Switched from digital to paper drafting and my markup speed doubled in a month

I used to do all my redlines on a tablet with a stylus, thinking it was faster. Then a senior guy at my shop in Austin showed me how he does quick markups on trace paper over prints. I tried it on a big commercial set last month and I was done in 2 hours instead of 4. There's something about having the physical paper in front of you that just clicks better for me. Do any of you still use paper for markups or am I the weird one now?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler_white4226d ago

Wait, you switched to paper after using a Surface Pro and it actually made you faster? That's wild man. I was messing around with one of those at the supply house last month and thought the screen felt glassy and weird for drawing. You're telling me that trace paper trick works that good for residential plans too? I might have to stop being cheap and finally buy a roll of that stuff instead of using copy paper like a caveman.

tylerlane26d ago

Man you are not weird at all. I had the exact same thing happen to me when I switched to paper for doing redlines on residential plans last spring. That trace paper trick is gold, the way it lets you see through to the drawing underneath while keeping your notes separate just works for my brain. Tried doing it digitally for years with a Surface Pro and it always felt like I was fighting the screen, missing that tactile feedback of a pencil on paper. Now I keep a stack of half inch scale prints and a roll of trace on my drafting table all the time. My markups come out cleaner too because I stop second guessing myself and just make a quick line. Plus it feels way better when you finish a stack and can physically see what you got done that day.