If you work with large format documents on a regular basis, you will know how quickly things get out of hand without a proper storage system in place.

Rolled drawings get damaged. Stacked sheets crease. Anything left loose on a desk tends to end up folded the wrong way or buried under something else. A plan chest solves all of that in one go, and it does it without taking up much more space than a standard piece of office furniture.

What is a plan chest?

A plan chest is a wide, low chest of drawers built specifically to hold large format sheets flat. The drawers are sized to take A0 or A1 documents, which covers most technical drawings, design plans, paper stock, and card.

Each drawer slides on low friction runners and sits enclosed on the sides, so sheets stay exactly where you put them and do not shift around when the drawer is opened or closed. There is no folding, no rolling, and no stacking involved. Drawings go in flat and come out flat.

Plan chests are available in wood or metal, and come in 6, 8, or 10 drawer configurations depending on how much you need to store. Special colour options are also available if you want the chest to fit a particular workspace or studio aesthetic.

Where are plan chests used?

You will most commonly find plan chests in drawing offices and school art studios, where keeping large format documents grouped, accessible, and in good condition is part of the day to day workflow.

Architects, engineers, and designers use them to organise technical drawings by project, date, or revision. Art teachers use them to store student work, paper stock, and card between sessions. Print studios and reprographics teams use them to manage media and originals that cannot be folded without damaging them.

In short, if your work regularly involves A0 or A1 sheets and you need a reliable way to keep them ordered and undamaged, a plan chest is the straightforward answer.

Wood or metal: which is right for you?

Both materials do the same job well. The choice tends to come down to where the chest is going and what else is around it.

Wooden plan chests suit studio and creative environments where the finish matters as much as the function. They have a warmer, more considered look and tend to blend well into spaces used by clients or the public. The economy wooden range is a practical starting point for most standard office or studio settings.

Metal plan chests are better suited to more industrial or technical settings, drawing offices, print rooms, and workshops where durability and easy cleaning take priority. The modern metal range is particularly well suited to educational and professional environments that see heavy daily use.

How many drawers do you need?

Plan chests are available with 6, 8, or 10 drawers. The right number depends on how many distinct categories of document you are working with, not just the total volume.

If you are working on a handful of live projects at any one time, a 6-drawer chest may be enough. For busier environments where drawings, paper, card, and other materials all need separate drawers, a 10-drawer configuration gives you more flexibility to keep things properly organised rather than doubling up.

It is generally better to have a drawer to spare than to run out of space and start storing things carelessly.

What about other storage options?

Plan chests are the right choice when flat storage is the priority, but they are not the only option in the range. Vertical planfile cabinets work well where floor space is more limited and drawings can be filed in suspension pockets rather than laid flat.

For drawings that need to travel or move between sites, drawing tubes and wallets offer a portable complement to a fixed chest. Many offices use both: a plan chest for the main archive and tubes or wallets for anything being taken on site.

Why flat storage matters for large format documents

Large format sheets are not designed to be folded or rolled repeatedly. Technical drawings can crack along fold lines. CAD inkjet media and plotter paper pick up creases that affect how they feed and print when reused. Card warps when stored under pressure or at an angle.

Flat storage removes all of those risks. Sheets go in as they came off the printer or plotter and stay in the same condition until you need them. There is no unrolling, no unfolding, and no trying to flatten out a drawing before a client meeting.

For anything that needs to be presented, reprinted, or referenced repeatedly, that kind of consistency makes a real practical difference.

Find the right plan chest for your workspace

Prizma Graphics supply a range of plan chests in wood and metal, with 6, 8, and 10 drawer options and special colours available to order. If you are looking to bring more order to how you store large format documents, drawings, paper, or card, you can browse the full range on the plan chests page or get in touch with the team directly on 01296 393700 to talk through your requirements.