In Bluebeam Revu, you can create your own PDFs for print outs and templates. When creating a PDF, you may need to ensure that specific information always displays. For example, with multi-page documents, you may want to have the page number listed. If the PDF is specific for a project, you might want to have the project name listed as well. For any important information like this, you can create custom headers and footers.

Headers and footers allow you to include information in the top and bottom margins of a page. Bluebeam Revu allows you to create customized headers and footers – both for individual PDFs and batches of PDFs. In these fields, you can enter in custom information or use preset variables – such as page number or file name. No matter what you need displayed, you can add it to the header or footer of the page.

This article will outline how to add and edit custom headers and footers in Bluebeam Revu. The following examples are from Bluebeam Revu 20 eXtreme edition. However, these features are available in all versions of Revu.

Adding Headers and Footers

To add a header or footer to the active PDF, select Document > Headers and Footers > Add.

The Batch: Header and Footer window will open. The open document will appear within the list, allowing you to choose which pages to apply the header/footer to. You can also add additional files here by selecting Add > Files. This allows you to customize headers and footers as a batch process if needed.

Once you have added and selected the desired documents and pages, select Next.

The Header and Footer window will open, allowing you to adjust what displays.

Header and Footer Variables

In the middle of the Header and Footer window, there are six text boxes. Each box represents a section within the header and footer of the page. For both the header and the footer, you can adjust what displays on the left, right, and center. 

You can use these text boxes to enter in custom text, such as your company’s name or the project number. If you enter a value into any of these fields, the Preview image at the bottom of the screen will update. The Preview will show what your header/footer will look like on the open document. 

You can also add specific variables to these text fields using the Insert buttons. Revu provides the following variable options: 

Page Number

This option places the current page number in the header/footer section. If you select this option, you can customize the formatting of the field and the Start Number. If you apply your header/footer to each page of the PDF, this value will adjust for each page.

Date

This option places the current date within the header/footer section. When you select this option, you can choose a specific Date Format to use from a wide range of options. This is a variable field, meaning that it will update in real time to always show the current date. If you want a static, unchanging date, it would be better to manually enter it using text.

Bates Number

This option places a Bates number in the selected header/footer section. Bates Numbers are unique page identifiers for multi-page PDFs. Like page labels, they can help you quickly differentiate between pages. When you select this option, you can select a number of digits, a Start Number, a Prefix and a Suffix for your naming convention. For multi-page PDFs, each page will display a Bates Number according to these customizations.

File Data

This option inserts in selected metadata about the open file – such as the File Name, Creation Date, or Author.

For each header or footer section, enter in any amount of custom text or variable fields. You can also leave any of these sections blank if text is not needed. 

Header and Footer Formatting

Once you’ve entered data into the text fields, you can adjust the header/footer formatting as well. At the top of the window, you’ll find options for Font and for Margins.

The Font section allows you to control the font type, color, and size for the header and footer text. The options selected here will apply to all headers and footers. You can not customize the font for just one header or footer section – it applies to them all.

Under Margins, you can adjust the spacing within the header or footer. You can increase the margins on any side to give the header or footer more space on the document. You can also decrease these margins if the header or footer is overlapping the PDF content.

As you make adjustments to this formatting, make sure to keep an eye on the Preview to see what the header/footer will look like on the page.

Saving a Template

If you think you might need to use these header/footer settings in the future, you can save them as a template. Saving a template will allow you to access these settings for any document going forward.

To save a header/footer template, select Save at the top of the window. Give your template an identifiable name and press OK. Now, if you open the Header and Footer window for another PDF, you can choose your template from the Save Settings dropdown.

Once you’ve completed setting up your header/footer, press OK to apply it to the open PDF.

If you ever need to make changes to your header or footer, you can edit it further by selecting Document > Headers and Footers > Edit.

If you add a header or footer and want to delete it, select Delete All within the Header and Footer window.

Summary

In Bluebeam Revu, you can create customized headers and footers for your PDFs. You can use these to provide additional information in printed copies – such as the creation date or the author. Not only does this provide more information, it can also help standardize documents. Using the Header and Footer window, you can add custom text or use pre-set variables to insert data. After customizing, you can even save your header and footer information as a template for reuse. 

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please use the comment section on the bottom of this page. Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to get more Bluebeam tips & tricks directly in your inbox!

Lauren Hecker is a Bluebeam Certified Instructor and teaches onsite and virtual Bluebeam Revu training courses. To schedule an onsite or custom course, please contact us!