Step-by-step · Bluebeam Revu
Your Bluebeam PDF
looks right. Is it?
Bluebeam users are the most at-risk for silent print failures — because the file looks correct on screen. Unflattened markups, wrong page dimensions, mismatched sheet sizes. Any one of these means missing notes on-site, unusable permit sets, or a job-site crew working from wrong measurements.
Upload Your Bluebeam PDF
✓ ARCH D 24×36 from $3.00
✓ Technician reviews every file
✓ Ships same day before 12 PM
Every file reviewed by a real technician before we print a single sheet
We open your PDF, verify scale against your title block annotation, check orientation and sheet completeness, and flag any issues — before production begins. You hear about problems before your prints arrive, not after. This is included in every order at no extra cost.
The hidden risks in Bluebeam files
Bluebeam users think their file is correct. Often it isn't.
Bluebeam is where most contractors and PMs live — which means it's also where most silent print failures originate. The file looks fine on screen. It isn't.
Markups not flattened
Missing notes on-site
Bluebeam annotations print inconsistently on wide-format plotters. Your RFI clouds, approval stamps, and redline notes may not appear at all. The crew gets a blank sheet where markup should be.
Wrong page dimensions
Set unusable — permit rejected
A file received from a client, exported at letter size, looks normal in Bluebeam's window — until it prints at 35% of the correct size. Scale ruler reads wrong on every sheet.
Mixed sheet sizes in set
Rejected permit submission
One ARCH C sheet in an otherwise ARCH D set prints at the wrong size — or gets cropped. Building department rejects the submission. You're back to square one.
✓ The steps below eliminate all three. And our technician catches anything that slips through.
Who this is for
If your job is on the line, don't guess
General Contractors
Mid-project, under time pressure, coordinating subs from printed sets. A wrong print delays every trade waiting on drawings. Order before noon, ships today.
Project Managers
Coordinating documents from multiple sources — architect PDFs, shop drawings, consultant sheets. Sheet size consistency matters. We review your full set before printing.
Architects & Designers
Permit submissions where scale accuracy is non-negotiable. Your title block says 1/4"=1' — it needs to actually be 1/4"=1' on the paper. Our technician verifies this.
The Short Version
Bluebeam to Azul Prints — six steps
If your PDF is already correctly sized and scaled in Bluebeam, you're most of the way there. The steps below cover the three things that catch people: verifying actual page dimensions, flattening markups, and printing multi-sheet sets consistently.
1
Verify page dimensions in File → Properties
Go to File → Properties (or Ctrl+D). Under the Description tab, confirm the page size. For ARCH D it must read 24.00 × 36.00 inches. If it shows anything else — especially letter (8.5×11) or tabloid (11×17) — your source file was exported at the wrong size and needs to be re-exported from AutoCAD or Revit.
⚠️ Page size in Bluebeam reflects the size of the PDF you were given — Bluebeam cannot change it. If the dimensions are wrong, go back to your CAD source.
2
Flatten all markups — Document → Flatten
Go to Document → Flatten. In the Flatten dialog, check all markup types: comments, stamps, measurements, callouts, clouds, and hyperlinks. Click OK.
✅ Flattened markups become part of the PDF content layer and print reliably on any printer, including large-format plotters.
⚠️ Do not skip this if your PDF has any Bluebeam annotations. Unflattened markups are stored as PDF annotations — some wide-format printers ignore annotation layers entirely, meaning your clouds, stamps, and redlines won't appear on the print.
3
Check and clean layers
Open the Layers panel via View → Panels → Layers. Review which layers are visible. Hide or delete any layers you don't want printed — common candidates are internal redline layers, reference overlays, and quantity takeoff layers. Only visible layers will print.
4
For single sheets — verify at 100% in Print preview
Go to File → Print. In the Print dialog, confirm:
- Printer: your plotter — or, for upload prep, "Microsoft Print to PDF" to create a new PDF copy
- Page Scaling: set to Actual Size or None — never "Fit to Paper"
- Paper size: must match the document page size
⚠️ "Fit to Paper" in Bluebeam's print dialog rescales your drawing. A 24×36 drawing printed at Fit to Paper on a letter-size printer becomes a 57%-scale print. Your scale ruler will read wrong on every measurement.
