The Measure Tools enable you to measure distances and areas of objects in PDF documents. The measure tools are especially useful when you need to know the distances or areas associated with objects in a form or computer-aided design (CAD) drawing or when you want to measure certain areas of a document before sending to a professional printer. The measure tools are available to users only if the PDF creator enables measuring functionality. 

When you use a measure tool, the tool dialog box displays the measurements of the line segments you draw.

Measuring the objects

Ÿ   Select Measure > Distance in the Comment tab to measure the distance between two points. While measuring the distance, you can specify whether to show the default leader on both side of the measurement points or not in File > Preferences > Measuring. Click the first point, move the pointer to the second point, and click again. If you choose to use the default leader, move your mouse to determine the leader length, and then click on the document again to finish measuring. The measurements will appear on the page.

Ÿ   Select Measure > Perimeter in the Comment tab to measure a set of distance between multiple points. Click the first point to start, and then click each point you want to measure. Double-click the last point to end measuring.

Ÿ   Select Measure > Area in the Comment tab to measure the area within the line segments that you draw. Click the first point to start, and then click each point you want to measure. After you have clicked at least two points, click the first point or double-click the last point to complete the area measurement.

Notes:

1.       When measuring, you can hold down SHIFT to snap the two points horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (in 45 degrees).

2.       You can also choose to complete or cancel measurement by right-clicking the measurement and choosing options from the context menu.

After you select the measuring tool, the Format tab appears in the right panel, which allows you to calibrate the scale ratio, snap measurement, export measurement markup, etc.

Ÿ  If your PDF file includes embedded scale ratio, you can measure distance/perimeter/area using the embedded scale ratio. Before that, you need to select the Use Scale and Units From Document (When present) option in File > Preferences > Measuring. Then all the following measuring will use the embedded scale ratio. To calibrate the scale ratio for your document for an accurate result, choose either method of the following:

Ø   With the Use Scale and Units From Document (When present) option selected:

1)         Choose Calibrate  from the Format tab and then click the two points of the line whose actual length has already been known. (Tips: When drawing, you can hold down SHIFT to snap the two points horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. You can also click Snap to Paths  in the Format tab to capture the path in the page.)

2)         When the second point is selected, the Calibration dialog box pops up.

3)         Type the actual length that the line represents and choose the appropriate unit, which will set a new scale ratio.

4)         (Optional) If you already have the correct scale ratio, directly define the measurement value and choose the appropriate unit in the Format tab.

5)         Then in the pop-up Calibration dialog box, click Store Scale in Page to apply the new scale ratio to the current page, or click Apply to All Pages to apply it to all pages (Or click the / icon in the Format tab to apply the new scale ratio to the current page or all pages). The new scale ratio will be embedded into the page or all pages respectively, replacing the original embedded scale ratio.

6)         As the scale ratio is embedded into the document, the measurements in the document change accordingly.

Ø   With the Use Scale and Units From Document (When present) option unselected, directly define a custom scale ratio in the Format tab, or click Calibrate  in the Format tab to define a new scale ratio. The defined scale ratio will only be applied to the current page.

Ÿ  Check Show result information in the Format tab if you want to see the current measuring result, including real distance, angle, horizontal and vertical position, etc.

Ÿ  Check Measurement markup in the Format tab to add and show the measurement lines you draw in the PDF file. When this option is checked, you can add a label to measurement markups either by using the one specified in File > Preferences > Measuring or inputting a new one in the Add Label box. The label for Distance markup will be shown in the distance measurement line, while the label for Perimeter and Area markups will be shown in their pop-up notes. When you put the pointer over the measurement markups with the Hand command selected, you can also view the measurement result and label.

Ÿ  Check Rulers in the Format tab to show the rulers.

Ÿ  Choose one or more snapping types from the Format tab. For precise measurements, position the key points when moving the cursor.

Snap to Endpoints : a small red circle will appear at the endpoint of the path when moving the cursor toward the end of the path.

Snap to Midpoints : a small red triangle will appear at the midpoint of a path when moving the cursor over the path.

Snap to Paths : the cursor will automatically change to a red square box on a path when moving the cursor over the path.

