Paper to CAD Conversion

What Paper to CAD Conversion Actually Involves

Paper to CAD conversion is more than scanning a drawing to PDF. Scanning produces a flat raster image, a photograph of the drawing, that you cannot edit. True conversion re-draws every line, dimension, symbol and note as a proper vector object, on the correct layer, so the result behaves exactly like a drawing created natively in AutoCAD or ArchiCAD. You can edit it, extend it, measure from it and reuse it in new work.

We convert paper drawings, PDFs, scanned images and hand-drawn sketches into fully editable CAD files. Because every drawing is redrawn by hand rather than auto-traced, the geometry is clean and accurate, with no fragmented lines or unusable text to clean up afterwards.

Formats We Deliver

• DWG — the native AutoCAD format, ideal if you work in AutoCAD or need to share with most CAD users
• DXF — a universal exchange format that opens in almost any CAD application
• ArchiCAD PLN — for practices working in ArchiCAD's BIM environment

Not sure which you need? Our guide on DWG vs DXF explains the difference, and we're happy to advise based on your workflow.

What We Convert

We handle architectural plans, structural and civil engineering drawings, mechanical and electrical schematics, survey drawings, and historical blueprints. Common jobs include converting old paper plans for a refurbishment, recreating lost CAD files from a printout, and turning a measured survey into an editable base drawing. If your originals are large-format, our large format scanning service can digitise them first, and the two services run as a single workflow.

Still weighing up whether to convert at all? Read Paper vs CAD: when is each still the right choice? for a practical view. Most conversions are delivered within 48 to 72 hours at a fixed price per sheet.