PDFsam Basic can split a plan set into one PDF per page for free, but it names the files from page numbers or from bookmarks that must already exist, so a set with no bookmarks comes out as numbered pages rather than A-101, A-102 and S-201. SheetStamp reads the sheet number, title and revision from each page’s title block and writes one PDF per sheet named by sheet number, or a single PDF with bookmarks and page labels. If your sets arrive without bookmarks, SheetStamp is the fix; if they already carry good bookmarks, PDFsam may be all you need.
This guide compares the two for one specific job: turning a combined drawing set into sheets you can find by number.
Name every sheet in a plan set from its title block, on your own PC.
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What does PDFsam Basic do well?
PDFsam describes PDFsam Basic as a free, open source desktop app to split, merge, extract, rotate and mix PDF files, for Windows, macOS and Linux, with no internet connection required. Your files stay on your computer, which matters for drawings under a confidentiality clause.
According to the PDFsam split guide, you can split a PDF:
- By pages, after every page, after even or odd pages, or after specific page numbers.
- By bookmarks, at a chosen bookmark level, with an optional regular expression to split only at bookmarks whose titles match.
- By size, into files no larger than a size you set.
For an architect or engineer who exports a set from Revit or AutoCAD with bookmarks already in it, the bookmark split is a strong free option. Each bookmark becomes a file boundary.
Where does PDFsam fall short on a plan set?
The problem is file names. PDFsam’s file name options let you build names from placeholders such as the current page number and the original file name. The bookmark title placeholder, [BOOKMARK_NAME], only works when you split by bookmarks.
That leaves a gap for the sets contractors and subcontractors most often receive:
- Sets with no bookmarks. A set that was printed to PDF, merged from several consultants or scanned has nothing for PDFsam to read. A split by pages gives you files named by page number.
- Sets with bookmarks that are wrong. A bookmark that says “Page 14” or a consultant’s internal view name becomes the file name.
- Scanned sets. There is no text layer at all, so there is nothing to bookmark from.
PDFsam Basic’s split options are page numbers, bookmark levels and file size. None of them reads text from an area of the page you point to, so the title block on each sheet is not used.
What about PDFsam Visual’s split by content?
PDFsam also sells a paid edition, PDFsam Visual, with a 14-day free trial and a choice of one-time or subscription pricing. Its split by content feature creates a new file whenever the text at a position you select changes between pages, and a [TEXT] placeholder names each file from that text. PDFsam pitches it for payslips and invoices, and it is a fair option for a CAD plot with a clean text layer.
Two differences matter for drawings. PDFsam describes the feature in terms of the text content of the page and does not mention recognizing text on scanned images, so a scanned set with no text layer may give it nothing to read. And it produces split files only: SheetStamp also reads the sheet title and revision, writes bookmarks and page labels into a combined set, and lists uncertain reads first for review.
How does SheetStamp name sheets instead?
SheetStamp does one job: it names the sheets. You open the PDF and draw one rectangle around the title block on page 1. SheetStamp reads each page’s sheet number, sheet title and revision with the text recognition built into Windows, then shows a table. Pages that need a look come first, and every cell can be edited.
When the table looks right, you choose the output:
- One PDF per sheet, saved into a folder you pick, named by sheet number.
- A new combined PDF with bookmarks such as “A-101 - FIRST FLOOR PLAN” and page labels, so the viewer’s page box shows A-101 instead of 2.
Your original PDF is never changed. Nothing is uploaded: recognition runs on your PC and the app makes no network connections. There is no account, no sign-in and no subscription.
Split a plan set into one PDF per sheet, named A-101, A-102 and onward.
