Thin palladium acetate films, generated by spin coating from a solution of palladium acetate in ethyl acetate, were locally prenucleated by KrF excimer laser irradiation. Copper was selectively deposited on the palladium nuclei using electroless plating. Deposition of copper nuclei from copper formate using KrF excimer laser irradiation was investigated. It is shown that these copper nuclei can also be used for the electroless plating process.