Fabrication using contact spotter.

Many steps of optimization are needed to achieve large-scale fabrication of high-quality DNA microarrays. These steps involve the printing instrument, the probes to be printed, microarray slides, and spotting buffer together with the surrounding environment, such as humidity and temperature. Robust microarray production requires not only appropriate reagents, equipment, and established procedures, but also devoted and experienced personnel. It is a challenging and craftsman like activity, but at the same time highly rewarding in terms of flexibility and cost efficiency. Outlined here is the workflow of a high-throughput microarray production line.