How to Design Multi-color Silkscreen using EasyEDA

JLCPCB is as one of the few PCB manufacturers capable of offering multi-color silkscreen services. To produce multicolor circuit board, a design incorporating multi-color silkscreens is essential. At present, our production process exclusively supports Gerber files featuring colored silkscreen layers that have been exported from EasyEDA Pro. In the following guide, we will walk you through the process of designing multi-color silkscreens using EasyEDA Pro, this includes importing color images, setting character colors, and exporting manufacturing files for orders through JLCPCB.

Enabling Color Silkscreen Printing

To begin, activate the "Use JLCPCB Color Silkscreen Process" option in the PCB settings:

Settings icon – PCB / Footprint – General – Using JLC color silkscreen technology

Importing Color Images

EasyEDA supports importing color images via the Top Menu – Place – Image. PNG and SVG vector image files are supported. In the import dialog, tick the option to place the image in original quality. If there isn't such an option, try uploading the image in another file format.

The image will automatically be placed on the top silkscreen layer, but you can move it to the document layer or the bottom silkscreen layer if needed.

Setting Component Silkscreen Colors

After selecting a component, you can set its silkscreen color in the right-side properties panel.

All lines, text, reference designators, and other silkscreen features belonging to the component will be printed in this color.

Setting Board Silkscreen Colors

Click on a blank space on the canvas to access the color silkscreen settings in the right-side properties panel.

Top/Bottom Side Board Colors: Default is white. Since the board requires color printing, a base color layer must be printed first, and this setting determines that base color.

Top/Bottom Side Silkscreen Colors: The default silkscreen colors, like reference designators and component outline silkscreens. If a component has an individually set silkscreen color, it will take precedence over this default.

Previewing Color Silkscreen

In the Top Menu – View – 2D/3D Preview, you can preview the color silkscreen and images. You must set Silkscreen Technology to Colorful Silkscreen in the right-side properties panel to see the effect of color printing.

Exporting Manufacturing Files

After completing the settings and editing the color silkscreen, export the color silkscreen production file. Open the Top Menu – Export – PCB Fabrication File (Gerber).

Tick the Silkscreen option to export color silkscreen and then export the Gerber files.

Note: If your color silkscreen board requires JLCPCB SMT service, ensure that the "Panelize" function has been set with edge rails. Otherwise, the color silkscreen will not be printed when you select SMT service.

Click "Set Technology Side", or access the Panelize menu from the Top Menu – Tools – Panelize. Choose the panelization method ("Stamp Hole"/ "V-CUT"), then enable process edges ("Create Technology Side"). The panel format can be 1(column)×1(row); or set other format if you need more quantities in a panel.

After exporting the Gerber, the Gerber zip file will include files specifically for JLCPCB multi-color silkscreen:

Ordering Multi-Color Circuit Board

You can place an order directly at EasyEDA, or uploading Gerber files generated from EasyEDA on JLCPCB quote page, you need to set the corresponding options in the JLCPCB ordering system to select multi-color silkscreen.

Multi-color silkscreen currently supports the following PCB specifications：

Then in the "Advanced Options", select "EasyEDA multi-color silkscreen" under Silkscreen Technology.

Important Notes for Multi-Color Silkscreen PCBs

EasyEDA color silkscreen production files are separate from Gerber. JLCPCB adjusts customer's Gerber files to ensure compatibility with our process conditions, but these adjustments do not carry over to color silkscreen files. If Gerber adjustments exceed our set error tolerance of 2 mm, your color silkscreen will not be included in the production files. Therefore, be mindful of the following design factors that may result in Gerber adjustments and therefore affect the production of color silkscreen:

Note: Please ensure that the PCB panel size is ≥ 70*70 mm if there is v-cut. For sizes smaller than this, please panel with mouse bites.

Edge Rails Settings for JLCPCB SMT Assembly: There are specific design requirements for edge rails if the panel will undergo SMT assembly at JLCPCB. If your design does not meet these standards, please adjust your edge rails. Exceeding the error tolerance in these adjustments can lead to multi-color silkscreen not being printed. Please ensure that panels submitted for SMT assembly conform to V-Cut Panelization Standards.

When the size is less than 70*70mm, our system will automatically add edge rails to enlarge the size, and our engineers will align the multi-color silkscreen on the board for you in this case. The edge rails are added with v-cut for regular shape PCB, but with mouse bite for irregular shape board.

EasyEDA Pro Panelize Settings: Currently, multi-color silkscreen is not well-supported by EasyEDA Pro's Panelize feature, as automatic panelization does not duplicate multi-color silkscreen content. The multi-color silkscreen Gerber exported will only have data on the master board, and other boards will not contain multi-color silkscreen files (as shown in the image – the right image is the design preview, the left is the actual production image).