Laser-cut stainless
The default: accurate, inexpensive and quick to produce. Apertures are cut directly from the paste layer of the Gerber data.
Electroformed
Grown nickel foil with smooth walls and a tapered aperture, which improves release for very fine pitch and high paste volumes. It costs more and takes longer to order.
Step and micro-step
The foil is etched or milled to different thicknesses across the panel. Useful when component mix demands different paste volumes on one print.
Design inputs
Send the paste layer, the finest pitch and the stencil thickness you expect. If apertures are reduced from the pad (common for thermal pads and BGAs), state the reduction so the printer settings match the file.
