NARA defines these records as the broad class of technical drawings that follow precise conventions or scale and that are intended for construction or mechanical purposes, whether or not a project was executed. Examples of architectural and engineering drawings include records needed to plan and build static structures, such as buildings, bridges, and canals, as well as objects, such as weapons and machines.

Architectural and Engineering Drawings tend to contain fine detail and are also usually oversized. The ability to reproduce very fine detail and/or accurate color from a very large original can be a challenge.

Scanning oversized originals can produce very large file sizes. It is important to evaluate the need for legibility of small significant characters in comparison to the overall file size when determining the appropriate scanning resolution for oversized originals.

Because oversized materials are generally digitized on a copy stand setup, the possibility of images being evenly sharp (they may be less less sharp around the edges due to the limitations of the lens of the camera) may be a factor in the quality of the scan.

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