# CAD Conversion: PDF, Scan & Paper to DWG

Source: https://dijitulmedia.co.uk/cad-conversion/
Updated: 2026-10-12

> dijitul media converts paper drawings, scans and PDFs into editable CAD for UK businesses: DWG and DXF for 2D, STEP for 3D. We redraw from the dimensions on the original rather than auto-tracing, and flag anything unclear. We also convert between CAD formats and rebuild STL meshes as solids. Conversion is £45 an hour + VAT, or quoted per drawing.

Price: £45 an hour + VAT

## Problems this solves

- Your only copy of a critical drawing is a yellowing paper print
- A supplier sent a PDF, but you need to change it
- Auto-converted DWGs are a mess of thousands of tiny line segments
- You have an STL but the machine shop insists on STEP
- Drawings from a takeover or old supplier are in formats nobody can open

## Key facts

- Paper, scanned TIFF or JPG and PDF drawings redrawn as DWG, DXF or 3D STEP
- Redrawn to the written dimensions, because scans and copies are rarely true to scale
- Missing, illegible or conflicting dimensions listed for you to confirm
- Format conversion between DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, STL, OBJ and 3MF
- STL meshes rebuilt as editable solids where a supplier needs STEP
- £45 an hour + VAT, with fixed per-drawing quotes for batches

## Why we redraw rather than auto-convert

Automatic raster-to-vector software traces the pixels of a scan. The result looks like a drawing but is made of broken, wobbly segments, dimensions that do not match the geometry and text that is just shapes. It is hard to edit and unsafe to manufacture from.

We **redraw** the drawing in CAD from its written dimensions, using the scan only as a guide to shape and layout. The result is clean geometry, proper layers, real text and dimensions that are associative, so changing the drawing later is straightforward, whoever opens the file next and whichever CAD program they use.

## Accuracy: what a scan can and cannot tell us

Be cautious about any service that promises to make a scan 'accurate'. Paper stretches and shrinks with humidity, photocopies are rarely exactly 100 per cent, scanners can skew, and old drawings were often marked 'do not scale' for good reason. Measuring off a scan can easily be out by more than a manufacturing tolerance.

So a converted drawing is only as accurate as the dimensions written on the original. Where a dimension is missing, illegible or contradicts another, we do not quietly scale it; we add it to a **query list** for you to confirm, perhaps by measuring a physical part. Anything we have had to infer is marked clearly on the new drawing. That honesty is what makes the new file safe to send to a supplier.

## Vector PDFs, DWG versions and format conversion

Some PDFs were exported directly from CAD and still contain vector lines. These can be imported into CAD, which is faster than redrawing, but the import usually loses layers, splits text into separate characters or shapes, and may not be at 1:1 scale. We import, verify the scale against known dimensions, then tidy the result into a usable drawing.

We also convert between formats: older or newer DWG versions, DWG to DXF for cutting, STEP to IGES for legacy systems, native files from one system exported as STEP for another. Converting between neutral formats loses feature history, so the receiving system gets a solid it can measure and edit directly, but not the original design tree.

## Mesh to solid: STL and OBJ to STEP

STL and OBJ files are meshes of triangles. Converting one to STEP by simply wrapping the triangles produces a heavy, faceted file that a machinist cannot dimension properly. For parts with flat faces, holes and regular shapes, we rebuild the part as a true solid in 3D CAD using the mesh as a reference, giving clean cylinders and planes. Organic, sculpted shapes can be surfaced from the mesh, which takes longer and is quoted separately. We tell you which approach suits your part before starting.

## How to scan drawings for conversion

A good scan saves time and cost. Scan the whole sheet, including the title block, notes and revision table, because these often hold the material, tolerances and changes. Aim for at least 300 dpi, or 400 dpi where text and dimensions are small, saved as PDF or TIFF rather than heavily compressed JPG. Flatten folded drawings first, and scan large sheets in one pass on a wide-format scanner (many print shops offer this) rather than in overlapping A4 pieces. A phone photo will do as a last resort if it is taken square on in even light, but expect more items on the query list.

## Batches and price

CAD conversion is £45 an hour + VAT. A simple single-part drawing may take an hour; dense assembly drawings take longer. For archives of drawings, send a representative sample and we will quote a fixed price per drawing or per batch, and agree a naming and numbering scheme so the converted set is easy to find. Many clients take the chance to bring old drawings up to BS 8888 standard at the same time. See prices.

## What you get

- Clean DWG and DXF files on organised layers
- 3D models and STEP files where the original is a part drawing
- A PDF of the new drawing for side-by-side checking
- A query list of any dimensions we could not confirm
- Updated title blocks and revision letters, if you want them

## FAQs

### Can you convert a PDF to DWG?

Yes. If the PDF was exported from CAD, dijitul imports the vector geometry and tidies it, checking the scale against known dimensions. If it is a scanned image inside a PDF, we redraw it from its written dimensions. Either way you get a clean, editable DWG.

### How accurate is a drawing converted from a scan?

As accurate as the dimensions written on the original. Scans and photocopies distort, so we never scale measurements off the image. Missing or unclear dimensions go onto a query list for you to confirm, and anything inferred is marked on the new drawing.

### Can you turn an STL into a STEP file?

Yes. For engineering parts, dijitul rebuilds the shape as a true solid using the mesh as a guide, so holes are real cylinders and faces are flat. That gives the machine shop a STEP file it can program from, not a faceted mesh.

### Can you convert a whole drawing archive?

Yes. Send a sample of typical drawings and we quote a fixed price per drawing or per batch. We agree file naming, layers and title block layout first, so every converted drawing is consistent and easy to search.

### Will the converted file keep the original design history?

Not when converting through neutral formats such as STEP or IGES, which carry geometry but not the feature tree. For drawings we redraw from paper or scans, the new file has fresh, clean structure, and parametric models can be rebuilt if you want full editability.

## Prices and contact

Prices (all from, + VAT): Logo design £150; Brand identity pack £395; Business cards or letterhead £75; Flyer or leaflet £95; Brochure £295; Social media graphics pack £99; Photography, half day £295; Photography, full day £495; Product photography £25 per image; Video £695; 2D/3D CAD and design time £45 an hour. All prices are "from" and exclude VAT. Every job gets a fixed price before work starts. Printing, and travel for shoots beyond the Mansfield and Nottinghamshire area, are quoted separately. Contact: https://dijitulmedia.co.uk/contact/ · 01623 650333 · info@dijitul.uk