Measure

The Measure tool enables you to easily define the distance, area, and perimeter for a set of points based on a scale that you define.

Note: Some PDF files include an embedded scale ratio specific to the content of the document. So, for example, an engineer can define the units of a drawing by exporting it to PDF with an embedded scale.

To calibrate Measure:

If a PDF file does not have an embedded scale, the Measure tool will adapt the file’s default units into inches. For accurate results, calibration enables you to define a custom scale for your document. It is also possible to set different measurement scales for each page in a PDF file.

  1. On the Review tab, in the Review Tools panel, click the arrow besides the Measure button
  2. In the Measure menu, click Calibration
  3. Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement start-point (click Escape to restart)
  4. Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement end-point (click Escape to restart)
  5. In the Calibration dialog, define the measurement value and choose the appropriate unit from the menu.
  6. Tick the Apply to all pages checkbox to use the same measurement scale on every page of the PDF file

To measure distance:

  1. On the Review tab, in the Review Tools panel, click the arrow besides the Measure button
  2. In the Measure menu, click Distance
  3. Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement startpoint (click Escape to restart)
  4. Drag the mouse to the end of the distance being measured, and then click to set the endpoint (click Escape to restart)
  5. Slide the mouse up or down to correctly display the boundaries of the measurement, and then click again to finish
  6. You can double-click the measurement stamp to open up an annotation that displays your measurement as a note. Edit as required.

To measure area:

  1. On the Review tab, in the Review Tools panel, click the arrow besides the Measure button
  2. In the Measure menu, click Area
  3. Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement startpoint (click Escape to restart)
  4. Drag the mouse to the next segment of the area and click to set a midpoint. You may set as many midpoints as required (click Escape to restart).
  5. When all the paths of the area have been covered, right-click and select Complete to finish measuring.
  6. You can double-click the measurement stamp to open up an annotation that displays your measurement as a note. Edit as required.

To measure perimeter:

  1. On the Review tab, in the Review Tools panel, click the arrow besides the Measure button
  2. In the Measure menu, click Perimeter
  3. Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement start-point (click Escape to restart)
  4. Drag the mouse to the next segment of the perimeter and click to set a midpoint. You may set as many midpoints as required (click Escape to restart).
  5. When all the paths of the perimeter have been covered, right-click and select Complete to finish measuring.
  6. You can double-click the measurement stamp to open up an annotation that displays your measurement as a note. Edit as required.
Note: When measuring a perimeter, the start and endpoints of the measurement are not required to intersect or meet

Measure tool preferences:

  1. In the File menu, click Preferences
  2. Click the Measure category
  3. In the Calibration section, tick the checkbox to disable the message shown before calibration is performed
  4. In the Snapping section, define the points and paths to which the mouse pointer will snap
  5. Click Apply and then click OK to save your changes and close the dialog