We've only just passed the halfway mark in 2019. Just a bit under six months left in the year, about six months before 2020 arrives.

It seems, to the layperson, like a lot of time in which to accomplish something as seemingly trivial as printing out the forms needed for the next census, which will be completed next year.

Most of us have printed things out before; only rarely has it taken six months for any of us to do so.

So when the Trump administration claimed last week that it had to abandon its fight over adding a question about citizenship to next year's census questionnaire due to the urgency of getting the documents printed, it could seem a bit overwrought.

It's going to take you more than six months to print the questionnaires?

US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Show all 34 1 /34 US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures A man looks at a Baby Trump balloon as it is moved into position before Independence Day celebrations on the National Mall in Washington AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures People watch the Independence Day parade in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2019. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images SAUL LOEB AFP/Getty US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Members of the military pose in front of one of two Bradley Fighting Vehicles as it is driven into place in front of the Lincoln Memorial for President Donald Trump's 'Salute to America' event honoring service branches on Independence Day AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures 93-year-old Mabel Wittenmeyer waves a U.S. flag as she rides in a car during the annual 4th of July parade in Barnstable Village on Cape Cod, Massachusetts REUTERS US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Children waves national flags Reuters US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Participants pulls a balloon for the Independence Day parade in Washington, DC AFP/Getty Images US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures People prepare a balloon for the Independence Day parade in Washington AFP/Getty US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures A man and a girl ride in an antique Ford automobile during the annual 4th of July parade in Barnstable Village on Cape Cod, Massachusetts REUTERS US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Women hold parasols as they take part in the Independence Day celebrations Reuters US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., walks past mounted deer on a float in the West Des Moines Fourth of July parade AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Democratic presidential candidate New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio walks in the Independence Fourth of July parade in Independence, Iowa AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Protester Robert Kennedy grabs for a rope as he helps move a Baby Trump balloon into position AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures A "Trump Baby" balloon set up by members of the CodePink group is seen in front of the Washington Monument AFP/Getty Images US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures People march in the Independence Day parade in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2019. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images SAUL LOEB AFP/Getty Images US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Democratic presidential candidate former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke carries his son Henry on his shoulders in Independence, Iowa AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures People dance during Minturn's Independence Day celebration, at Little Beach Park in Minturn, Colo. AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Recent graduates take part in the 4th of July parade through downtown in Deer Isle, Maine. Getty Images US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures A "Trump Baby" balloon, set up by members of the CodePink group AFP/Getty US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures U.S. activist Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink hols a sign that reads "Tanks But No Tanks DC Residents" as she speaks at a news conference in front of the Lincoln Memorial AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Grace Ditto, 14, wears red, white and blue sunglasses to the Clear Spring Independence Jam and fireworks display in Clear Spring, Md AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures A city worker hangs US and District of Colombia flags on light poles along Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC EPA US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Visitors look at the temporary decorations and bleachers at the Lincoln Memorial as preparations continue for the US Independence Day celebrations on the National Mall in Washington, DC EPA US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Protestors assembled by a majority Jewish group called "Never Again Is Now" demonstrate near Independence Hall in Philadelphia. AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures One of two Bradley Fighting Vehicles waits to be driven into place in front of the Lincoln Memorial for President Donald Trump's 'Salute to America' event honoring service branches on Independence Day AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Army National Guard Pfc. Shamsiyyah Jibo, originally from Nigeria, takes the Oath of Allegiance as she becomes a new US citizen during a naturalisation ceremony inside the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York City. USCIS is marking the Independence Day holiday by welcoming over 7,000 new citizens in 170 naturalization ceremonies across the country Getty US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures A member of the anti-war group Code Pink carries "Trump Baby" balloons as they arrive at a news conference in front of the Lincoln Memorial AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Carmen del Thalia Mallol holds her daughter Lia, 4, after becoming a new U.S. citizen during a naturalization ceremony inside the National September 11 Memorial Museum Getty US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Carter, left, and Bryce West, along with their parents, unseen, join other protestors assembled by a majority Jewish group called "Never Again Is Now" demonstrate near Independence Hall in Philadelphia. AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures A Z-Burger employee prepares burgers for the Z-Burger's 10th annual Independence Burger Eating Championship in Washington, DC EPA US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Number one ranked competitive eater in the world Molly Schuyler eats a hamburger during Z-Burger's 10th annual Independence Burger Eating Championship in Washington, DC EPA US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures US marines stand as people listen to the US and Turkish national anthems during a reception to mark US Independence Day in Ankara, Turkey AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Eric Coulson wears a patriotic hat while attending the Baltimore County Independence Extravaganza in Cockeysville, Md. AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures Children pretend to march to the tunes of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra during the Baltimore County Independence Extravaganza in Cockeysville, Md. AP US Independence Day 2019 – In pictures A boy watches the firework display during the Baltimore County Independence Extravaganza in Cockeysville, Md. AP

Well, maybe not exactly six months, but it's not going to be quick. The reason is a simple one: Scale.

With a renewed legal battle over that citizenship question looming, NPR's Hansi Lo Wang pointed to the Government Printing Office's request-for-proposal document to explain the urgency of the deadline.

The RFP is used to solicit bids for the print job itself and includes the actual numbers of documents that will need to be prepared for distribution.

They are staggering.

The scale of the census: what the US government needs Time is running out for US authorities to get everything prepared About 117 million English-language questionnaires, each eight pages long

21 million bilingual questionnaires, each 16 pages long

385 million single-sheet letters

273 million inserts

209 million postcards

522 million envelopes of varying sizes.

In total, it's 1.53bn distinct pieces of material - and that's the finished product.

Including the various pages of the questionnaires that need to be produced, we're talking about more than 2 billion sheets of paper which need to be printed between now and the start of the census.

When I started writing this article, there were about 15.5 million seconds left until the new year.

That means that a printer would need to print more than 130 items every second to finish the job before the ball drops in Times Square.

That gives a sense of the scale we're talking about here, but it's not actually the deadline. Mr Wang notes that the first documents actually need to be mailed on March 12, 2020. That makes the printing pace much easier: Just 117 items per second.

While it's possible that the questionnaires could be printed later in the process than intended, that would likely disrupt the printer's schedule and potentially increase costs for the government.



Think about it another way. The final, produced documents that will need to be printed will use just under 300 billion square inches of paper, taking into consideration the fact that envelopes use more than twice as much paper as the finished size.

How big is that? It's about 74.6 square miles - or more than enough to cover every square inch of Washington with about 6 square miles left over to paper over the Potomac.

Using a generous estimate of how much paper can be produced by a single tree, the paper requirements for the census could require between 160,000 and 320,000 trees.

There is no mention in the RFP of using recycled material, probably because of the increase in cost that would likely result.

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This excludes the fact that different documents require different types of paper; postcards are printed on stiffer stock than letters, for example.

It's a massive undertaking, one that's been in the works for years. President Donald Trump's desire for a question related to citizenship was an addition that came up only relatively late in the process; his sudden reversal of the Commerce Department's decision to move forward with printing the questionnaires without that question apparently came after printing had already begun.

Mr Trump speculated that perhaps the citizenship question could be part of a supplement included with the 2020 census questionnaire.

Look for an RFP asking for estimates on the cost of printing another 130-million-odd forms.

Oh, and asking for an expedited timeline on same.