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46 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2025 Driving Innovation by Simon Khesin, Schmoll America Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure My first camera used Kodak film. I even experimented with developing photos in the bathroom, though I usually dropped the film off at a Kodak center and received the prints two weeks later, only to discover that some images were out of focus or poorly framed. Today, ever y smartphone contains a high-quality camera capable of producing stunning images instantly. Since the early 2000s, a similar transformation has been unfolding in the PCB industr y: the advancement of direct imaging (DI) technology. In this article, I'll examine this ongoing shift by comparing direct imaging with conventional exposure across several key criteria. Figures 1 and 2: Sample of exposure photoresist on Schmoll MDI.