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Distributing RFIs electronically in PDF
RFIs are an extremely important part of the construction process, and are necessary to confirm the interpretation of a detail, specifications on architectural drawings, or to obtain and clarify information from the architect or client in order to continue working. The RFI process generally requires a lot of paper distribution and documentation, however Bluebeam allows you to issue, track and archive RFIs electronically. In fact, you can even combine RFI forms with spec pages and store them as one PDF that can easily be shared.
In this article I am going to go over the various steps you can take when implementing Bluebeam into your RFI process, all of which will help you distribute files more efficiently and sustainably, and provide more clear communication on your project.
Make sure drawings are to scale
First things first, make sure that PDF files created from the CAD drawing are to scale so you can accurately takeoff and bid from the PDF file. This sounds fundamental, but it is worth mentioning because we talk to a surprisingly large number of users who receive PDF files that aren’t to scale.
File Attachments
Bluebeam allows you to add files to a PDF as attachments, just like you are able to do in an email message. This allows you to attach supporting documents that help explain a question or provide a more clear answer to the RFI. Revu allows you to attach any kind of file to a PDF, whether it’s a PDF catalog, a copy of the CAD drawing or other files that have not been converted to PDF. In Revu, click the File Attachment button and select the file you would like to attach, or click File Attachment under the Markup menu, and then select your file. Creating file attachments is also supported in the Bluebeam plug-ins for Office, AutoCAD and SolidWorks.
Combining PDF pages or files
When creating an RFI form or answering an RFI, it’s often helpful to include supporting documents in your explanation for clear communication. We already explained how to do this with file attachments, but you also have the option of copying pages from PDFs or combining entire PDF files together to share necessary information.
Copy and Paste PDF pages
Copying and pasting pages is fast and easy. Open a PDF file, and then view the thumbnail panel on the left side of the interface. Select a thumbnail or use Ctrl/Shift to multiselect thumbnails. With your cursor over the thumbnail tab, right click and select Copy Pages. Then open the PDF file you want to paste into or create a new, blank PDF. Place your cursor where you would like to insert the pages, right click and select Paste Pages.
Combining PDF files
To combine existing PDFs within Revu, go to the File menu and select Combine PDFs. The Combine PDF Files dialog box will open, prompting you to select the PDF files that you wish to combine.
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You have the option of either combining PDF files that are already open within Revu by clicking Add Open Files or selecting from files saved on your network or computer by clicking Add.
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Once you’ve selected your files they will be displayed in the dialog box. You can sort, re-order or remove specific files from within the dialog box using the buttons on the left side.
After you’ve organized your selected files, click OK and a new, combined PDF file will open in Revu. To save this new file, select File, Save As and name you new file.
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PDF File Size
The size of PDF files can be an issue when you are sending RFIs or other PDF documents via email. The maximum allowable email file attachment varies widely by your email provider. Some providers allow attachments as large as 10 MB, but others have lower limits like 1 MB.
You can control the size of the PDF during the creation of the PDF file or you can reduce the file size of an existing PDF. Here are a few different ways to make your PDF files smaller to ensure that they are received by the recipient:
‘Reduce File Size’ of an existing PDF in Revu
Revu includes a Reduce File Size feature under the Document menu. The majority of size reduction is accomplished by working with images that are in the PDF file. After selecting Reduce File Size, a dialog box will open that will allow you to adjust various components of your PDF file such as Image, Fonts and Miscellaneous. If your PDF contains images, you can reset the image DPI or color depth in order to reduce the files size of your PDF. Once you are done making changes to your PDF settings, click OK and then save your PDF so that it reflects your changes.
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Image DPI when creating a PDF
Select the Image DPI when you create a PDF file of an image or a CAD drawing with embedded images. A higher DPI will result in a larger file size. Select an Image DPI that is equal to or lower than the quality of the original image. To do this, print the file to the Bluebeam PDF printer and click Print. In the Save As window of the Bluebeam Printer, set the Image DPI within the Resolution box before saving your file.
Image Compression when creating a PDF
Selecting the wrong compression when creating PDF files from documents that contain images can significantly increase the size of the PDF. To ensure that this does not happen, save color images as Photographics (JPEG), and save black and white or monochrome images as Graphics (ZIP). To do this, print the file to the Bluebeam PDF printer and click Print. In the Save As window of the Bluebeam Printer, select Photographics (JPEG) or Graphics (ZIP) from the Image Compression box before saving your file. |
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Security
Last but not least, RFIs ask for important information and clarifications, and because of this users will often add Security to PDFs. If you choose to add Security to your PDF, make sure that your settings still allow other users to add annotations and comments to the PDF to complete their end of the process. Don’t lock them out of the file.
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