Back in the day, before computer aided drafting/design..ie (CAD), engineering drawings were drawn on
Mylar. Before that they were drawn on translucent
Bond drafting paper. And way before that, engineering drawings were done on "stabilized"
Linen. ...Cloth
All these mediums had to be translucent so light could pass through the drawing to make
Blueprint copies. These drawings were the "Originals", and blueprints were the copies. Blueprints went down to the manufacturing floor and were considered expendable. The "Originals" were kept in a very secure place in the engineering office closely guarded by a librarian.
Most of these materials were quite stable with regards to expansion and contraction due to humidity, wear and tear, and repeated use and handling. Drawings done on
Linen were also usually done in ink.
NB
EDIT: For those with some curiosity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drafting_linen