How to Roll Up a Set of Drawings

Administrative Personnel in Design Firms

How hard could this be? Just put the drawings on the table and start rolling, right?

Maybe. There's a trick to it that architects share with each other but not necessarily with the administrative staff.

Most drawings have some kind of title block along the right side. That's where you find the name of the project, the project number, the date, the client, the sheet number, the sheet name, and maybe some other similar information.

Drawings should be rolled up so that the title block can be read while the drawings are still rolled up. It's how we figure out what's in that roll without unrolling the whole thing.

They should be rolled with the drawing side facing out so that when it's time to unroll them, they will lay on the table curly side down. This makes it easier to get the roll to lie flat. Well, flatter than if the sides keep trying to roll back in on each other.

And here's a little known trick for dealing with those pesky drawings that just don't want to lie flat. This may be difficult to understand just reading this text without a diagram, but here goes.


DO NOT try this on fragile drawings or original artwork.

1. Roll the drawings back up inside out from what they had been. So if the drawings had been rolled up with the drawing side out, roll them up with the drawing side facing in.
2. Grab one end of the roll and bang the drawings on a flat surface such as a table. The drawings should land parallel to the table. Do not hit the edge of the table with the roll. It needs to hit the table with a good whack but not one that would cause the drawings to tear or bend. People in the next cubicle over should be able to hear it hit the table.
3. Grab the other end and repeat the same procedure.
4. Unroll the drawings. You should see a difference in how they lie on the table. Stubborn drawings may need a second whopping.

I don't understand how it works but it does.