Working with a PDF floor plan
On many devices you either can't select a PDF directly from the browser, or it doesn't load the way you'd expect once you do. For PDFs from a real-estate listing or an email attachment, it's usually safest to export a PNG or JPEG using the official viewer or your OS's built-in tools, or to zoom in and take a screenshot with minimal distortion.
When exporting, check the cropping and resolution so you don't end up with excessive margins or a page that's been shrunk down too far. If the text and lines are blurry or crushed together, it becomes much easier to misread the plan later when you're setting the scale.
Resolution and file size guidelines
An image that's too small makes wall dimension labels unreadable, while an oversized one can put a heavy memory load on your device. As a practical target, aim for a long edge of roughly 2000–4000 pixels — enough for the lines and numbers to stay legible (some devices can comfortably handle more than that).
Watch out for distortion and angled shots
A paper floor plan photographed from an angle on a phone will have a different scale near the camera than far from it, which breaks the assumption that a single scale value applies everywhere in the tool. Whenever possible, shoot straight down, keeping the camera parallel to the page, or use a scanner or a "document scan" app with perspective correction to square it up.
Perspective renderings meant to look attractive often don't match the actual dimensions. When you're checking whether furniture will fit, always prefer a screenshot of the flat, top-down floor plan.
Checks before trusting the dimensions on a plan
- Do the sums of adjacent sides on the same floor look reasonable (an obvious mismatch may indicate a labeling error)?
- Are space-eating elements like beams, pipe sleeves, or utility chases noted anywhere (this varies by plan type)?
- Does the plan include the balcony or a storage closet in its footprint (this affects how much usable space you're really estimating)?
The final word should always come from an on-site measurement or a professional, but keeping these points in mind at the image stage makes your trial-and-error in the tool line up much better with reality. For details on setting the scale itself, see Getting the Scale Right.
A final check before uploading
Before you load the image into the tool, take a moment to confirm the dimension labels are legible, the wall lines aren't broken, and there isn't excessive empty margin. If you have several candidate images, go with the one that has the least distortion and the clearest text and lines.
Related articles
- Getting the Scale Right: A Practical Guide
- Common Furniture Layout Mistakes
- A Pre-Move Measurement Checklist
To try it with your own floor plan, open the web app. If you don't have a floor plan on hand yet, you can start with our sample data.