I would like to present some definitions which will be helpful in understanding the purpose of this book. From The American Heritage Dictionary of the En­ glish Language: Engineer 1. A person who skillfully or shrewdly manages an enterprise. 2. To plan, construct, and manage, as an engineer. 3. To plan, manage, and put through by skillful acts, or contrivance. Engineering 1. The application of scientific principles to practical ends as the design, con­ struction, and operation of efficient and economical structures, equipment and systems. 2. The profession of, or work performed by an engineer. Some words encountered in the definitions of engineer and engineering are Skillfully, Plan, and Manage. This book is concerned with engineering the man­ ufacture of printed circuit boards, and is dedicated to those people engaged in designing, planning, manufacturing, and achieving quality assurance in printed circuits. In The Handbook of Printed Circuit Manufacturing (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1985), I presented detailed practical and theoretical information on the opera­ tions involved in manufacturing printed circuits. It is possible to perform each operation in an optimum fashion, and still leave room for improvement. Much of that room for improvement requires the skillful application of scientific prin­ ciples, planning, and management. It is the goal of this book to provide a sound background in industry standards and specifications, blueprint comprehension, artwork inspection, processes and tolerances, planning and quality assurance.