Before using the mask, the PCB circuit board panel must be clean and free of oxidation. This is usually done using a chemical solution or scrubbing with a suspended pumice or alumina solution, and then drying. Then the entire panel is coated with a masking liquid and viscously cured to remove the solvent and provide a surface that can be easily processed through the exposure process.

The most common method of exposing a surface to a UV light source is to use a contact printer and film tools. Emulsion is printed on the top and bottom of the film to block areas to be exposed for soldering or removing the mask coating. The film and production PCB circuit board panels are fixed on the tools on the printer to ensure good registration, and then the panels are exposed to both the top and bottom UV light sources. The use of laser direct imaging, by controlling the laser and using fiducials etched on the copper surface of the panel, eliminates the need for thin films and tools.

The "unexposed" material is removed by alkaline chemical treatment, leaving exposed copper pads, thereby developing the mask. The final curing of the solder mask of the PCB circuit board is the result of heat treatment, whether in batch or conveyor ovens. If the production process includes LPI legend ink, the legend can be applied before the final mask baking process, and both are cured at the same time.