There is no absolute rule that you have to use blue film!
I gave up years ago, and went back to the traditional method of pricking the pattern onto (glazed manilla) pricking card, then marking in the pattern markings I need (and after a few years' experience you don't need to mark everything, you learn to read the pattern from the pinhole pattern) - eg the first couple of lines of a trail or diamond to show direction, the corner crosses of roseground, with a waterproof pen. It saves money for those already using card because you are not having to pay for the film - you can spend that on thread or bobbins instead. It saves getting small amounts of adhesive on your pins.
Blue film is a modern invention as far as lace is concerned; the old ways are just as good, and provide much firmer prickings than film stuck over paper! Traditional Honiton patterns have no ink markings at all, there is a pinhole code (eg 2 closely spaced pinholes in the middle of an area denote half stitch) to show the stitches.
There is also no real reason why you can't work with a white pattern covered in clear matt film (especially if you are working with coloured thread, or want to print out your pattern markings in colour) - this is sold in do-it-yourself/decorating shops to stick on windows, and is often on the same rack as the shelf covering - which I think is called Contact in the States. Fablon is a UK brand name. In fact, for those in the UK, it is worth looking in Wilkos as they have started doing the coloured matt films as well as clear - I think they are 1m rolls. Our Co-op sells the clear matt film by the metre.
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