After all our discussions recently about plotting directly on a PCB blank,
    the November 1997 issue of Electronics Now has details of a new method for
    making PCB's that promises to be the easiest yet.
        :
    In a nutshell, this method involves printing the copper pattern directly on
    a special flexible foil, which is then etched in a relatively benign
    etchant solution, all before actually affixing the pattern to the PCB.

Um.  What supports the copper pattern after it's etched, before it goes onto
the backing board?  Better be pretty tough stuff.

This neglects that the preferred hobbyist PCB material is "surplus" scraps
sold at about $0.01 per sq inch of copper (ie, $0.02c/sq inch for double
sided boards.)

BillW