Mayline Vertical Plan Files Store Blueprint Drawings with Hanging Clamps

Blueprint is the name given to a technical drawing that documents the structural design of a building or another engineering work. Blueprints were first introduced in 1842 by a French chemist named Alphonse Louis Poitevin. Poitevin discovered that the ferro-gallate found in gum arabic was sensitive to light. Exposing ferro-gellate to light would turn the chemical to a deep, insoluble blue. Images from translucent documents could then be copied by placing the original against another sheet coated with a mixture of ferric ammonium acid and potassium ferricyanide. The papers were then exposed to light. The areas that were not covered by the tracing on the transparent page would become a dark blue as the two chemicals reacted with the light, creating a negative image of the original. This method of blueprinting became known as cyanotype.

Blueprinting methods have improved as the centuries passed. In the early 1940s, another type of blueprinting was invented that became known as diazotype. Diazotyping involves coating the paper with a combination of diazonium salt and a reactant. The mixture also includes an acid that prevents the salt and the reactant from forming into another chemical. The document to be copied is placed on top of the treated paper and is exposed to light. The salt is destroyed in the process. The paper is then treated with ammonia, which turns the traced areas blue. Blueprints created by this method are called whiteprints and blue-lines, because the finished product consists of a white background with blue lines representing the drawing. Diazo prints are still used for some applications, but they have been replaced in many cases with xerographic printing, large-format scanning and plotting and digital displays. Blueprints are known as “drawings” and “prints” by those who work in the engineering and design fields.

Blueprints need to be kept in a safe place to prevent them from becoming crumpled or otherwise damaged. Mayline Vertical Plan Files Store Blueprint Drawings with Hanging Clamps allowing the user to hang blueprints from a mobile rack to provide easy access. The vertical plan files are available in many sizes and configurations, including hangers and the ability to attach the files to the wall.