Managing the Document Export Display in a PDF

While it is very easy to export a document into a PDF, we're aware that they can have layout issues - especially when tables are involved. This results in a different appearance than the online forms, as well as missing accessibility tags.

While we will continue to work on improvements for the exported document, below are some options in the short-term that can help adjust the way the PDF documents will look when exported.  Alternatively, you can try the new PDF Experience option available in Form Settings which will provide a PDF more aligned to the form layout.

We have released some small changes that provide a different way of generating PDFs that will provide  very different result. Currently, this is only available client-side within the browser, but exporting the PDF this way will provide more fidelity with the online version, render tables much more effectively, and include accessibility tags. The process will be manual and is intended to function as a workaround until we are able to provide a much more significant update to the way the PDFs are generated.

Here are the steps to follow to create a new PDF:

• When viewing your form in Chrome, go to File and then Print (or use CTRL + P / ⌘ + P).
  • You may use other browsers, but Chrome offers the best performance in our testing.
• From the print menu, change the Destination to Save as PDF.

• If you have a large form, you may want to change the layout to Landscape for a better display, but it is not required.
• Click Save at the bottom of the print menu.

This will download a new PDF directly from the browser, and it will match your online form much better. Here is a sample of what the new PDF will look like compared to the exported document: 

(View full size.)

A few additional notes:

• You can perform the same process with the Workflow Status page, the only difference being that you will create two documents (one of the form, and one of the workflow) rather than a single exported document.
• It will not be possible to hide the comments within the Workflow Status using this method.
• This process will not affect generating a PDF in the product. Workflow notification attachments and the Export button continue to work as is.