What You Need to Know About Blueprint Printing

When designing and planning a construction project, one of the most important tools for the job is also one of the most delicate. The blueprints are as important as any hammer, power tool, welder or crane on the jobsite. When it comes to blueprint printing, there are some things you should know about to make sure you get the right tool for the job.

Blueprint printing is different from regular printing and copying. It requires specialized equipment and experience to make proper blueprints. There are many different areas of your team that may need this tool, and each copy needs to be accurate and contain all the required information for the task at hand.

Here are some things you need to know about blueprint printing. Your trusted local print shop can help you determine how to get blueprints that will meet your company’s needs and work within your budget.

Paper

There are a few aspects of the paper that are important to know about blueprint printing. For starters, you should know what weight the paper should be. Blueprints are commonly printed on 20 lb, 24 lb or 32 lb paper. This is true for both black-and-white as well as full-color blueprint printing.

Vellum is what many know as traditional blueprint paper, and it is commonly used for architectural and engineering plans for black-and-white blueprints. It is also possible to print blueprints on Mylar paper, which is transparent or frosted, by using a laser process. This will only work with black-and-white blueprints, however.

Durability

On the jobsite, there are many things that can ruin a delicate piece of paper. When that piece of paper contains the details for the entire project, you don’t want to have to pause all the work to get another copy made, so it’s important that the paper be able to withstand some wear and tear. That’s where Tyvek paper comes in.

Having a durable paper like this can go a long way toward making sure you feel confident to unroll the blueprints anywhere on the jobsite to double-check things and quickly answer any questions that may arise during the construction process. The saying “measure twice, cut once” also applies to checking your plans any time you need to be extra sure of a critical part of the process.

Size matters

Not all blueprints are created equal. That is, some blueprints need to be larger to show more detail for projects that have a lot of different aspects. These large-format blueprints can range in size from 17”x22” to 36”x48”, but not all blueprints need to be so large.

For example, small-format engineering drawings may only need to be the size of a standard printing paper (8.5”x11”) or double that at 11”x17”. Architectural drawings are often 9”x12” or 12”x18”.

When you need blueprint printing, whether it’s black-and-white or full-color blueprint printing, it’s important to work with a printer who has experience with blueprints. For the best customer service from experienced professional printers, get in touch with Copycat Printing today.

Categorised in: Printing Services