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How to convert your Foleon Doc to PDF

Foleon creates responsive content for desktop, tablet, and mobile, but you might still need a PDF of your Doc to review, archive, or print. With the optimized print layout, you set your print options, preview the result, and download a print-ready PDF, all without leaving Foleon.

In this article

Set up your print layout

In the Global Document Settings, set your default page size (US Letter or A4), orientation, margins, and page numbers. These become the default for every Foleon Doc in your account. If preferred, you can also adjust these settings per Doc.

⚠️ Only Admins with access to the Admin Console can adjust the Global Doc Settings.

To set up your default print layout:

  1. Open Admin Console > Global Document Settings.
  2. Scroll to Print settings.
  3. Set the Page size to A4 or US Letter.
  4. Set the Orientation to Portrait or Landscape.
  5. Enter your Page margins.
  6. Toggle Show page numbers on or off.
  7. Lock the setting to prevent changes to individual Docs.
    💡 The option to lock your Doc Settings is not available on all plans.
  8. Click Save.

To adjust your print settings for individual Docs:

  1. In the editor, open the Menu.
  2. Click Doc Settings and navigate to the section Global Doc settings.
  3. Adjust the page format, orientation, margins, and page numbers.
  4. Click Save.

You can adjust your print settings for this Doc, such as the orientation or margins. Use Reset at the top to revert to your Global Doc settings.

💡 The preview does not update on its own. After you change a print setting or edit your Doc, click Refresh to see the change reflected in the preview.

Preview your print layout

Before you convert your Doc to a PDF, see exactly how it will look and adjust it. Directly in the editor, you can preview your PDF and fine-tune the spacing to control where page breaks occur.

To preview your print layout:

  1. In the editor, open the Menu and click Print preview
  2. A pop-up window will appear. This explains that any changes you make while previewing your PDF will also apply to the original Doc. Click Got it to continue.
  3. Preview your Doc. The preview opens over your Doc with your print settings applied. From here you can:
    • Zoom in and out of the PDF
    • Switch between the current page only or see the Full Doc.
    • Refresh the preview
    • Collapse the preview

You can adjust the spacing and block height on your Doc to adjust where the pages break in the PDF export. After making a change, click Refresh to see the change reflected in the preview.

⚠️ Edits you make while the print preview is open also change your Doc. For example, resizing an image to fit the print layout makes it smaller in your Foleon Doc as well.

For the best print export, create a duplicate of your Doc and make your print adjustments there. This keeps your original Doc untouched.

PDF print preview

You can also adjust  your print settings for each Doc, such as the orientation or margins.

To adjust your print settings for individual Docs:

  1. In the editor, open the Menu.
  2. Click Doc Settings and navigate to the section Global Doc settings.
  3. Adjust the page format, orientation, margins, and page numbers.
  4. Click Save.

You can adjust your print settings for this Doc, such as the orientation or margins. Use Reset at the top to revert to your Global Doc settings.

💡 The preview does not update on its own. After you change a print setting or edit your Doc, click Refresh to see the change reflected in the preview.

Download your PDF

When your layout looks right, download your PDF from the dashboard.

  1. In the dashboard, find the Foleon Doc you want to export to PDF.
  2. Click the quick actions menu.
  3. Select Download > Convert to PDF.
  4. Choose your PDF layout (see descriptions of each format below):
    1. Foleon Doc layout (optimized for digital devices)
    2. Optimized print layout (recommended for PDFs and printing)
    3. Print layout (legacy)
  5. Click Convert.

Once your PDF is generated, you'll receive a download link by email.

💡The PDF will also be saved in the Media Library for you to download from there. 

⚠️ It can take up to 30 minutes for the PDF to arrive in your inbox, depending on the size of your Foleon Doc. We recommend checking your spam if you haven't received the email.

 

Three options: what's the difference?

There are three options when you download your Foleon Doc as a PDF. Below, we'll walk you through each of the options.

Foleon Doc layout

This version is optimized for digital devices and keeps the layout of your Doc. Each page of your Foleon Doc exports as a single page in the PDF, regardless of its length. It is image-based, so the PDF is a screenshot of each page and does not include interactive elements. We recommend it for viewing on digital devices.

Because it is image-based, the file size stays small, which makes it easier to export a large Foleon Doc.

💡 The pages in this PDF will not have a standard page size, because the page breaks follow the length of each Foleon Doc page. When printing, each page scales to fit the selected paper size.

Optimized print layout (New)

This version gives you control over how your Doc prints, using the page size, orientation, margins, and page numbers you set up in the Doc Settings.

It is the recommended option for printing, for example, for offline distribution, review, or formal documentation.

Print layout (legacy)

This is the original print export. It generates an A4 portrait PDF with interactive elements, including clickable links and QR codes for Vimeo and YouTube videos.

It does not include the print settings or preview, so you cannot change the page size, orientation, margins, or page numbers. Choose the optimized print layout instead, unless you specifically need the legacy output.

⚠️ Adobe Acrobat Reader has a maximum page size limit of 14,400 × 14,400 points. If your Foleon Doc exceeds this, the content may be truncated. Other PDF viewers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Preview (macOS) display the full document correctly. To ensure compatibility with Adobe Reader, export your Doc using the “Print Layout” option. Note that this version may differ visually from your original design. 

💡 The PDF will download in A4 portrait size. If you need to print on US Letter size, adjust the paper size in your print settings. To ensure the best fit, select an option like 'Scale to Fit' so the content adjusts automatically to your page size.

Failed Attempts

If we run into any issues when converting your Doc to PDF, you'll be sent an email letting you know the export has failed. If the problem persists, please contact our support team for assistance.

Email - PDF export failed

Limitations

Although we at Foleon support converting to PDF, we don't recommend it as a high-quality alternative for your interactive Docs. As we understand that PDFs might still be part of your content strategy, you can design your Docs in such a way as to optimize for converting to PDF. Keep the following tips in mind:

  • Avoid column scroll (we recommend this for all Foleon Docs)
  • Set blocks to full-width
  • Don't use too many overlays, because we place them at the end of your Doc
  • Overlays that are not linked to any page in your Foleon Doc will be excluded from the PDF. Ensure each overlay is linked in your Doc if you want it included in the export.