5
For multi-sheet sets — use Batch → Print or Combine first
Option A — Batch Print: Go to File → Batch → Print. Add your files, set scaling to Actual Size across all, and confirm paper sizes match.
Option B — Combine then upload: Go to File → Combine. Add all sheets in order. Bluebeam creates a single multi-page PDF. This is the preferred method for uploading to Azul Prints — one file, one upload, consistent review.
Option B — Combine then upload: Go to File → Combine. Add all sheets in order. Bluebeam creates a single multi-page PDF. This is the preferred method for uploading to Azul Prints — one file, one upload, consistent review.
✅ A single multi-page PDF is easier to manage, easier for our technicians to review, and ensures consistent print settings across your entire set.
6
Upload to Azul Prints and get an instant price
Upload your flattened, verified PDF to azulprints.com/quote. Select your size, quantity, paper type, and shipping speed. A real technician reviews your file — scale, orientation, completeness — before printing begins. ARCH D 24×36 from $3.00/sheet. Order before 12 PM EST and it ships the same day.
✅ You don't need to re-upload or reorder if our technician catches something — we contact you first.
AutoCAD + Bluebeam Workflow
Creating the PDF from AutoCAD using the Bluebeam printer
If you're working in AutoCAD with Bluebeam installed, you have a dedicated Bluebeam PDF printer available in the Plot dialog. This produces higher-quality vector PDFs than the generic DWG-to-PDF plotter for many drawing types.
1
Open the Plot dialog from a Layout tab
Always plot from a Layout tab (paper space), not from Model space. Layout tabs have predefined sheet sizes and viewport scales that ensure accurate output. Type PLOT or press Ctrl+P.
2
Select "Bluebeam PDF" as the printer
Under Printer/Plotter, select Bluebeam PDF. This driver appears automatically after Bluebeam Revu is installed. If you don't see it, use DWG To PDF.pc3 instead.
3
Set paper size to your exact ARCH or ANSI size
Under Paper Size, select the correct ARCH or ANSI size — e.g. ARCH D (24.00 × 36.00 Inches). This is the most common source of wrong-size prints: leaving it on letter or ANSI A.
4
Set Plot Scale to 1:1 — never "Fit to Paper"
Under Plot Scale, select 1:1. This tells AutoCAD that one paper unit equals one drawing unit — correct for layouts already set up at the correct scale. Never check "Fit to Paper."
⚠️ "Fit to Paper" is the most common cause of wrong-scale blueprints. A drawing at 1/4"=1'-0" with Fit to Paper enabled prints at whatever scale fills the page — which is almost never 1/4"=1'-0".
5
Set plot style for B&W or color
For black & white prints: select monochrome.ctb under Plot Style Table. For color: use acad.ctb or your firm's color CTB. Click OK to plot.
6
Open the resulting PDF in Bluebeam and verify
Open the PDF in Revu. Check File → Properties to confirm dimensions. Use the Scale tool or measure a known dimension to verify scale accuracy. Then flatten any markups and upload.
Common Mistakes
What goes wrong with Bluebeam prints
Don't do this
✗ Leave markups unflattened — they may not print
✗ Print with "Fit to Paper" — destroys scale
✗ Upload without checking page dimensions first
✗ Upload multiple separate files instead of one combined PDF
✗ Print from Model space — scale will be wrong
✗ Assume your Bluebeam PDF is 24×36 without verifying
Do this instead
✓ Flatten all markups before uploading
✓ Set scaling to Actual Size / None in print dialog
✓ Verify page dimensions in File → Properties
✓ Combine multi-sheet sets into one PDF with File → Combine
✓ Always plot from a Layout tab in AutoCAD
✓ Use our free scale checker before uploading
💡
The fastest way to verify your PDF before uploading: use our free Blueprint Scale Checker. Upload your PDF and we detect the page dimensions, scan for scale notation, and flag orientation issues — in your browser, nothing uploaded to a server.
