Frequently Asked Questions
Order blueprints without
mistakes, delays, or surprise fees.
Everything you need to know before placing your first — or fiftieth — order. Pricing, file formats, same-day shipping, permit sets, mylar, and more. No fluff. No guessing. Can't find what you're looking for? Contact us →
B&W Printing
$0.50/sq ft
ARCH D 24×36 = $3.00
Color Printing
$1.25/sq ft
ARCH D 24×36 = $7.50
Same-Day Cutoff
12 PM EST
Mon–Fri · Ships today
Free Shipping
$29+
UPS Ground, all 50 states
Smart Color Detect
Auto-detected
Only pay for color sheets
File Format
PDF only
Export CAD files to PDF before upload
Minimum Order
None
1 print or 1,000 — no setup fees
Technician Review
Every order
Problems caught before we print
Pricing
Black and white blueprint printing on bond paper is $0.50 per square foot — no setup fees, no minimums, no surprises. The most common size, ARCH D 24×36, is $3.00 per print. Color bond is $1.25/sq ft (ARCH D = $7.50). Mylar is $2.75/sq ft for B&W and $3.75/sq ft for color. Use our cost calculator to get an instant estimate for your exact size, quantity, and material.
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Get Your Instant Price →
We automatically detect which pages in your PDF contain color and charge color pricing only for those pages. You don't need to separate files, flag pages manually, or configure anything. Upload once — our system does the rest.
Most blueprint sets are primarily black and white with a few color sheets (a site plan, MEP coordination drawings, or color elevations). Without this detection, you'd either have to split your file manually or pay color pricing across the entire set "just to be safe." We eliminate both problems.
What counts as color? Any page containing color elements beyond pure grayscale. If your page has a faint blue title block or a red revision cloud, it qualifies as color. If you're unsure, our technician will confirm before printing.
Upload Your PDF and See →
Most blueprint sets are primarily black and white with a few color sheets (a site plan, MEP coordination drawings, or color elevations). Without this detection, you'd either have to split your file manually or pay color pricing across the entire set "just to be safe." We eliminate both problems.
What counts as color? Any page containing color elements beyond pure grayscale. If your page has a faint blue title block or a red revision cloud, it qualifies as color. If you're unsure, our technician will confirm before printing.
Upload Your PDF and See →
No minimums and no setup fees of any kind. Order one print or five hundred — pricing is purely per square foot of material printed. No plate charges, no file processing fees, no per-order minimums. UPS Ground shipping is free on orders $29 or more. You pay exactly what the job costs, nothing else.
Color bond printing is $1.25/sq ft versus $0.50/sq ft for B&W — about 2.5× the cost per sheet. ARCH D: B&W = $3.00, color = $7.50. The key thing to know: you only pay color pricing for the pages that actually use color. Our system auto-detects this, so you're never paying color rates on your entire set when only a few sheets need it.
Mylar printing is $2.75/sq ft for B&W and $3.75/sq ft for color. Common prices: ARCH C B&W mylar = $8.25, ARCH D B&W mylar = $16.50, ARCH D color mylar = $22.50, ARCH E B&W mylar = $33.00. Mylar costs more than bond paper but it's waterproof, tear-resistant, and lasts indefinitely — the right call for permit originals, archival record sets, and anything going to a wet or rough job site. See our mylar printing page for full details.
UPS Ground shipping is free on all orders $29 or more. Orders under $29 pay standard UPS Ground rates. Expedited options — UPS 3-Day Select, 2nd Day Air, and Next Day Air — are available at standard UPS rates calculated at checkout based on package weight and destination zip code.
Prices that clear? So is your next step.
Get an instant price in under 60 seconds.Ordering
Go to azulprints.com/quote, upload your PDF, and select your print size, material (bond or mylar), and quantity. You'll see an instant price. Our system automatically detects which pages contain color — no manual sorting needed. Add your shipping address, choose a UPS service level, and pay. A technician reviews your file before production begins, and your order ships the same business day if placed before 12 PM EST.
Start Your Order →
Start Your Order →
Yes — permit sets are one of the most common orders we handle. Upload your full drawing set as a single multi-page PDF, select the size your jurisdiction requires (usually ARCH D 24×36), and set your number of sets. Our technician reviews scale, orientation, and completeness before any sheet runs. If something looks off, we contact you before printing — not after the set is done.
