(732) 701-7919 Mon–Fri 9:00 AM–5:00 PM ET support@printmyplans.com
Print My Plans
Quality Plans — Affordable Prices — Delivered to your door.
Start Order
Print My Plans
Start Order

How to Print a Plan Set From Bluebeam Revu at the Right Scale

By Eli Gewirtzman, Owner

If you mark up drawings in Bluebeam Revu, you have probably seen it happen: a clean set on screen prints with missing clouds and notes, or the sheets come back slightly shrunk, so the scale bar no longer measures true. Both problems are usually caused before the file leaves your computer. This guide walks through the three checks that matter, using only the steps Bluebeam documents on its own support site.

  1. Make the markups a permanent part of the PDF.
  2. Confirm each page is the sheet size you mean to print.
  3. Print at full scale, or upload the PDF to a print service.

Step 1: Flatten your markups so they print everywhere

In Revu, markups such as clouds, callouts and text boxes normally live on the PDF’s annotation layer. Revu shows them, but other PDF viewers and print systems may not. Bluebeam’s own guidance is that flattening “ensures markups and annotations will display in PDF viewers and mobile apps that only display PDF content” (Locking vs. flattening markups).

Flattening moves markups from the annotations layer to the content layer, “effectively making them part of the drawing” (Flatten markups).

Bluebeam’s documented steps to flatten and save (Printing markups using Adobe Acrobat or Reader):

  1. Open the PDF in Bluebeam Revu.
  2. Go to Document > Flatten.
  3. Select the options you want and click Flatten.
  4. Click Save As to save under a new name, or Save to overwrite the file.

Options worth knowing (from Flatten markups):

  • Choose what to flatten. You can flatten All Markups, Exclude Filtered Markups, or only Currently Selected Markups. The type list lets you leave certain markup types unflattened.
  • Allow Markup Recovery (Unflatten). Turn this on if you might need to edit markups later. Bluebeam notes that flattening “is irreversible if the PDF is flattened without this option selected.”
  • Quick flatten. Select markups, right-click and choose Flatten. This uses the default settings, which keep the ability to unflatten.

Two cautions from Bluebeam:

  • Some edits block recovery. Running Edit Text, Search and Replace, Erase Content, Cut Content, Reduce File Size, Apply Redactions, Color Processing or Repair PDF on a page with flattened markups will stop those markups from being unflattened (Editing a flattened PDF prevents markups from being unflattened).
  • Flatten a copy. Bluebeam recommends saving a copy of the PDF and flattening that copy, so you always keep the original unflattened version (Locking vs. flattening markups).

A simple habit: keep A-Set_working.pdf for markups, and send A-Set_PRINT.pdf (flattened) to print.

Step 2: Check that the page size matches the sheet size

A drawing labeled 1/4″ = 1′-0″ only measures true when the PDF page is the same physical size as the sheet it was drawn for. If a 24×36 drawing was saved onto an 11×17 page, or onto a page that is a fraction of an inch off, the print will be scaled no matter what you do at the printer.

Read the size in Revu. The Status bar shows “the page dimensions of the current file, the page scale, and the coordinates for your cursor position.” If you don’t see it, press F8 or go to Tools > Toolbars > Status Bar (Customize the navigation and status bars).

Check every sheet. Sets assembled from several sources can have mixed page sizes, so page through the set and watch the Status bar.

Compare against the standard sizes. Common architectural sheets are 18×24, 24×36, 30×42 and 36×48 inches. Engineering (ANSI) sheets use different sizes. If you are unsure which family your drawings use, see our ARCH vs. ANSI sheet size guide.

Double-check outside Revu. You can also run the finished PDF through our free PDF page size checker, which reports the size of each page before you order.

If a page is the wrong size, Revu’s Page Setup can resize pages (Document > Page Setup). Keep these points from Bluebeam’s docs in mind:

  • It changes the file. Page Setup modifies the PDF, so Bluebeam recommends making a copy first (Resize PDF pages).
  • Some files can’t be resized. It can’t be used on PDF/A, certified, or digitally signed documents (Page setup).
  • Media size drives scaling. The Preview shows the current media size, drawing size and scale. Choosing a new Media Size with Auto Scale on scales the drawing up or down to fit, which changes its printed scale (Page setup).

