Abstract: A stamping foil for forming printed circuit patterns on insulating or poorly conductive substrates comprising an electrically conductive layer made of a highly conductive metal, such as copper, which is endowed with a sufficiently low shear strength, even in thicknesses of 10 microns or more, to permit easy and sharp separation of the activated (imprinted) and non-activated portions of the foil. Such a low shear strength may be achieved with fibrous or fibrous-granular crystallite structures, wherein the fibers are oriented approximately at right angles to the surfaces of the foil, and, in addition, by doping agents containing carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. The foil may comprise a bonding layer for bonding the conductive layer to a substrate, or such a bonding layer may be applied to the surface of the conductive layer before the stamping operation. The conductive layer may be either self-supporting, or it may adhere to a carrier tape through an intermediary separating layer.