Editing Gerber format (section)

{{short description|Standard file format used for designing printed circuit boards}}
{{Primary sources|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox file format
| name = Gerber format
| logo = [[File:GbrX2_128x128_white_bg.png]]
| genre = [[Image file formats|Image file format]]
| extension = {{mono|.gbr}}
| mime = application/vnd.gerber
| type code = 
| uniform type = com.ucamco.gerber.image
| owner = [[Ucamco]]
| latest release version = Revision 2023.08
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2023|08|30|df=yes}}
| released = {{start date and age|1980|08|27|df=yes}}
| standard = Gerber Format Specification
| url = https://www.ucamco.com/en/gerber
}}

The '''Gerber format''' is an [[open format|open]], [[ASCII]], [[file formats#Vector formats|vector format]] for [[printed circuit board]] (PCB) designs.<ref name="OffWebsite">{{cite web |url=https://www.ucamco.com/en/gerber | title = Official website}}</ref> It is the [[de facto standard|''de facto'' standard]] used by PCB industry software to describe the printed circuit board images: copper layers, solder mask, legend, drill data, etc.<ref name="Williams2004">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SoA4koYHRxsC |title=Build your own printed circuit board |author-last=Williams |author-first=Al |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill Professional]] |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-07-142783-8 |page=121 |access-date=2011-04-02}}</ref><ref name="Schroeder1998">{{cite book |author-last=Schroeder |author-first=Chris |title=Printed circuit board design using AutoCAD |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y_3R9GTLBJcC&pg=PA191 |access-date=2011-04-02 |date=1998 |publisher=Newnes |isbn=978-0-7506-9834-4 |page=283}}</ref><ref name="Blackwell2000">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D0PBG53PQlUC |title=The electronic packaging handbook |author-last=Blackwell |author-first=Glenn R. |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-8493-8591-9 |chapter=5.18 |access-date=2011-04-02}}</ref>
The standard file extension is <code>.GBR</code> or <code>.gbr</code><ref name="OffWebsite" /> though other extensions like <code>.GB</code>, <code>.geb</code> or <code>.gerber</code> are also used.   It is documented by The Gerber Layer Format Specification and some related (but less universally supported) extensions such as XNC drill files and GerberJob to convey information about the entire PCB, as opposed to single layers.

Gerber is used in PCB fabrication data.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ucamco.com/downloads |title=Ucamco - Downloads |website=Ucamco |access-date=2017-04-11}}</ref> PCBs are designed on a specialized [[electronic design automation]] (EDA) or a [[Printed circuit board#Design|computer-aided design]] (CAD) system.<ref name="EDA: Where Electronics Begins">{{cite web |url=http://www.edac.org/Video/ElectronicsBegins/electronics_begins_en.jsp |title=EDA: Where Electronics Begins |work=edac.org |publisher=[[Electronic Design Automation Consortium]] |access-date=2011-12-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406144126/http://www.edac.org/Video/ElectronicsBegins/electronics_begins_en.jsp |archive-date=2012-04-06}}</ref> The CAD systems output PCB fabrication data to allow fabrication of the board. This data typically contains a Gerber file for each image layer (copper layers, solder mask, [[Printed circuit board#Legend printing|legend or silk]]...). Gerber is also the standard image input format for all bare board fabrication equipment needing image data, such as [[photoplotter]]s, legend printers, direct imagers or [[Printed circuit board#Inner layer automated optical inspection (AOI)|automated optical inspection]] (AOI) machines and for viewing reference images in different departments. For assembly the fabrication data contains the solder paste layers and the central locations of components to create the [[Stencil printing|stencil]] and place and bond the components.<ref>{{Cite book |author-last1=Josifovic |author-first1=I. |author-last2=Popovic-Gerber |author-first2=J. |author-last3=Ferreira |author-first3=J. A. |title=2009 IEEE 6th International Power Electronics and Motion Control Conference |chapter=A PCB system integration concept for power electronics |date=2009-05-01 |pages=756–762 |doi=10.1109/IPEMC.2009.5157486|isbn=978-1-4244-3556-2 |s2cid=23256387 }}</ref>

There are two major generations of Gerber format:
* Extended Gerber, or RS-274X. This is the current Gerber format. In 2014, the graphics format was extended with the option to add meta-information to the graphics objects. Files with attributes are called X2 files; those without attributes are X1 files.<ref name="X2 FAQ"/><ref name="OffWebsite" />
* Standard Gerber, or RS-274-D. This obsolete format was revoked.<ref name="rev I1"/><ref name="tavernier">{{cite web |url=https://daycounter.com/LabBook/Altium-Layer-File-Extensions.phtml |title=Protel Layer and Gerber File Extension Key}}</ref><ref name="Letter Standard Gerber">{{cite web |title=Open Letter on Standard Gerber |url=http://www.ucamco.com/en/guest/downloads |author-first=Karel |author-last=Tavernier |work=[[Ucamco]] |access-date=2014-07-07}}</ref>

The official website contains the specification,<ref name="TheSpec">{{cite web |url=https://www.ucamco.com/files/downloads/file/81/the_gerber_file_format_specification.pdf | title = Gerber Format Specification |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801055645/https://www.ucamco.com/files/downloads/file/81/the_gerber_file_format_specification.pdf |archive-date=2020-08-01 |access-date=2020-09-04 |url-status=dead}}</ref> test files, notes and the Reference Gerber Viewer<ref name="RGV">{{cite web |url=https://gerber-viewer.ucamco.com | title = Reference Gerber Viewer}}</ref> to support users and especially developers of Gerber software.<ref name="OffWebsite" />