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.
- On the Review tab, in the Review Tools panel, click the arrow besides the Measure button
- In the Measure menu, click Calibration
- Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement start-point (click Escape to restart)
- Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement end-point (click Escape to restart)
- In the Calibration dialog, define the measurement value and choose the appropriate unit from the menu.
- Tick the Apply to all pages checkbox to use the same measurement scale on every page of the PDF file
To measure distance:
- On the Review tab, in the Review Tools panel, click the arrow besides the Measure button
- In the Measure menu, click Distance
- Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement startpoint (click Escape to restart)
- Drag the mouse to the end of the distance being measured, and then click to set the endpoint (click Escape to restart)
- Slide the mouse up or down to correctly display the boundaries of the measurement, and then click again to finish
- 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:
- On the Review tab, in the Review Tools panel, click the arrow besides the Measure button
- In the Measure menu, click Area
- Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement startpoint (click Escape to restart)
- 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).
- When all the paths of the area have been covered, right-click and select Complete to finish measuring.
- 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:
- On the Review tab, in the Review Tools panel, click the arrow besides the Measure button
- In the Measure menu, click Perimeter
- Click anywhere on the page to set the measurement start-point (click Escape to restart)
- 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).
- When all the paths of the perimeter have been covered, right-click and select Complete to finish measuring.
- 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:
- In the File menu, click Preferences
- Click the Measure category
- In the Calibration section, tick the checkbox to disable the message shown before calibration is performed
- In the Snapping section, define the points and paths to which the mouse pointer will snap
- Click Apply and then click OK to save your changes and close the dialog