The invention relates to a method for the verification of the presence and proper orientation of a component on a printed circuit board (1). The board has a plurality of areas (10) for receiving a component (20) respectively. Each area is marked in the center thereof with a first marker (30). Adjacent each area, and indicative of the polarity of the component, a second marker (40) is marked on the board. The presence or absence of a component can be evaluated by inspecting the board after it has been populated and determining whether any of the first markers appear, indicat ing that a component is missing. Verification of the polarity of a component is done by placing a marker (40) on a portion of a component required to be installed in a predetermined position indicative of polarity. Inspection of the board once it has been populated will determine if the component is in the proper orientation by verifying if the second marker and the marker on the component are in alignment. Preferably, the first marker and the second marker are of different colours, and are preferably UV compatible layers. Additionally, the method of the invention, when applied between the leads of a multi-legged component or between discrete components, such as by the etching of additional portions of the solder mask or by adding an additional layer, will produce a shadow on the reflective surface, thereby identifying a short at that location.