How-to guide
How to OCR a drawing in Bluebeam Revu
OCR turns a scanned or image-only PDF into one you can search and select text in. In Revu it's one dialog; the settings below are the ones that decide whether it works on construction drawings.
Updated · 2 min read · Sources
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How to run OCR in Bluebeam Revu
- 1
Open the OCR dialog
Go to Document > OCR, or Batch > OCR to process several files. The open PDF is added automatically; use Add to include more files, a set or a folder.
- 2
Choose the pages
For each PDF, pick All Pages, Current, Selected or Custom (for example 1-3, 5, 9), or filter by even, odd, landscape or portrait pages.
- 3
Set the options
Choose the language, set Document Type to CAD Drawing for plan sheets, and pick Accuracy or Speed.
- 4
Run it and check
Start the OCR, then search for a word you can see on the sheet. If nothing is found, run it again with Page Chunk Size set to 1.
The settings that matter for drawings
Document Type: CAD Drawing suits plan sheets and tends to ignore text formatting. Optimize For: Accuracy is slower but worth it on dense sheets. Detect Text in Pictures and Drawings picks up text inside drawing content. Skip Vector Pages leaves pages that already have vector content alone, which saves time on mixed sets. Correct Skew and Detect Orientation fix crooked or rotated scans, and Detect Vertical Text catches rotated labels.
When OCR finds nothing
Bluebeam's own fix is to rerun with Page Chunk Size set to 1, which sends one page at a time to the OCR engine; it's also the recommended setting for large or complex jobs. If larger text is being missed, raise Max Vector Size, because vectors above that size are discarded before recognition. OCR will not run at all on a certified or digitally signed PDF.
Which Revu plans include OCR
All of them. Bluebeam's pricing table ticks OCR for Basics, Core, Complete and Max. See Bluebeam Revu price for what each plan costs.
Finding symbols on a scanned drawing in ContractorCounter
ContractorCounter doesn't OCR drawings. On a scan with no text layer, Visual Search finds repeated symbols by matching a region you capture, and the matches can become a count you review on the sheet. That's often the job people OCR a drawing for in the first place: counting fixtures. Plans start at US$1 a week, billed US$4 every 4 weeks.
Questions about How-to guide
Does Bluebeam Basics have OCR?
Yes. Bluebeam's pricing table includes OCR in Basics, Core, Complete and Max.
What is the shortcut for OCR in Bluebeam?
Ctrl+Shift+O opens OCR in Revu 20 and 21. More are in the [Bluebeam keyboard shortcuts](/how-to/bluebeam-keyboard-shortcuts) guide.
Why won't Bluebeam OCR my PDF?
The most common reasons are that the PDF is certified or digitally signed, which blocks OCR, or that the job is too large for the default page chunk. Try Page Chunk Size 1. If only large text is missed, raise Max Vector Size.
Can I OCR several drawings at once?
Yes. Use Batch > OCR, or add files, a set, a folder or a folder with subfolders in the OCR dialog. Files are processed in the order listed.
See whether it fits your next job.
Start with your own drawing in the free preview. No card required.
Sources
The steps and every option name were read from Bluebeam's OCR page in the Revu user manual. Plan availability was read from the comparison table on Bluebeam's pricing page.
- Reviewed
- Checked by
- Tylar E., founder
Option names follow the current Revu manual; older versions may differ. OCR accuracy depends on scan quality.
Published sources
- Bluebeam user manual: OCRDocument > OCR and Batch > OCR, the page options, Document Type, Optimize For, Skip Vector Pages, Page Chunk Size, Max Vector Size, and that certified or signed PDFs cannot be OCRed.
- Bluebeam pricingOCR ("Transform scanned images into text-searchable PDFs") is ticked for Basics, Core, Complete and Max.