Don't delay your job waiting on prints
Upload your plans — we verify scale before printing
A technician opens your file, confirms dimensions, checks for unflattened markups, and reviews sheet completeness before printing. ARCH D 24×36 from $3.00/sheet. Order before 12 PM EST — ships today.
✓
Our guarantee: If your plans are printed incorrectly due to our error, we reprint and overnight ship at no cost. No arguments, no conditions.
Order before 12 PM EST — prints reviewed, packaged, and handed to UPS the same day.
Version Notes
Bluebeam Revu versions — what's different
Revu 21 (current)
The Flatten function is at Document → Flatten. The Batch Print option is at File → Batch → Print. The Combine tool is at File → Combine. These paths are consistent across Revu 20 and 21.
Revu 2019 and earlier
Older versions may show Flatten at Document → Flatten Markups rather than just Flatten. Batch functionality was previously under the Batch menu at the top-level rather than nested under File. Core functionality is identical — the menu location changed between major versions.
Revu for iPad / Mobile
Bluebeam mobile does not have batch processing or the Bluebeam PDF plotter integration. For preparing multi-sheet sets for printing, use Revu on Windows or Mac. Mobile is fine for reviewing and marking up files before the final print workflow.
💡
Revu 20 vs 21 licensing: Both are fully compatible with Azul Prints. We accept any version's PDF output. The differences are in interface and Studio Session features — the PDF output format is identical for our purposes.
Frequently asked
Common questions about printing blueprints from Bluebeam Revu.
Bluebeam Revu can print to any printer connected to your computer, including wide-format plotters. However, most contractors and architects don't have a large-format plotter in-house. The typical workflow is to prepare and verify your PDF in Bluebeam, then upload it to a printing service like Azul Prints for professional large-format output on bond paper or mylar, shipped to your door or job site.
Yes, always flatten before uploading. Bluebeam markups — clouds, stamps, comments, measurements, callouts — are stored as PDF annotation layers, not as part of the document content. Wide-format printers and print RIPs handle annotations inconsistently. Some ignore them entirely. Flattening (Document → Flatten) merges your markups into the content layer so they print reliably every time.
The PDF page size must exactly match the print size you order. For ARCH D (24×36 inch) prints, your Bluebeam file must show 24.00 × 36.00 inches in File → Properties. Common mismatches: files received from clients that were exported at letter size (8.5×11), or half-size sets (ARCH B 12×18) that look correct on screen but will print too small for a permit submission.
Two causes: (1) The source CAD file was exported with Fit to Page enabled — this rescaled the drawing to fill the plotter's default paper size, which is usually letter or tabloid. The fix is to re-export from AutoCAD or Revit with plot scale set to 1:1. (2) The print dialog has Fit to Paper enabled — this happens when you print from Bluebeam to a plotter of a different size than the PDF page. Always set print scaling to Actual Size or None.
Two options: (1) Use File → Combine to merge all sheets into a single multi-page PDF, then upload that one file to Azul Prints. This is the cleanest approach. (2) Use File → Batch → Print if you need to print from multiple separate files — set all to Actual Size with consistent paper settings. For permit sets, we strongly recommend the Combine approach — it ensures our technician reviews every sheet in order as a complete set.
Both produce valid PDFs for printing. The Bluebeam PDF plotter (installed with Revu) tends to produce smaller file sizes and better handles Bluebeam-specific elements. DWG to PDF.pc3 (built into AutoCAD) is more universally available and equally reliable for construction drawings. For Azul Prints, either output is acceptable — what matters is that the page size is correct and the scaling is 1:1.
File checked. Technician verified. Ships today.
Used by GCs, architects, and project managers nationwide. Every Bluebeam PDF reviewed for markups, dimensions, and scale before printing. ARCH D 24×36 from $3.00. If we print it wrong, we overnight a reprint at no cost.
✓ Technician reviews every file
✓ Reprint guarantee if we err
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