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How do the two compare side by side?
| Question | PDFsam Basic | SheetStamp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (Visual edition is paid) | One-time purchase, free trial |
| Splits one PDF per page | Yes | Yes |
| Splits at existing bookmarks | Yes, by level, with optional regex | Not needed; it writes its own |
| Reads sheet numbers from the title block | Not in Basic; Visual can split and name by text at a position | Yes, with Windows text recognition, including scans |
| Works on sets with no bookmarks | Splits, but names by page number | Yes |
| Writes bookmarks and page labels | No | Yes |
| Flags uncertain reads for review | Not applicable | Yes, uncertain rows first |
| Runs offline | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11, x64 and Arm64 |
The short version: PDFsam is a general PDF toolbox that is excellent when the structure is already in the file. SheetStamp is a single purpose tool that creates the structure from what is printed on each sheet.
Which one should you use for your set?
Ask one question first: does the PDF already have a bookmark for every sheet, with the sheet number in it?
- Yes, and the bookmarks are good. Use PDFsam Basic’s split by bookmarks with
[BOOKMARK_NAME]in the file name. It is free and quick. - Yes, but the bookmarks are inconsistent. You can fix bookmarks by hand and then split, or let SheetStamp rebuild them from the title blocks.
- No bookmarks, or a scanned set. PDFsam can still split, but you would rename every file by hand. That is the case SheetStamp is built for.
For a 12 sheet residential set, renaming by hand is a few minutes. For a 300 sheet commercial set, or for a subcontractor who receives a new set at every addendum, it is the part of the job that eats the afternoon and invites a typo.
How accurate is title block reading?
Text recognition is good on clean CAD plots and readable scans, but it is not perfect. SheetStamp’s listing is plain about the limit: recognition can miss very short isolated marks, such as a single-letter revision, so the table flags uncertain rows for you to fix by hand.
A few habits make the read more reliable:
- Draw the rectangle tight around the sheet number and title fields, not around the whole title block with the firm logo and stamp.
- Check the flagged rows first. They are sorted to the top, so you are not hunting for them.
- Watch sheets from other consultants. A structural or MEP sheet may use a different title block layout. Correct those rows in the table.
- Scan at a resolution that keeps small text legible if you are working from paper.
Our guide on reading sheet numbers from a scanned plan set goes deeper on scans.
What about page labels in other viewers?
Page labels are the feature that makes the page box in a viewer show A-101 instead of 2. They show in Adobe Acrobat. Some PDF viewers, including browser viewers, ignore page labels but still show the bookmarks. If your team uses mixed viewers, the bookmarks are the part everyone will see, and the one PDF per sheet output works everywhere because the file name carries the sheet number.
Can you use both tools together?
Yes, and it is a reasonable workflow. PDFsam is handy for jobs SheetStamp does not do, such as merging two consultant sets into one file or rotating a batch of pages. A common sequence:
- Merge the architectural and structural PDFs into one set with PDFsam.
- Open the merged set in SheetStamp, draw the title block zone and review the table.
- Export a bookmarked set for the office and one PDF per sheet for the field.
SheetStamp does not do takeoff, estimating or measurement, and it does not need Acrobat.
Frequently asked questions
Is PDFsam Basic really free?
Yes. PDFsam describes Basic as free and open source, with no watermarks and no limits. Its paid editions add other tools.
Can PDFsam name files from text on the page?
PDFsam Basic cannot: its split options work from page numbers, bookmark levels and file size, and the bookmark name placeholder needs a bookmark split. The paid PDFsam Visual edition can split and name files from text at a position you select.
Does SheetStamp change my original PDF?
No. It writes new files and leaves the original untouched.
What if the sheet number is read wrong?
Edit the cell in the table before you export. Uncertain rows are flagged and listed first.
Does SheetStamp need an internet connection?
No. Recognition uses the text recognition built into Windows and the app makes no network connections.
Try SheetStamp
SheetStamp is a one-time purchase with a free trial in the Microsoft Store; the listing shows the current price. Try it on a set with no bookmarks and compare the result with a page split. More detail is on the SheetStamp product page, and our guide to splitting a plan set into individual sheets covers the general method.
Turn a set with no bookmarks into named sheets in minutes.
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Last updated 24 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.