The birth and growth of ultrathin polymer films out of solution were studied by means of atomic force microscopy(AFM). The system investigated consisted of a model substance for a curable high-temperature adhesive (a prepolymer of the dicyanate of bisphenol A) and as received silicon wafers or aluminum evaporation coatings. The application techniques, dip-coating and spin-coating, allow film formation either in nearly equilibrated conditions or with the influence of centrifugal acceleration, respectively. AFM reveals significant differences between the films depending on the application technique and the substrate, but in some instances there are surprising similarities. The comparative interpretation of the findings results in the proposal of a model for the film formation of the investigated systems.