Karl: You hit the nail on the head about the non-necessity of thermal reliefs on small hole (,.015" dia.) vias. HADCO as well as many other shops employ a post-oxide dip for the elimination of pink ring. Even so, pink ring was probably not a real quality issue anyway. IPC-RB-276 defines pink ring in section 3.2.2: "A zone around a through hole/internal layer interface from which the oxide coating on the copper has been discolored or chemically removed." It goes on to state in section 3.6.2.3: "No evidence exists that pink ring affects functionality. The presence of excessive pink ring may be considered an indicator of process or design variation but is not a cause for rejection. The focus of concern should be the quality of the lamination bond." If not adding thermal reliefs on small hole vias makes life easier for you, I say go ahead and do it. From a bareboard standpoint, you will not be compromising anything. Tom Coyle Field Services Engineer HADCO Corporation [log in to unmask] "The views represented above ARE those of my employer."