PDF tools for architects and designers
Combine drawing sets, compress for client review, watermark draft plans, sign approvals. Tools built for architectural workflows.
Architecture practices live and die by PDFs of drawing sets, specifications, presentation decks, and approval submissions. A typical project produces hundreds of PDFs — from concept sketches to issued-for-construction plans, from contractor RFI responses to client review packets. Speed and predictability with PDFs translates directly to billable hour efficiency.
PDFOnly handles the daily architectural workflow: combining drawing sets and specs into shareable packets; compressing oversized plan PDFs for clients on slow connections (a 200 MB drawing set becomes 20 MB without losing readability); watermarking 'NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION' on draft plans before issue; signing approval pages digitally; converting between PDF and Word for editable specifications. Free for the basics; Pro and Team plans add API access for office-wide workflows and shared team workspaces.
Frequently asked questions
Will compressing plans degrade line quality?
Vector content (CAD-exported plans, line drawings) is preserved at full fidelity at every compression level — no quality loss on lines, hatches, or annotations. Only embedded raster images (rendered visualizations, photographs) are downsampled. For drawing sets that are mostly vector, even High compression looks indistinguishable from the original.
Can I sign approval pages without printing?
Yes — Sign PDF lets you stamp a signature image on any page. Acceptable for most internal approvals, RFI responses, and standard contract markups. For high-stakes seals (PE/architect-of-record stamps with regulatory weight), consult your jurisdiction's e-stamping rules — many now accept digital seals with proper certificates.
How do I share a 500 MB drawing set with a contractor on slow internet?
Compress to ~50 MB (acceptable line quality maintained), then either email directly or upload to a shared file system. The compressed PDF stays vectorial and prints at full quality if the contractor needs to print specific sheets.