So, I’m doing a board where I wanted a few different options for configuring a few different circuits on the board, and I had the idea that rather than using a bunch of 0R resistors, it might be fun to try and make some surface solderable links that are NO and NC by design, where the only difference is in the paste screen.
I have done cuttable link components with PCB traces in the past, though find they get pretty hard to operate on, even at 0603.. and you’re pretty committed to any NC’s made for the life of your PCB board version – so my current standard approach is just making links using 0R 0402 parts. And it’s not such a horrible option, but it’s nice to try new things sometimes.
So, I made a footprint that’s a bit smaller than a standard 0402 footprint, opened soldermask over the whole area of the part, and extended the pads close together so I have an 0.15mm (6 mil) copper gap (the default min gap of the board I am aiming for)
The NO version has normal solder right over the pads (though I could reduce that or even take it off completely, they will be ENIG finish) 
The NC version has solder right across both pads and bridging them. overall a similar amount of paste to a pretty regular SOT23 pad
Now, to be honest I’m not 100% sure this will work. I’m thinking that due to lack of solder volume coming through the paste screen, it may not reliably make the NC links after reflow. But, I’m also not 100% sure it won’t work either..
If it doesn’t work, I expect it’s not going to be the end of the world – I’ll just have 6 prototypes that need a bit of touching up before I can use them, but if anyone has any suggestions for how this is a massive mistake and I should just go back to 0402 links before I ruin everything. Or how it might be modified to work better and take up similarly small board space. Or even just general thoughts on the topic of reconfigurable prototype circuits, I’d love to hear.