24 × 36 in (ARCH D) blueprint printing
24 × 36 in, the ARCH D sheet, is the most common size for permit and job-site sets. Black & white on 20 lb bond is $3.00 per sheet at 1–24 sheets, down to $1.68 at 500 or more. Upload your PDF, choose ARCH D, and see your price online.
- $3.00 per ARCH D sheet at 1–24 sheets
- $1.68 per ARCH D sheet at 500 or more
- 24 × 36 in, 6 sq ft; color pages priced by coverage — light color $3.75, standard $7.50 at 1–24 (how color is priced)
- Weekday orders by 12 PM Eastern ship the same day
What a 24 × 36 sheet is
ARCH D is the D size in the architectural sheet series: 24 inches by 36 inches, 6 square feet. Most building departments, contractors and consultants work on it by default.
At 1/4 in = 1 ft, a 24 × 36 sheet covers roughly 144 × 96 ft of plan before borders and the title block; at 1/8 in = 1 ft, about twice that in each direction. That is why most residential and small commercial sets fit on it.
Print at the size your drawings were drawn on. A set laid out on ARCH D prints at the stated scale on ARCH D; a sheet drawn on ARCH E and shrunk to 24 × 36 no longer measures at the scale written in its title block (a graphic scale bar shrinks with the drawing; the written ratio does not). If a reviewing agency asks for a different size, confirm its requirements with your building department before you order.
We print every ARCH and ANSI size. See the size guide if you are not sure which series your set uses.
What a 24 × 36 set costs
A 24 × 36 sheet is 6 square feet at $0.50 per square foot, so $3.00 at 1–24 sheets. The rate is set by the total sheet count across every file and set on the order, and you see it before you pay.
| Sheets on the order | B&W | Light color | Standard color |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–24 | $3.00 | $3.75 | $7.50 |
| 25–99 | $2.52 | $3.15 | $6.30 |
| 100–249 | $2.10 | $2.65 | $5.28 |
| 250–499 | $1.80 | $2.25 | $4.50 |
| 500 or more | $1.68 | $2.10 | $4.20 |
Light color is a color page with color coverage up to 3.00% of the sheet and overall ink coverage below 35.00%. Dense pages may qualify for heavy-coverage pricing. Upload your files to see each page’s category and exact price. On a color order, pages with no visible color are charged at the black & white rate. Every printed sheet counts toward your volume tier; each page is priced at the rate for its size and coverage category. Color printing.
Worked examples
| Order (black & white unless noted) | Sheets | Rate | Print subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 sheet | 1 | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| 10 pages × 1 set | 10 | $3.00 | $30.00 |
| 10 pages × 3 sets | 30 | $2.52 | $75.60 |
| 30 pages × 1 set, mixed: 25 B&W + 5 light color (illustrative) | 30 | $2.52 / $3.15 | $78.75 |
| 20 pages × 4 sets | 80 | $2.52 | $201.60 |
| 50 pages × 2 sets | 100 | $2.10 | $210.00 |
Mixed order, illustrative: 25 standard-coverage B&W sheets × $2.52 = $63.00 plus 5 eligible light-color sheets × $3.15 = $15.75, print subtotal $78.75 excluding shipping; all 30 sheets count toward the 25–99 tier. The upload determines each page's actual category. Shipping is chosen at checkout. UPS Ground is free on orders of $29 or more. Upload your file for the exact price or estimate a set.
How 24 × 36 compares with other sizes
Every size is priced by area at the same rate per square foot, so a larger sheet costs proportionally more and a smaller one less. All sizes earn the same volume tiers.
| Size | Dimensions | Sq ft | 1–24 sheets | 500 or more | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARCH A | 9 × 12 in | 0.75 | $0.38 | $0.21 | Details, sketches |
| ARCH B | 12 × 18 in | 1.5 | $0.75 | $0.42 | Half-size review sets |
| ARCH C | 18 × 24 in | 3.0 | $1.50 | $0.84 | Small residential, supplemental sheets |
| ARCH D | 24 × 36 in | 6.0 | $3.00 | $1.68 | Permit sets, job-site sets, engineering |
| ARCH E | 36 × 48 in | 12.0 | $6.00 | $3.36 | Large commercial, civil site plans |
| ANSI D | 22 × 34 in | 5.2 | $2.60 | $1.45 | Engineering sets drawn on the ANSI series |
Black & white per sheet. Which size a reviewing agency accepts varies; confirm requirements with your building department. Full size table.
