The production of chitosan fibers has remained of interest over the last decade. However, the copolymer structure of partially deacetylated chitosan generally lowers the dry/wet strength properties of chitosan fibers. There are numerous methods available for improving the mechanical properties of chitosan fibers, that is, the strain and stress to failure. In this work, the blending of chitosan with cellulose acetate is described. The chitosan is in the form of the butyrate ester, which, like cellulose acetate, is easily transesterified to regenerate the polysaccharide. The fibers obtained from codissolving cellulose acetate with chitosan butyrate are described. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.