Dry film photoresists (DF PRs) are widely used to perform photolithography on nontraditional substrates such as printing circuit boards, plastic sheets, or non-planar surfaces. Commercially available DF PRs are usually in a negative tone and rather thick, limiting lithographic resolution and versatility. The relatively large pressure required for lamination also prevents the technology from being used for delicate substrates. Here we present a modified soft-lithographic process, namely photoresist blanket transfer (PR BT), transferring a spin-coated PR film from a flat elastomeric stamp to a substrate. The elastomeric stamp is highly compliant, bringing the PR film into intimate contact with the substrate and eliminating the need for a large lamination pressure. Photolithography on unconventional substrates such as etched, fragile, and porous ones is demonstrated. Single or multiple transfers of PRs by BT are utilized to fabricate multilayer, free-standing, and re-entrant polymeric microstructures. A fragile and porous substrate such as an anodized aluminum oxide membrane can also be patterned using PR BT. Moreover, a reliable method to create metal electrodes and high surface area catalysts inside microchannels is discussed for novel microfluidic applications.