Preparing a 24 × 36 PDF
The most common problem is a PDF exported with “fit to page”. These four checks avoid it.
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Export at the ARCH D page size
In AutoCAD or Revit, set the paper size to ARCH D 24 × 36 when plotting to PDF, at the plot scale your title block states. The written scale then holds on paper.
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Do not use “fit to page”
Fit to page rescales the drawing to whatever paper size the PDF was set to, so the printed scale no longer matches the title block.
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State the scale in the title block
1/8 in = 1 ft, 1/4 in = 1 ft, 1:100. The technician checks the output against the stated scale before printing.
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PDF only, including scans
If a drawing exists only as a JPG or PNG scan, place it on a 24 × 36 PDF page at 150 dpi or more before uploading. Low-resolution scans look soft at full size.
If you are unsure, upload anyway: the quote tool measures each page, and a print technician reviews the file before printing. File preparation guide · Scale calculator.
How to order 24 × 36 prints
Three steps. No account required, and you see the total before you pay.
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Upload and choose ARCH D
Add your PDFs, choose ARCH D 24 × 36, black & white or color, and the number of sets. Uploading files does not place an order.
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Review price and delivery
See the print subtotal, choose a UPS service and enter the address. UPS Ground is free on orders of $29 or more.
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Pay and receive tracking
A technician reviews the file before printing. Weekday orders placed by 12 PM Eastern ship the same day, rolled and packed in a shipping tube, and UPS tracking is emailed to you.
24 × 36 printing FAQs
How much does 24 × 36 blueprint printing cost?
$3.00 per sheet at 1–24 sheets in black & white, then $2.52 at 25–99, $2.10 at 100–249, $1.80 at 250–499 and $1.68 at 500 or more. The tier is set by the total sheets on the order, pages × sets, across every file. A 10-page set is $30.00 for one set; three sets are 30 sheets at $2.52, or $75.60. Color pages are priced by what they carry: light color $3.75 per sheet at 1–24, standard color $7.50, pages with no visible color at the B&W rate. No setup fees, no minimum order.
Is 24 × 36 the same as ARCH D?
Yes. ARCH D is the name of the 24 × 36 inch sheet in the architectural size series. When a contractor, architect or building department says “24 by 36” they mean ARCH D. The ANSI series has a close cousin, ANSI D at 22 × 34 in.
Can 24 × 36 prints ship the same day?
Weekday orders placed by 12 PM Eastern ship the same day via UPS; later orders ship the next business day and weekend orders ship Monday. UPS Ground is free on orders of $29 or more; UPS 3 Day Select, 2nd Day Air and Next Day Air are offered at checkout. Arrival depends on the service and the destination. Same-day dispatch.
How do I export a 24 × 36 PDF from AutoCAD or Revit?
In AutoCAD, open Plot, set the paper size to ARCH D 24 × 36 and set the plot scale to your drawing scale rather than “fit to paper”. In Revit, create the sheet on a 24 × 36 title block and export to PDF at 100%. Measure a dimensioned element in the PDF and check it against the stated scale before uploading (the scale conversion calculator tells you what it should measure). If you are unsure, upload it; the technician checks before printing.
How many pages are in a typical 24 × 36 set?
It depends on the project. A single-family permit set is often 5 to 15 sheets: site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections and details. Small commercial sets run 15 to 40 sheets, and larger projects can reach a hundred or more across architectural, structural and MEP disciplines. There is no minimum or maximum order.
Is 24 × 36 accepted for permit submissions?
ARCH D is the sheet size most building departments work with, but requirements vary by jurisdiction, and some ask for a specific size or number of copies. A building department may return a set that doesn't meet its scale or sheet-size requirements, so we check both before printing. Confirm requirements with your building department; we cannot guarantee acceptance.
Are the prints rolled or flat?
Rolled, bagged and packed in a shipping tube, which is how plan sets normally travel and what job sites expect. If you need something different, contact us before ordering.
More in the full FAQ, or contact us.
Related pages
Price your 24 × 36 set in a few minutes.
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