This paper describes a technique for fabricating submicron nickel (Ni) structures on flexible metal substrate. Conventional photolithography and electroplating techniques are used for simple and cost-effective fabrication of size-tunable Ni nanostructures. In the photolithography process, to separate the substrate and metal layer, a residual layer was intentionally preserved when patterning the thick photoresist layer. Then, the Ni seed layer was deposited on the photoresist pattern. By applying pulse electroplating to the seed layer, a Ni metal layer was formed on the seed layer. As a result, a nanopatterned Ni metal sheet was easily obtained using the photoresist strip process. Then, the Ni nanopattern was transferred onto a flexible polycarbonate substrate. In addition, various energy-controlled exposures of the resist were demonstrated for fabricating size-tunable Ni nanostructures, by simply removing the intentionally induced residual layer of the resist pattern. This research is adaptable for the fabrication of various sensor applications and energy storage devices. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.