Blueprinting - From Blue to Black

Blueprint creation: from a painstaking process to Infinite Possibilities at Print It Plus

Creating and printing “Blueprints” are two of the many printing tasks we do here on a daily basis at Print It Plus. In fact, creating blueprints for general contractors, architects and engineers is an integral part of our business. Most people know what a blueprint is when they see one – but they do not know the process that creates them, or how it came into use in the first place.

According to historical sources, the blueprinting (also referred to as “Cyanotype”) process was originally developed in the mid-1800s, when scientists (either Sir John Herschel in England or Alphonse Louis Poitevin in France) discovered that ammonium iron citrate and potassium ferrocyanide created a photosensitive solution that could be used for reproducing documents. Traditional blueprinting started to be replaced in the 1940’s with less expensive and easier to use methods that came to be known as diazo prints or white prints. To learn more about the history, go to the following link on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueprint

When we opened the doors of Print It Plus back in 1988, most blueprinting companies were making Blueprints on light sensitive yellow paper, using a translucent (vellum) drawing typically by pencil, exposed by a light over the paper, and then the blueprint paper was run through a chemical containing ammonia. Companies had to go through great lengths to vent some of the fumes gassing during the creation process. Once developed the prints looked like a blue paper with blue printing. 

Before we opened, we purchased a unit from the company OCE that used a new type of chemical that still worked on the a similar light sensitive yellow paper and required running through a chemical that was ammonia free. It was very expensive, but the health concerns we had for our employees and customers greatly outweighed the cost. These prints also looked like a blue paper with blue printing and the image was exactly the same as the original allowing contractors to measure intricate details for the construction process.

Then, in the 1990’s, we saw a big shift in blueprinting creation as there was a change to engineering copies. Image sizes were controlled and printed direct image from a drum to a roll of paper. The machines typically had an auto cut feature to cut the print to the same size as the original. Machines were all analog, so each print had to be scanned individually and could not be printed from a computer file. But these prints were made with toner based machines so the prints were white bond paper (not light sensitive) with black imprint just like a black and white copier. And more importantly, there were no dangerous chemicals. Even though, the process was nothing like the blueprinting with chemicals and light sensitive paper, the public continued to refer to the prints as blueprints.

In the early 2000’s, we invested in digital equipment that could print the image direct from a computer file, as most drawings were now computer generated in a CAD type software. This new equipment was so much more convenient for our customers as they were able to upload or email their files, and pick up the finished prints. The equipment has been updated over the years and it allows us much more flexibility than we have ever had in the past. Now we are able to enlarge, reduce, scan to file and even scan full color 36” wide prints.

Whether it is creating blueprints, other types of print materials, marketing and/or advertising products and services fast and easy, at Print It Plus, we have the best answer for you. You can call us directly at (561) 790-0884 or go to our website, HTTP://WWW.PRINTITPLUS.COM. At Print It Plus we look forward to helping you CREATE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.