Because resizing changes the scale, the safer fix for a sealed or scaled drawing is usually to re-export it at the correct sheet size from the original design software.

Confirm the measurement scale. If you take measurements in Revu, the page scale is set under Tools > Measure > Set Scale, or by clicking the scale shown on the Navigation or Status bar (Set page scales).

Step 3a: If you print it yourself, turn page scaling off

When printing from Revu (File > Print), the Print dialog’s Page Scaling setting controls whether the sheet is resized. Bluebeam’s definitions (Printing from Revu):

  • None: prints the page at full scale.
  • Fit to Paper / Fit to Margins: expand or shrink the page to fit the paper or its margins, which changes the printed scale.
  • Reduce to Paper / Reduce to Margins: shrink the page to fit, which also changes the printed scale.
  • Auto (paper size): has Revu choose the physical paper size from the PDF’s page definition.

Bluebeam’s fix for a print that isn’t to scale (PDF isn’t to scale when printing):

  1. Select File > Print and set Page Scaling to None.
  2. Open the printer driver’s Properties and look for a Scale or Shrink to Fit option.
  3. Turn off Shrink to Fit so the printer prints at full scale.

Use the Print setting to choose Document & Markups, Document Only, or Markups Only. If you flattened in Step 1, the markups are already part of the document.

Step 3b: If you send it out for printing, upload the flattened PDF

For large-format sheets you don’t have a plotter for, send the flattened, correctly sized PDF to a plan printing service. Before you upload:

  • Flattened: markups are part of the content (Step 1).
  • Right size: every page is the true sheet size (Step 2), checked with the PDF page size checker.
  • Clear file name: name it so you can tell it apart from your working copy.

At Print My Plans you upload the PDF, pick your size and black and white or color, and check out:

Quick checklist

  • Saved a copy, then flattened markups (Document > Flatten), with Allow Markup Recovery on if you may edit later
  • Avoided Reduce File Size, Edit Text and similar edits after flattening if you need to unflatten
  • Status bar (F8) shows the correct page size on every sheet
  • Sheet size matches the drawing’s intended size (ARCH vs. ANSI sizes)
  • Ran the PDF through the page size checker
  • Printing yourself: Page Scaling set to None, and driver Shrink to Fit off
  • Ordering prints: uploaded the flattened PDF

FAQ

Why are my Bluebeam markups missing when the PDF prints?

Markups normally live on the PDF’s annotation layer, which some PDF viewers and print systems don’t show. Flatten them (Document > Flatten) so they become part of the drawing content.

Can I still edit markups after flattening?

Only if you flattened with Allow Markup Recovery (Unflatten) turned on, and you haven’t since used Edit Text, Search and Replace, Erase Content, Cut Content, Reduce File Size, Apply Redactions, Color Processing or Repair PDF on that page.

How do I check a PDF’s page size in Revu?

The Status bar shows the page dimensions of the current file. If it’s hidden, press F8 or go to Tools > Toolbars > Status Bar.

Why did my print come out smaller than full scale?

Usually Page Scaling was set to a Fit or Reduce option, or the printer driver’s Shrink to Fit was on. Set Page Scaling to None and turn off Shrink to Fit.

What sizes and prices do you offer?

Checkout sizes are 18×24, 24×36, 30×42, 36×46 and 36×48. All sizes are the same price per sheet: $1.95 in black and white or $3.75 in color.

Related: pricing · file requirements · how to export PDFs from AutoCAD or Revit · how to prepare a PDF plan set for printing · plan printing cost calculator

Sources (Bluebeam Technical Support, accessed Oct 18, 2026)

Bluebeam and Revu are trademarks of Bluebeam, Inc. Print My Plans is not affiliated with Bluebeam.

Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top

Menu

Start Order