Matt, There have been some great notes on this and I also recommend you learn to lay it out yourself. Another option besides EAGLE is EXPRESSPCB.com. The software is free to download and you can get three 2.5"x3.8" non-solder mask, non-silkscreen boards for $59 including shipping. I use it often for quick prototypes. They now offer 4 layers also but I'm not sure if this is included in the $59 price or not. Matt Redmond wrote: Hi All, Within a month (or two or three) I'll be done with the design of a device I'd like to have turned into a finished board. I've got a buddy in the board-making business & I'll have him make the board for me - but he doesn't design them - just works from gerbers. My board will be about 1.25" by 3.5", 2-layer. It will consist of an MCU, several other ICs (all SMT), a few pin headers and a handful of smaller components. The board itself is bigger than it needs to be due to some mechanical requirements - the circuit itself is fairly simple. My questions: 1. If I hand someone a schematic, how much might I expect to pay to have the board designed? Cheap is good - I wish I could find a talented hobbyist or student to do this for me... 2. I don't have any board design experience - how does one spec component packages/sizes to maximize cost-effectiveness, availability & flexibility? ...or does the guy designing the board handle that? -matt redmond -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body Chuck Hellebuyck Electronic Products chuck@elproducts.com **** Home of the BasicBoard Development Platform********* Great for learning, teaching and developing electronic, programmable robotics and other embedded applications. Starter packages from $149.95. http://www.elproducts.com --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body