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The edition which the Depository and International Exchange Libraries received contained only publications of which Congress was the author. This edition was bound in a very plain binding, with black ink stamping, which was less expensive to produce. Departmental publications which originated in the various departments, bureaus, and independent establishments of the Government were sent to depositories in the binding used by the agency issuing them, provided that prior to printing, the library had selected the series governing their distribution.
All Congressional material is printed on what we call a 5-digit jacket, such as (55-213). Most of the Congressional material is printed "in house," since the main purpose of establishing the Government Printing Office was to print for Congress.
A star preceding a 5-digit jacket number is a symbol used by the Government Printing Office to indicate a "corrected print." It is commonly referred to as a "star print" and takes precedence over the original print of a Report or Document. Likewise, a double star print takes precedence over a single star print. Whenever a "star print" is printed, that print is bound into the Congressional Serial Set.
Much has been done through the years to reduce the cost of the Congressional Serial Set.
In 1979 the Congressional Serial Set Committee was established as an advisory committee to the Joint Committee on Printing. The Serial Set Committee was composed of representatives from the various major user libraries of the Serial Set. The objectives of the Committee were to improve the physical makeup of the Congressional Serial Set, to reduce the production cost of the Set, and to provide better access to material contained in the Set.
In an effort to reduce the cost of producing the Congressional Serial Set and beginning with the 96th Congress in January 1979, the special binding for the "posterity" edition of the Set was discontinued and the double ruled border on the cover of all the volumes was also eventually eliminated.
Only one edition of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set Is now bound.
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Volume showing double ruled black border which has been eliminated
Another view of volume showing double ruled black border. 
[ LARGE picture -
540 x 824 pixels,
44 kilobytes JPEG file ][ LARGE picture -
540 x 824 pixels,
48 kilobytes JPEG file ]
Only edition of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set that is now bound
[ LARGE picture -
540 x 824 pixels,
46 kilobytes JPEG file ]