Snap to Intersections : a small red cross will appear at the intersection of two paths when moving the cursor over the point of two intersecting paths.

Ÿ  Choose Export to Excel  from the Format tab to save all the measurement information in your PDF to a CSV file.

Note: The object you draw will disappear when the Measurement Markup is deselected in the Distance dialog box.

Working on the measurement markup

After you complete the measurement, you are able to do further operations on it, such as move, resize, flip, and even work on it the way you work on comments.

1.        Moving the measurement markup

Ÿ  With the Hand command or the Select Annotation command selected, click the measurement markup you want to move.

Ÿ  Place the cursor over the object when the pointer changes into  , hold and drag the mouse to move it to the intended place.

Ÿ  (For distance measurement markup only) To move the label as well as the measurement result shown on the distance measurement markup: click on the text shown on the markup to activate the text cursor  > drag the label directly to a desired position.

2.        Changing the length and orientation of the distance measurement markup

Ÿ  With the Hand command or the Select Annotation command selected, select one of the resize corners  , you will see the pointer change into .

Ÿ  Hold and drag the mouse to change the length and orientation of the distance measurement markup.

3.      Flipping the distance measurement markup and the result

Ÿ  Select the Hand command or the Select Annotation command.

Ÿ  Right-click the markup you draw > select Flip.

4.      Adding, editing, or deleting the measurement label

Measurement labels will be added and shown in the measurement markups as you specified in File > Preferences > Measuring or as what you set while adding a measurement markup. If a measurement markup does not contain a label, you can easily add a label to it with Foxit PDF Editor. For existing labels, you can also edit or delete them. Steps are as follow:

Ÿ  Select the Hand command or the Select Annotation command.

Ÿ  To add a label to a measurement markup without label: right-click the measurement markup > select Add Label > input the label > click OK.

Ÿ  To edit an existing label: right-click the measurement markup > select Edit Label > input the label as desired > click OK.

Ÿ  To delete a label: right click the measurement markup > select Delete Label.

Working on Measurement Markups as Comments

The measurement markups can also be used as comments. You can set the status, open pop-up notes, delete them, reply to the markups, change the properties, and set the current properties as default.

Note: To show measurement markup and the measurement results, right-click on the object you draw, and choose Properties > Appearance > then check Show text in line.

Change the appearance of measurement markups

Foxit PDF Editor provides multiple ways to change the appearance of measurement markups. When you select a measurement markup, a toolbar will float above the measurement markup for you to quickly change the line color. You can also go to the Format tab in the right panel and the Properties dialog box to specify more advanced settings. If you change the appearance through the Format tab, Foxit PDF Editor will save the properties and apply them to any new measurement markups as well. If you change the appearance via the Properties dialog box and do not check Set Current Properties as Default option in the dialog, Foxit PDF Editor will only apply the properties to your currently selected markup.

²  Change the appearance through the Format tab

Ÿ  Select the Hand command or Select Annotation command.

Ÿ  Click the measurement markup that you want to change the appearance, and then the Format tab will appear in the right panel.

Ÿ  Do any of the following as needed:

Ø Change the line color: Select one of the preset colors in the Shape Style group, or click the Line Color button  and then choose a desired color from the color palette.

Ø Change the opacity: Click the Opacity button  , and then drag the slider to change the opacity.

Ø Set the fill color: Click the Fill Color button  , then choose a desired color from the color palette.

Ø Change the line width: In the Line Width field  , input a value, or select the desired value from the drop-down list. 

Ø Change the dash type: Click the Dash Type button  , and then select a dash type as needed.

Ø Change the shape for the start/end of the line: Select the desired shape in the Start of line or End of line group.

²  Change the appearance via the Properties dialog box

Ÿ  Select the Hand command or Select Annotation command.

Ÿ  Right click the measurement markup that you want to set the appearance, and then select Properties from the context menu. 

Arrange the measurement markups

When you select two or more measurement markups, you will find a toolbar floating right above the markups. Click the corresponding buttons directly to arrange, align, or distribute the selected measurement markups. You can also find the Arrange/Alignment/Distribute buttons from the Format tab in the right panel or the context menu after you right-click them.