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      Takeoff - Improving drawing clarity: Pre‑Resizing PDFs for Chalkstring

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      Why drawings may appear blurred in Chalkstring

      When you upload detailed drawings into Chalkstring they are automatically rescaled to optimise performance during takeoff. This helps ensure users with less powerful devices can still work smoothly, as high‑resolution files can otherwise demand significant processing power and slow the application. Unfortunately, this rescaling can sometimes reduce the clarity of finely detailed drawings.

      Workaround: resizing drawings

      You can improve drawing quality in Chalkstring by pre‑resizing your PDF to a larger dimension before upload. This allows more detail to be retained when Chalkstring applies its performance‑optimised rescaling.

      Using Adobe PDF to resize drawings

      1. Open your drawing in the full version of Adobe Acrobat.

      2. Go to File → Save as Other → More Options → PDF Optimizer.

      3. In the Images panel, set a higher Image Quality (e.g. Medium or High) and increase the Resolution (e.g. to 300 dpi or above).

      4. Click OK, then save your resized PDF.

      Using PDF2Go to resize drawings

      1. Visit the free PDF2Go Resize tool: https://www.pdf2go.com/resize-pdf

      2. Upload your drawing file.

      3. Choose a larger preset size (e.g. A3 or Custom) or enter your own dimensions.

      4. Click Start to generate the resized PDF, then download it.

      Once your file is resized using either method above, upload the new PDF into Chalkstring. You should notice significantly sharper lines and finer details in your takeoff view.

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