Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has published the first complete Congressional Record using digital inkjet presses. This achievement occurred on the anniversary of another major milestone for the agency. On March 5, 1873, using hand-set type, GPO published the first issue of the Congressional Record, detailing House and Senate proceedings from the prior legislative day. Today, 147 years later, the agency produced this same document on digital presses that automate work flow from start to finish.

“I congratulate the GPO team on publishing the first complete Congressional Record on our new digital inkjet presses,” said GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern. “These presses are an investment in GPO’s future and our ability to provide exceptional customer service. They vastly enhance our flexibility to meet our customers’ needs for both large and small jobs.”

GPO acquired six new digital inkjet presses in November 2019. The digital presses will streamline production and allow the agency to automate the work flow from the start of a project to final publication. Along with providing high-speed automated printing, these digital print machines also offer real-time data for operational accountability. The new presses are faster, more reliable, and more cost-efficient than the previous equipment. The agency will also reduce its paper waste, which will drop to as low as 2%, with the implementation of the new ink jet presses.

GPO is the Federal Government’s official, digital, secure resource for producing, procuring, cataloging, indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and preserving the official information products of the U.S. Government. The GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print formats. GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through www.govinfo.gov and partnerships with approximately 1,100 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov.