Paper take-off with a scale rule or PDF take-off: what changes, what stays

The gesture stays the same: scale rule, highlighter, total in the margin

On paper, a take-off uses three tools: a scale rule to read lengths at scale, highlighters to mark what has been counted, one colour per item, and a pencil for the totals in the margin. On a PDF the gesture is the same: you set the scale, draw in colour, read a total. What changes is who does the calculation and what remains of it.

What paper keeps for itself

• The overall view: an A0 sheet spread on a table is read at a glance, by several people.
• Freedom: you annotate, circle, write a question in the margin.
• Simplicity: nothing to install, no file to find.

It also has its conditions. A scale rule is only valid on a print at scale: a “fit to page” print makes every reading wrong. Areas are calculated separately, room by room. And a drawing that changes means starting again on a new print.

What the PDF brings: calculation, deductions, checking

• The scale is checked on a written dimension, instead of trusting the print.
• The calculation follows the outline: the area of an L-shaped room or of any shape is given by its outline.
• Deductions are drawn inside the area, and the total updates.
• Checking: each item drawn stays on the drawing, with its name and quantity.
• Zoom: a detail at 1:200 reads like one at 1:20.

No time saving is promised here: it depends on your drawings and your habits. Measure it on one of your own jobs.

Moving from one to the other without changing your method

1. Keep your order: by storey, then by item, as on paper.
2. Keep your colours: one item, one colour, as with highlighters.
3. Do a first drawing twice, scale rule on one side, screen on the other, and compare item by item.
4. Keep a print if you miss the overall view: the two are not mutually exclusive.

In both cases, you are the one who checks your quantities: software calculates what you drew, not what you forgot. The general method is in the guide how to do a take-off.

Paper drawing only: scan it and set the scale

A drawing that exists only on paper can be digitised. Scan it at 100%, on a large-format scanner for an A1 or A0 sheet, then calibrate the scale on a known dimension and check another one in the perpendicular direction: an old or folded print may be distorted, and a hand-held photo is not suitable for areas. The guide on take-off from a scanned drawing gives the resolutions and the checks.

Doing it in Kotelys

Kotelys was designed around that highlighter gesture:

• each type of work has its name and colour; what you draw lies on the drawing like highlighting;
• totals per type are read in the Objects panel, and a legend carries them onto the drawing;
• it opens PDFs and images of scanned drawings (PNG, JPG, TIFF), calibrates the scale on a dimension and checks it, giving the difference in %;
• background opacity and black-and-white display make your work stand out on a yellowed print;
• the measured drawing is exported as a PDF, to print or attach.

Kotelys is free during the beta, by invitation. The announced price afterwards is €24.90 excl. VAT per month per computer, or €249 excl. VAT per year (2 months free), with a one-month free trial. To redo one of your paper take-offs on screen: ask for access to the beta.

What Kotelys does not do

Kotelys does not straighten a photo taken at an angle and does not correct a distorted print: a single scale applies to the whole drawing. More broadly:

• No DWG or DXF import: Kotelys works on PDFs and images.
• No pricing or estimating: it gives quantities; prices stay in your own tool.
• No automatic symbol recognition: every counted item is clicked.
• No online collaboration: a project is a file, opened by one person at a time.
• No Mac or web version: Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit.
• No earthworks volumes from a terrain model: a volume is an area multiplied by a thickness.

Frequently asked questions

What is a scale rule?

A ruler graduated in several scales (1:20, 1:50, 1:100…), most often triangular, read directly in metres on a drawing printed at scale. In France it is commonly called a kutch.

Is a PDF take-off more accurate than a scale rule?

Neither is right if the scale is wrong. With a checked scale, the screen lets you zoom in on every corner; the result still has to be checked against a few dimensions.

Can I take off from a photo of a drawing?

To count items, yes. For lengths and areas, no: perspective makes the scale vary from one corner to another.

What if my paper take-offs end up in Excel?

See take-off in Excel or take-off software.

Further reading: the features of Kotelys, and the other guides.

The software and company names mentioned on this page are trademarks of their respective owners. Kotelys is not affiliated with any of them.