Knowledge Base Article #1171

Taking your SmartDraw file to a print shop is easy by using the SmartDraw PDF Export feature.

If it is not yet installed, you can install it from here.

1) First open the SmartDraw drawing you want to export.

2) Go to the “Page” ribbon and click the Margins button and then choose “Define”.

3) Printer: Change the printer to the “SmartDraw PDF Filter”.

4) Paper Size: Select a paper size that your Print Shop supports. Most print shops can support any of the sizes listed, but you should always check with them beforehand. To work with a “custom” page size supported by your print shop, please visit this article.

5) Print on One Page: Check this setting if you want your drawing to fit one page. In most cases you would want this option turned on when you are printing to a large poster.

6) Scale up to fit page: Check this setting if you want your drawing to scale up to the paper size you selected.

7) Once you are done, click the OK button to get out of the Page Setup dialog. You will see the page margin lines disappear / adjust as the page size resets itself on the work area.

8) Now click the “Export to PDF” button and export / save the PDF file to the desired location.

9) Open the PDF you exported to confirm the formatting and scale. Under the File menu choose “Properties” to verify the page size. It’s also a good idea to create PDFs of varying page sizes to bring to your print shop just in case the paper size you selected is not supported.