Why PDF is the format that matters
Clients don't open drawing files — they open PDFs. A PDF renders identically on a phone, a laptop, and a printout, attaches cleanly to email and quotes, and reads as a finished document rather than a work file. Whatever tool you draw in, the PDF is the deliverable.
That means the PDF deserves the last five minutes of attention: a title block, readable labels, and dimensions on everything the client is paying for.
Prepare the sheet before exporting
Fill in the title block completely — project name, client name, your company, date, and scale. In SiteBuildHub Draft, the title block sits on every sheet automatically; set your company name once in settings and it appears on every drawing.
Then sweep the drawing: every feature the quote prices should be labeled, every critical distance dimensioned, and anything ambiguous annotated. The client should be able to understand the sheet with no phone call.
- Complete title block: project, client, company, date, scale
- Labels on every priced feature
- Dimensions on the measurements that drive cost
- A note marking anything to verify on site
- Consistent drawing name matching the quote
Export the PDF
In SiteBuildHub Draft, the PDF export opens a clean print view of your sheet — border, title block, and disclaimer included — and you choose 'Save as PDF' in the browser's print dialog. Landscape orientation is pre-set to fit the sheet. The PNG export works the same way when you want an image to embed inside a proposal document.
Name the file like a professional document: 'Smith-Residence-Deck-Plan-2026-06-29.pdf' beats 'drawing(3).pdf' in every inbox.
Send it with intent
Attach the PDF to the quote and reference it in the email body: 'The attached drawing shows the layout we discussed — please confirm the stair location before we finalize.' That one sentence turns the drawing into an approval device and starts the paper trail that protects both sides.
Keep the exported PDF in the job folder alongside the saved drawing. The saved drawing is for revisions; the PDF is the record of what was sent and approved.