In this paper we report femtosecond laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) of pre-machined donor films. 1 mu m thick zinc oxide (ZnO) films were first machined using the focussed ion beam (FIB) technique up to a depth of 0.8 mu m. Debris-free micro-pellets of ZnO with extremely smooth edges and surface uniformity were subsequently printed from these pre-machined donors using LIFT. Printing results of non-machined ZnO donor films and films deposited on top of a polymer dynamic release layer (DRL) are also presented for comparison, indicating the superior quality of transfer achievable and utility of this pre-machining technique. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.