatment of Characters on Substrate:
- 5. Special Character Design Instructions:
In order to facilitate component assembly, future maintenance, and traceability of PCB manufacturing information such as the manufacturer and production date, various characters are typically silk-screened onto the PCB.
Traditional PCB character silk-screening is produced using a screen printing method (hence the term "silk-screen characters"). In addition to the standard "silk-screen characters," JLCPCB also offers options like "high-definition characters" and "high-precision characters," which can be selected by the customer in the ordering interface. The differences are as follows:
1. Character Size Parameters:
The character line width and character height should be proportionate. There should be an appropriate gap between characters, and linear character widths are preferred over outlined character widths.
❶ Standard Font: Character stroke width ≥ 0.15 mm, character height ≥ 1 mm (high-precision characters supports a minimum character stroke width of 0.1 mm and a minimum character height of 0.8 mm).
❷ Hollow Font: Character stroke width ≥ 0.2 mm, character height ≥ 1.5 mm.
[Special Note] If the dimensions fall below these parameters, JLCPCB's engineering team will not adjust the character height in the files, but they may adjust the character width appropriately. Complaints related to unclear or blurry characters due to exceeding production capabilities will not be accepted.
2. Character-to-Solder-Pad Distance:
Characters should not overlap solder pads. Characters should be at least 0.15mm away from solder pads, with a gap of more than 0.15mm between character lines.
[Special Note] If the distance is less than this parameter, JLCPCB's engineering team will directly remove the characters on top of solder pads to avoid issues like solder bridging during SMT assembly. Complaints about characters missing due to this will not be accepted.
3. Treatment of Characters on Copper Surface:
Characters over exposed copper, tinned or gold-plated, will be removed directly.
4. Treatment of Characters on Substrate:
Characters on substrates with no copper (whether with or without ink), will be retained entirely.
5. Special Character Design Instructions:
To avoid interfering with component assembly, characters overlapping with solder pads or copper areas should prioritize exposed copper solder pads or copper areas (meaning the removal of characters from the copper surface). For customers with specific character requirements, you must ensure that the characters are printed on exposed copper solder pads or copper areas. Please make clear remarks when placing your order and confirm the production draft for the final result.
Example: Please specify in remarks “allow characters XXX to overlap with the solder pad.”
Once again, without specific instructions when placing the order, characters overlapping with solder pads or copper areas within 0.15mm will be removed.
Attention to these details is crucial, so make sure to communicate these requirements to your PCB design team. Don't simply provide files without conveying this information. The image below is an example of the default process where CAM engineering directly removes the corresponding characters in the window area.
Image shows the comparison between the original draft and the production draft.
Keep Learning
Border Layer Thickness: Impact on PCB Dimensions and V-Grooves
Key Takeaways The line width of the Border Layer has no impact on final PCB dimensions or V-groove (V-cut) characteristics. At JLCPCB, all routing and scoring operations reference the centerline of the Mechanical Layer outline, ensuring consistent board size with ±0.1mm precision and uniform 25° V-cuts regardless of whether you use 0.1mm or 1.0mm lines. Understanding this centerline principle allows designers to focus on visibility and clarity in EDA tools while achieving reliable, high-precision manu......
Best Practices for Successful Electronic Manufacturing
Key Takeaways Mastering best practices in electronic manufacturing — from optimized PCB design and DFM to rigorous testing, verification, and high-quality production — is essential for achieving reliable, cost-effective, and timely electronic products. By following proven methodologies, leveraging advanced tools like EasyEDA, and partnering with a trusted manufacturer such as JLCPCB, designers and engineers can significantly reduce errors, accelerate time-to-market, and ensure superior performance acr......
Via Filling Explained: Key Techniques, Benefits, and Solutions for High-Performance PCBs
Key Takeaways Via filling completely fills plated through-holes and microvias with epoxy or conductive copper paste, followed by planarization and copper capping (POFV). It eliminates voids, solder wicking, and thermal/mechanical issues while enabling reliable via-in-pad designs. Benefits include superior heat dissipation (up to 8 W/m·K), better signal integrity, higher mechanical strength, and improved assembly yields. JLCPCB provides free non-conductive filling + POFV on 6+ layer boards. Ideal for H......
Achieving Clean PCB Separation: The Benefits of Professional Depaneling
Key Takeaways Clean depaneling is a critical final step: a poor split can cause microcracks, trace/solder-joint damage, delamination, and rough edges. Choose the method early based on outline, material/thickness, component edge clearance, volume, and required edge quality—V-scoring for fast straight cuts, routing for complex shapes, and laser for fragile or edge-constrained designs—with IPC criteria guiding controls and inspection. Have you ever broken a PCB off a panel and found rough edges, small cr......
How to Choose the Right Prepreg Material for Reliable Multilayer PCB
Have you ever wondered what makes all those copper layers stick to a cross-section of a multilayer PCB? Prepreg material is the answer, and it is of much more importance than most engineers think it is. Choose the prepreg selection wrong, and you are predetermined to delamination, impedance drift, and long-term reliability problems. Prepreg is not only glue. It is a designed composite that determines your dielectric separation, dictates your impedance, affects signal loss, and determines your board be......
PCB Basic 3: Understanding PCB Manufacturing Processes
Welcome to the third installment of our PCB Basics series. In this article, we will unravel the step-by-step process of PCB manufacturing, guiding you through each stage with clarity and precision. Join us as we embark on this educational journey and discover how JLCPCB's advanced manufacturing capabilities and technology together with unparalleled commitment to quality assurance can elevate your PCB designs to the next level. Substrate Selection: Laying the Foundation One of the critical steps in PCB......