A thermosensitive resist used in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards comprising a mixture of polyacrylic acid, a salt of a long chain fatty acid such as silver behenate, an infra-red absorber and modifiers such as additional polymers. In the unheated form the resist can be easily washed away with water-based mild solutions or pure water. When selectively heated by an IR laser a non-soluble, etch resistant composition is formed protecting the copper clad printed circuit board from the etchants used in the process.