Getting PCBs printed from DXF files (or Ultiboard files)

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So I have the student edition of Ultiboard, which can't export Gerber files, only DXF, pdf, NC Drill etc.

Does anyone know of a service that will print boards from .dxf? I found one (Sunstone) which will accept Ultiboard project files, but the quote came to $40/unit which is way more than I'm willing to pay. Is there anything out there that is relatively cheap that can print from .dxf or .ewbproj files?
 
I saw that page. Unfortunately the conversion software that it links to is only a trial version and I was hoping for a more permanent solution without spending more money than I need to.

I may end up just using the free trial for now, but that's not exactly the solution I was looking for.

Maybe I should just use ExpressPCB or another free PCB design software in the future instead of Ultiboard. However, at the moment I have layouts made in Ultiboard and I'd rather not spend the time remaking them.
 
Maybe I should just use ExpressPCB or another free PCB design software in the future instead of Ultiboard.
However, at the moment I have layouts made in Ultiboard and I'd rather not spend the time remaking them.

I would find another pcb program that can import Ultiboard files, and generate Gerbers from that.
Someone at a local university might be able to help you.
 
Maybe I should just use ExpressPCB or another free PCB design software in the future instead of Ultiboard.

ExpressPCB suffers from a similar problem. The software is incredibly easy to use, but it will not generate Gerber files. The only way to get them is to pay a rather high fee to ExpressPCB and have them generate the files for you. As far as I know, their software forces you to have them make your boards (unless some other board maker accepts their file type, but I am aware of none). Their boards are decently priced, though you can certainly find cheaper around.

EDIT: I have read that PCB Artist, another free PCB design utility which is almost as easy to use as ExpressPCB, will generate Gerber files for free, although I have not tried this myself.
 
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As far as I know, their software forces you to have them make your boards (unless some other board maker accepts their file type, but I am aware of none). Their boards are decently priced, though you can certainly find cheaper around.
Hardly surprising is it? A big problem if they close down etc. Similar problems occur with commercial pcb software that gets abandoned or you cannot afford to maintain access to.
KiCad really is free and generates industry standard Gerber. I have been trapped by proprietary software formats too often, so I switched to save future pain
 
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