A hard disk drive flexible printed circuit (FPC) includes a plurality of fingers extending from a main portion, with each finger having a first wiring layer including a first electrically conductive trace layout, a second wiring layer including a second electrically conductive trace layout, and a base film interposed between the first and second wiring layers, where the first conductive trace layout includes at least one thermally conductive protective island overlaying a respective portion of the second trace layout to provide a protective thermal barrier to the base film. Hence, maximum temperatures across various layers of the FPC laminate can be reduced, damage to the FPC prevented, and manufacturing yields improved.