eJobCost's Takeoff Live PDF is a takeoff software application that aims to make managing and tracking the pre-construction process as paperless as possible. Users can view, edit and share blueprints directly from the PC monitor without a digitizer or blueprints, the vendor said.

Takeoff Live PDF can use scanned plans, pictures taken by a digital camera and files saved in numerous formats -- .TIF, .PDF, .GIF, Dodge Plan, ISQFT Plan, Blue Book plan, .JPG, .BMP and .PNG. Files can easily be imported into Microsoft Excel, the vendor noted. A blueprint company or the user's business can scan in blueprints and email these files to the contractor's computer back in the office, the vendor added.

The first seat for Takeoff Live PDF costs $249. Seats two through 10 cost $175 each, with all seats thereafter costing $125 each. eJobCost also offers an optional annual support and update plan that ranges from $120 per year for the first seat to $50 per year for additional seats. Potential purchasers can obtain a free 15-day trial of this takeoff software from the Takeoff Live PDF website.