JR North wrote:
Your experience is in no way unique. I have had countless projects where
I needed something done-the places capable of doing it treat you like
you're crazy if the project goes .001" outside their normal routine.
Example: I needed some 4"X8" copper faced circuit boards screen printed
with my traces. Had all the necessary prints for scanning ready to go. 3
shops looked at me like I just dropped in from Venus. This was in no
way a difficult thing for them to do. Idiots...

PC board shops are all digital, now. Practically none of them have an
enlarging camera, darkroom, etc. like they did in the OLD days of the
1960s, when artwork came in on mylar sheets with black crepe tape and
little pre-cut donut pads. If you can't send them a set of Gerber
files, they just don't know what to do with it. The screen printed
overlay is all generated digitally, the same way. They literally don't
have a procedure or the equipment for going from physical artwork to the
silk screen, anymore.

Jon