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A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842.[1] The process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number of copies. It was widely used for over a century for the reproduction of specification drawings used in construction and industry. Blueprints were characterized by white lines on a blue background, a negative of the original. Color or shades of grey could not be reproduced.
The process is obsolete, largely displaced by the diazo-based whiteprint process, and later by large-format xerographic photocopiers. It has almost entirely been superseded by digital computer-aided construction drawings.
The term blueprint continues to be used informally to refer to any floor plan[2] (and by analogy, any type of plan).[3][4] Practising engineers, architects, and drafters often call them "drawings", "prints", or "plans".[5]
- ^ Go., F. E. (1970). "Blueprint". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (Expo'70 ed.). Chicago: William Benton, Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. p. 816. ISBN 0-85229-135-3.
- ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (6th ed.), Oxford University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-19-920687-2
- ^ "Blueprint". Dictionary.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ "Blueprint". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ C. Brown, Walter; K. Brown, Ryan (2011). Print Reading for Industry, 10th edition. The Goodheart-Wilcox Company, Inc. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-63126-051-3.