Abstract: An improved ammoniacal alkaline etchant solution and method of reducing etchant undercut for use in etching copper and copper-containing alloy traces on substrates having resist-coated areas and non-coated areas, which reduces the amount of undercutting beneath the resist-coated areas that lie above the copper traces. The improved etchant solution contains an organic undercut inhibitor which can be either 5-nitro-1H indazole or pyrazole and the improved method includes the step of incorporating said organic undercut inhibitor in a standard ammoniacal alkaline cupric etchant solution. The organic undercut inhibitor causes the formation of a bath-insoluble, physically weak, etch-resistant film on the copper substrate. Said film serves to protect the side walls of an etched depression and thereby diminishes undercutting.