Blueprint

File:Blueprint.jpg A blueprint is a set of instructions on how to manufacture an item.

Overview

Blueprints can be bought from the market, through the contract system, found as loot and gained as rewards. Their prices range from almost nothing to billions of ISK.

There are two different versions of a particular blueprint: an original, and copies of an original.

Original

Commonly shortened as BPO, can be researched to improve its efficiency, used unlimited number of times and copied to a blueprint that has limited number of manufacturing runs.

Original blueprints for most tech 1 items can be found, but since the R&D system has changed tech 2 originals have become both rare and highly expensive.

Copy

Commonly shortened to BPC, a copy from original blueprint that can be used for limited number of times for manufacturing and can't be improved through research. Instead through invention, a T1 BPC is researched into a T2 BPC.

Through contracts there is usually a supply of cheap copies of very expensive original blueprints or well researched ones or both, such as those for capital ships.

BPCs of various faction items do exist and can often be purchased from the LP store or, very rarely, found on rats; the associated BPOs do not exist in-game.

Attributes

Best distinguishing factor between a BPO and a BPC is that a BPO can produce a "Original Blueprint" while a BPC can only produce the item. Don't let the wording fool you, you can't produce BPO from a BPO.

Material level

Reflects how effectively the blueprint itself instructs to use materials. The higher the number, the less resources are needed; it can be improved through performing material research.

Wastage factor

How many extra materials are required as a result of the material level. Note that other factors, such as the players level of production efficiency, also affect the waste but their effects are not taken in acount in this point.

Productivity level

How quickly the item can be manufactured, and can be improved by time efficiency research.

Licensed production runs remaining

How many more items can be manufactured using this blueprint before it is destroyed. BPOs have infinite number of runs while BPCs have number for how many runs they got left.

Production limit

The maximum number of runs that can be put in a single BPC if the BPO is copied.

Researching

Below these attributes are the manufacturing and research times for the particular blueprint.

Bill of materials

List of the required minerals and components for manufacturing and research/invention of the item.