Essential Blueprinting

Blueprinting is defined as a contact print of a drawing of an architectural plan or technical drawing. They are often rendered as white lines on a blue background. For many years, they were drawn by hand using several different processes, while today, they are predominantly made by computer.

The cyanotype process used for blueprinting has been around since the mid-1800s and was the standard for blueprinting up to the early 1900s, when the discovery of diazo was introduced. The diazo era, along with linen blueprint processing, had become a staple of the cyanotype process and was used in making blueprints up until the 1970s. The blueprinting processes used through the 1980s are familiar names such as the vellums process, polyester films, and bond paper processing.

The technology of the day has revolutionized blueprinting, as we have come accustomed to understanding architectural plans and technical drawings. Although the diazo process is still in use, it has taken a backseat to the xerographic print process. Haloid Xerox invented the xerography, which processes print using toner on bond paper. This technology has led the way to computer-aided techniques and digital blueprinting. As the technology frontier evolves, the capabilities of digital blueprinting has come to the forefront of printing companies worldwide. The business of blueprinting has become a specialized art, and along the way, small shops gave way to corporations such as the American Reprographics Company and other such entities.

As the technology advances in the business realm of blueprinting, the term "blueprinting" becomes to be used more and more informally.