For permit originals that will be submitted and returned, mylar is strongly recommended — it's waterproof, won't tear at folding edges, and lasts through repeated handling at the building department.
Get Instant Price for Your Permit Set →
For permit originals that will be submitted and returned, mylar is strongly recommended — it's waterproof, won't tear at folding edges, and lasts through repeated handling at the building department.
Get Instant Price for Your Permit Set →
Yes. Any valid UPS-deliverable address works as a shipping destination — job sites, project offices, trailer offices, contractor yards. Just enter the site address at checkout exactly as UPS would deliver it. If the site is actively under construction and UPS delivery is uncertain, a nearby supplier, the PM's home address, or a project office is a reliable fallback. You'll get a tracking number the moment your order ships.
Each order ships to a single address. To ship the same drawing set to multiple locations — for example, one set to the job site and one to the project owner's office — place separate orders for each destination. The upload is fast, and your file stays accessible in your confirmation email for quick reorders. Contact us if you're coordinating a large multi-site distribution and want to discuss options.
No account required. Upload, configure, and pay without registering. You'll receive a confirmation email with your order details and a tracking number once your order ships. Your order history is accessible via the link in that confirmation email — handy for reorders.
Contact us as soon as possible at azulprints.com/contact or reply to your confirmation email. If your order has not yet entered production, we can make changes or cancel. Because we process orders quickly — often within hours of receipt — we can't guarantee changes after submission, but we'll do our best.
In the quote tool, set the number of pages per set and the number of sets separately. For example, a 24-page drawing set ordered in 3 copies = 72 total prints. The total is calculated automatically. All sets print from the same uploaded PDF — you only upload the file once.
Yes. Every order confirmation email contains a link to your order details where you can reorder the same job. You can also contact us directly with your previous order number — we'll pull up your file and settings and get a new order started quickly.
Files & Formats
PDF only. All other formats — DWG, DXF, RVT, SKP, JPG, PNG, TIFF — must be exported to PDF before uploading. PDF is the only format that reliably preserves line weights, scale, dimensions, and fonts regardless of the software version used to create the drawing. DWG files depend on referenced files — XREFs, fonts, plot styles — that aren't included with the file itself. If any of those are missing or from a different version, the drawing prints wrong. PDF captures everything at export time, eliminating that risk entirely. See our file preparation guide for export instructions for AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, and SketchUp.
Upload it anyway. Our technician reviews every file for scale, orientation, line weights, and completeness before a single sheet prints. If we spot a problem — wrong page size, incorrect scale, corrupted layers — we contact you before production begins, not after you've paid for a set of unusable prints.
Our file preparation guide covers the most common setup errors if you want to check first. But the technician review is your safety net regardless.
Upload & Let Us Check It →
Our file preparation guide covers the most common setup errors if you want to check first. But the technician review is your safety net regardless.
Upload & Let Us Check It →
Yes — every file is reviewed by a real print technician before we run a single sheet. We check scale, orientation, line weights, and file completeness. If we spot a problem, we contact you before printing. This matters because problems caught before printing cost nothing. Problems caught after printing cost time, money, and sometimes a delayed permit submission. The review is included in every order at no extra cost.
We accept PDFs up to 500 MB. Large format vector PDFs from CAD software are typically 5–50 MB per sheet, so most orders fall well within this limit. If your file is over 100 MB, it usually means unnecessary embedded raster images — re-exporting with vector output enabled both reduces file size and produces sharper printed lines.
Yes, and we recommend it. Combining all sheets into a single multi-page PDF makes it easier for our technician to review your full set and ensures consistent print settings across all sheets. It also allows our system to automatically detect which pages contain color and charge accordingly. Most CAD applications let you export all sheets to a single PDF in one step.
Shipping & Delivery
Orders placed before 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, ship the same business day. Orders after 12 PM EST ship the next business day. Weekend orders ship Monday. Same-day processing is standard — there is no rush surcharge. Your job doesn't stall waiting on plans. See our same-day shipping page for the full schedule.
Four UPS service levels: UPS Ground (free on orders $29+, 1–5 business days), UPS 3-Day Select (3 business days), UPS 2nd Day Air (2 business days), and UPS Next Day Air (next business day). Combining same-day processing with Next Day Air means your prints can arrive the next business day anywhere in the contiguous US — order before noon, delivered tomorrow.
