Anyone who's used the free version of Eagle--how big were your boards, with how many components? I don't understand how anyone can live with it, yet people do.

Kicad seems pretty good, but I know hardly anything about it.

Re OrCAD, this video just makes me gape. But this is what you get for some really serious money:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C02D0_kNQeM

 

I was recently introduced to PCBartist and within one class I was able to create components and lay out the schematic and and board with relative ease. I don't know if anyone here has had experience with this software but I'm interested in hearing feedback from experienced designers on how this program measures up with the others. I would post a link but I am still under my 10 posts I mostly just like to come on here and read but if you google it it is in the top 2 links.

 

I'd never heard of PCBArtist but I looked it up, and what people say is that it's a captive of Advanced Circuits Inc, and you have to make your first order of any design from them. After that, they let you have the Gerber files (which are the standard for PCB designs, so you can take them anywhere). Of course, it's rare for a "first" board to be the final design, so you're likely to end up amending the board and going back to them again. It may be a good product, but you have to ask "What's in it for anyone who designs good stuff and gives it away?"

 

If you want something cheap and cheerful then look on ebay.
They range from a few pounds to £100.

You need to decide what you want from a PCB package.
Some are simple and just join the pins with tracks and others go much further with lots of error checking.

You can pay upto £10,000 for a pcb package.

 

I just got the DipTrace Non-Profit License, for FREE, up to 500 pins

Beyond that you have to pay, but the Non-Profit Licenses have pretty good prices:
http://diptrace.com/nonprofit.php

 

Salaam to all guys!
I'm a new student of electronics and i need help for pcb layout design. if any body have tutorials,links or ideas about layout design, plzz share

 

I think you should use Proteous.

 

which edition of Proteus did you buy?

 

So EAGLE ist the one to choose for someone who's just getting started?

Update: I found a freeware version called EAGLE light. Is this suitable starters?