Why paper size matters
A scale ratio only tells ZeroCount how many site millimetres each sheet millimetre represents. To use it, the app also has to know how many sheet millimetres each pixel of the drawing image represents, and that depends on the physical size of the page. An A1 sheet and an A3 sheet rendered to the same image size have very different millimetres per pixel.
When a PDF is uploaded, ZeroCount reads its page size and keeps it with the drawing. Every length and area is then worked out from the true paper size, so a 1 : 100 drawing measures correctly whether it was plotted at A0 or A4. The paper size pill in the header is your confirmation that this information exists.
The paper size pill
The pill sits at the left of the scale controls in the header of the takeoff workspace:
A1 LIt shows the standard sheet name followed by L for landscape or P for portrait (a square sheet has no suffix). Hover it for three lines of detail:
| Line | Example |
|---|---|
| Name and orientation | A1 (landscape) |
| Size in millimetres | 841 × 594 mm |
| Size in inches | 33.11 × 23.39 in |
Drawing cards on the project page carry the same badge, so you can check a drawing's sheet size without opening it. See Drawing Cards and Badges.
Non-standard sheet sizes
If the page does not match a standard size, the pill shows the rounded dimensions instead of a name, for example 610×914 mm, and the tooltip's first line reads Non-standard (landscape). Measurement is just as accurate: the calculation uses the real dimensions, not the name. The name is only there to help you recognise the sheet.
Paper size affects Linear and Area measurements only. Counts of symbols are unaffected, and so is symbol detection.
Drawings with no paper size
Drawings uploaded before ZeroCount began reading page sizes have none. You can tell in two ways:
- No pill in the header. The scale controls start with the scale system select instead.
- Vector takeoff is unavailable. Under the Auto Takeoff heading of the New Takeoff menu, a small note reads Missing paper-size info for this file (legacy upload) and the auto takeoff tools cannot be used.
Without a paper size the app falls back to a fixed resolution that was fitted to one sheet size. On other sizes every length is out by a fixed ratio, so a 10 m reference can read 9.5 m.
You have two options:
Re-upload the PDF
Uploading the same PDF again as a new drawing gives it a paper size and restores the auto takeoff tools. The new drawing starts empty, so you will need to redo any takeoff on the old one, or bring its groups across with Import from Files. See Uploading Drawings.
Keep the drawing and calibrate
If the drawing already holds a lot of work, keep it and correct the measurements instead. Draw a calibration line along the scale bar or a long dimension; the factor cancels the fixed error for every Linear and Area group on the drawing. See Calibrating a Drawing. Calibration corrects measurements but does not enable the auto takeoff tools.
Working through an old project? Check for the paper pill on each drawing before you start measuring it. Re-uploading a drawing that has no takeoff yet takes seconds; correcting one later takes longer.
Common issues
Measurements are slightly out even though the pill is present
The sheet was plotted slightly off its nominal scale, which is common on re-issued PDFs. The paper size is right; the ratio is not quite. Calibrate against the scale bar.
The pill shows a different size from the title block
The title block describes the sheet the drawing was designed for; the pill describes the PDF page you actually uploaded. If the PDF was plotted to fit A3 from an A1 original, the pill says A3, and a preset matching the A1 title block will read wrong. Calibrate, or type the effective ratio on the Manual Entry tab.
Rotated drawings
Rotating a drawing in ZeroCount does not change its paper size or its measurements; the calculation is unaffected by orientation.
Next steps
- Calibrating a Drawing — correct a drawing that has no paper size, or was plotted off-scale.
- Uploading Drawings — re-upload a legacy PDF so it gains a paper size.
- Vector and Image Drawings — the other property that decides which tools a drawing gets.
- Setting the Drawing Scale — choose the ratio once the paper size is known.