All 50 US states via UPS. East Coast destinations typically arrive in 1–2 business days via Ground. West Coast typically 4–5 business days. Alaska and Hawaii are served via UPS but may have longer transit times. We do not currently ship internationally.
We process and ship Monday through Friday only. Orders placed Saturday or Sunday are queued for Monday morning and ship Monday if submitted before 12 PM EST. For urgent weekend needs, submit Sunday evening so your order is first in queue Monday — then select Next Day Air for Tuesday delivery.
A UPS tracking number is emailed to you as soon as your order ships. Track directly on ups.com or via the link in your order confirmation email. You'll know the moment your prints are on the way.
Large format prints are rolled and shipped in heavy-duty cardboard tubes to prevent creasing and damage in transit. Smaller prints may ship flat in rigid mailers depending on size. Mylar prints are always rolled. If you have specific packaging requirements, note them in the order comments at checkout.
Order before noon, ship today.
Upload your PDF and get an instant price.Paper & Sizes
All standard ARCH and ANSI sizes: ARCH A (9×12), ARCH B (12×18), ARCH C (18×24), ARCH D (24×36), ARCH E (36×48) — plus ANSI A (8.5×11), ANSI B (11×17), ANSI C (17×22), ANSI D (22×34), ANSI E (34×44). ARCH D 24×36 is the most commonly ordered size for construction documents and permit sets. Custom sizes may be available — contact us to ask.
Standard blueprints are printed on 20 lb bright white bond paper — the industry standard for construction documents. It's a matte, uncoated paper with excellent inkjet absorption, producing crisp lines and readable text at any scale. Lightweight enough to roll for shipping, durable enough for everyday job site use. For prints that will be exposed to moisture, rough handling, or long-term storage, mylar is the better choice.
Mylar is 4-mil polyester film — a thin, flexible plastic. Mylar prints are waterproof, tear-resistant, and dimensionally stable. They last indefinitely without yellowing or degrading. Use mylar for permit originals that will be submitted and returned, archival record sets, outdoor job site use, and any print that will be handled heavily or stored long-term. See our mylar printing page for pricing and full specs.
Order color when color is part of the drawing's meaning — site plans with zoning overlays, MEP coordination drawings where color distinguishes systems, architectural presentations, color-coded grading plans. Order B&W for standard construction documents, permit sets without color requirements, and field-use sets where cost is the primary concern. You can mix both in a single order, and our system auto-detects which pages are which so you never overpay.
Technical
Yes, provided your PDF is set up correctly. We print at 100% — no scaling applied. The PDF page size must match your intended print size (e.g., a 24×36 PDF prints on a 24×36 sheet). Our technician verifies scale during file review. If there's a mismatch, we contact you before printing — because an off-scale permit set means a rejected submission and a reprint. Our file preparation guide explains exactly how to export at the correct sheet size.
Vector PDFs — which is what properly exported CAD drawings produce — print with razor-sharp lines at any size because the line data is mathematical rather than pixel-based. Raster elements (embedded images, scanned documents) print at whatever resolution they were captured — we recommend 300 DPI minimum for raster content. Our HP DesignJet printers output at 1200 DPI, so the limiting factor is always your source file, not our equipment. Bottom line: if the PDF looks sharp on screen at full size, it will print sharp.
Contact us immediately at azulprints.com/contact with a photo of the issue and your order number. If the error is on our end — incorrect scale, wrong orientation, print quality defect — we reprint and reship at no charge. If the error is in the source file (which our technician would have flagged during review), we'll discuss options. We stand behind every order.
Our HP DesignJet printers produce accurate, consistent color for technical documents. Colors in your PDF — blues, reds, greens, and standard CAD color codes — will print true-to-file. For highly color-critical applications (exact Pantone matching, photo-accurate renderings), note that inkjet on bond paper has a narrower color gamut than photo paper. For those use cases, contact us about poster/presentation printing options.
We print on professional HP DesignJet large-format inkjet printers — the industry standard for architectural and engineering document printing. These produce accurate line weights, precise dimensions, and consistent ink density across large-format sheets. For you, that means 1200 DPI output on every sheet, which exceeds what most building departments and review processes require.
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