Scanning Large Format Plans

[Forensic74]

Due to COVID, a lot of print/scanner shops are shut down. Does anyone know of any alternatives to just taking photos of plan sheets? I would have thought by now there would be some good apps or scanner wands that could handle scanning full size construction sheets, but I'm not seeing anything solid.

 

[r13]

I think there are many full size printer/scanner in the market, been use it since early 90s. Also, what wrong with simply keep electronic file?

 

[JLNJ]

There are some good apps for your phone which will turn jpegs into PDFs. I use a free one called TinyScanner but there are many of them out there.

Of course the free ones have some limitations.

 

[KootK]

If you've got a phone with a kick-ass camera, and a large, dark, wall mounted space to serve as border definition, the Dropbox app has a pretty good scanner function.

 

[r13]

Will the photo better than simply take a screen shot and save in PDF format, if the graphic program can't do it?

 

[KootK]

I assumed that we were talking about the scanning of hard copy plans. Given forensic74's likely vocation being... forensics, I surmise that he often deals with hard copy plan prints for older structures.

 

[r13]

I see, thanks.

 

[Tomfh]

Retired13, a screen grab is limited to the display resolution.

 

[r13]

Tom,

Isn't the camera? I haven't checked the resolution capability of my phone yet.

 

[Tomfh]

Yes it’s limited by the camera but phones tend to have much higher resolution than a screen grab.

 

[FoxSE14]

Hello, Forensic74, fellow forensic structural engineer here. Try playing around with the Scannable app. I've gotten by with that, doing just what you propose.

 

[IDS]

If phone camera resolution is adequate, then printing to pdf from Irfan View (or I'm sure many other free graphics apps) will convert to pdf at full resolution.

Or paste into Excel and print to pdf or save as pdf from there.

Or just leave it as .jpg.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[cvg]

curled edges, skewed photos, unable to photograph the entire sheet, poor lighting, just some of the issues with using your phone. in my opinion, using a phone or a camera is a last ditch effort.

see example

 

[PEinc]

For a large document, print it as as PDF. Sign the PDF plan with the Adobe free form pencil tool. Scan and insert your PE seal. Lock the file to prevent changes (but allow printing) and email it to your client. Follow up later with a conventional submission.
Maybe you can take it to an open FedEx store (formerly Kinkos) and scan it there.

http://www.PeirceEngineering.com

 

[dold]

Google drive also has a decent scanner, but not anywhere close to the quality of a real scanner. Not sure why some people are suggesting printing and taking screenshots...? That obviously isn't possible until you scan the original. Unless some archaic jurisdiction is making you print your new design drawings, wet seal plans, then scan them back in?

If you have a large piece of glass or something you can put the drawing under it so the edges aren't curled up.

 

[dik]

Many large format printers, scan also... If you can use the original drawings *.dwg and print to *.pdf and add seals and signatures.

I also have software that does a decent conversion of a *.pdf to a *.dwg. If the *.pdf print is from a cad file... even the layers are maintained.

Dik

 

[r13]

As confused as I was. Obviously OP has the print copy of "as built" drawings that need to be convert into electronic files. I still think the full size scanner is the best, and a worthwhile investment, or just use Kinkos.

 

[EngineeringEric]

Our plotter is also a full size scanner. it didn't cost much more than a plain plotter. we aren't a large firm by any stretch.

So you may want to ask a colleague if they have one. if you typically do buildings maybe ask one of the civil firms you work with, keep it to one of those firms you have't gone to lawsuit with!!!

 

[kipfoot]

Depending on your need, I think a phone scanner (I use Fastscanner) is a viable workaround for what I interpret your situation to be. It does not automatically save as a pdf in Arch D format, for example, but the quality from a decent original is okay when the whole sheet is in the image. (I just tried it with a 24"x36" on the floor) These programs take the phone image, adjust the contrast so that it reads like a b/w drawing, and save as a pdf or jpg.

It's not ideal if you need to be able to scale the resulting drawing, but it works if, for example, you have a drawing at your home office and you need to share it with a colleague at her/his home office. Consider putting a graphical scale on the drawing before the photo-scan.

 

[Agent666]

I use Microsoft OfficeLens for this type of thing, but I've no experience with really big sheets. But it does pretty well with up to A3 size. It automatically corrects for skew which is very useful to getting things all square and to scale.