Decades ago I had planned to build PCBs using self adhesive copper foil but it too has its raft of issues and waste. The most obvious complexity are the mechanics required to create reliable plated through holes. For normal PCBs its a wet chemical process. Even for normal PCBs many manufacturers use both a electroless palladium or carbon deposition followed by electroplating. Interestingly the photos in the featured article don't seem to have any through holes.
