In this work a study on the preparation and characterization of the lead film in situ and ex situ plated screen-printed carbon electrodes (PbF/SPCEs) was presented, focusing in particular on their attractive stripping analytical performance. The lead film ex situ plated screen-printed carbon electrodes were prepared using methods based on: (a) the electrochemical deposition of lead film on the screen-printed carbon electrode surface and (b) the electrochemical deposition of lead into the interstitial space of a colloidal crystal template formed on SPCE. The electrodes of interest were tested as novel, potential sensors for the anodic stripping voltammetric determination of zinc traces in nondeaerated solution of 0.01 mol L-1 hydrochloric acid. A comparison, of the stripping performance between a bare screen-printed carbon electrode and the PbF/SPCEs prepared with use of the investigated plating methods revealed a distinct advantage of the lead film ex situ plated screen-printed carbon electrode prepared with the use of a colloidal crystal template. This electrode shows an increase in electrochemical performance due to the porosity that gives this material a high active surface area. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.