OmniDocWhat to do if the format changes after converting Excel to PDF
For problems such as font changes, column widths being narrowed, and tables being cut off at page breaks after Excel exports PDF, the common causes, judgment methods, and correction steps in the source workbook are explained. After repairing, you can re-export.
Key points of this article
- Most formatting changes come from the font, column width, print area and paging settings of the source workbook, which should be modified back to Excel and re-exported.
- Look at the symptoms first and then locate the cause: font changes, numbers displayed as ####, tables cut off, and extra blank pages, each has its own corresponding check method.
- Use page break preview to check page breaks before exporting, and manually insert page breaks to avoid the same set of data being cut into two pages.
- Adjusting table lines and column widths one by one in PDF is inefficient and can easily become messy as the changes are made. It is recommended to only make small corrections at the text level.
- When exporting multiple versions of the same form, use the PDF comparison function to compare the two files to quickly find the changed pages.
If you have prepared a report, budget or report card in Excel, it is very common to export it to PDF only to find that the fonts have changed, the columns have been squeezed, and the table has been cut in the middle. Many people will make hard modifications directly in the PDF. As a result, the more they make changes, the more messy they become. In the end, they still have to redo it.
This article is written for people who need to send forms to others, hand them to leaders, or print and archive them. After reading, you will be able to determine where the format changes come from, know which step to correct, and learn how to check before exporting to make the next export more stable.
The source of most problems is in the Excel workbook itself, not the PDF. The following methods are all done in the source file, and then re-exported after repairing.
The format has changed after converting Excel to PDF, how can I fix it without repeating it? One sentence conclusion
Direct answer: Go back to the source workbook to adjust the font, column width, print area, and pagination, and then re-export it. It is more trouble-free than manually patching the PDF, and it is easier to reproduce the correct results.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| The font or font size is different from the original one | Check whether the font is installed, switch to common Chinese fonts and re-export. | When the other party's computer lacks the font, the display will be replaced. |
| Numbers appear as ####, or text is truncated | Adjust the column width to display the content completely, leaving appropriate margin for the numerical column | When the column width is insufficient, the exported content will be compressed or hidden. |
| The table is cut to the next page in the middle | Set the print area and manually insert page breaks in the page break preview | By default, paging is mechanically divided according to the height of the paper, regardless of table boundaries. |
| One or two extra pages | Clear the format of redundant areas and reset the printing area | Blank cells that have been used may be included in the printing range |
| Will continue to edit later | Keep the xlsx original, PDF only as final output | PDF is not easy to modify, the source file is the maintainable version |
First determine what kind of problem it is
Don’t make any changes after exporting. Use the table below to confirm the symptoms and causes, which can save you a lot of invalid attempts.
| symptoms | Common causes | How to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| The font is different from the original, individual characters become other glyphs. | Font not installed or replaced | View the font name in the source table and open the comparison on another computer |
| The number is displayed as # and the text is truncated | Insufficient column width | Double-click the column boundary to see if it can be widened automatically, and then zoom in on PDF to see the truncated location. |
| Some rows or columns of the table are cut to the next page | The width of the page is not enough, or the paging position is not suitable | Switch to the paging preview to see where the blue paging line falls |
| Extra blank pages appear | The print area is too large, or there are blank cells with residual format. | Press Ctrl+End to view the location of the last cell used by the worksheet |
| The border fades or disappears. | The border style is thin, or the plot quality setting is low. | Compare the border of the original table with that of the same area in PDF and zoom in |
# item-by-item troubleshooting and repair
It is recommended to deal with it in the following order, from easy to difficult. Each change, re-export a check, do not change too much at a time, so as not to be confused about which step played a role.
- First save a copy of the original, and then all changes are made on the copy to avoid misoperation and can not be restored.
two. Check the font: check the cell to check the font name and make sure the other computer has the same font. When in doubt, use common Chinese fonts, especially if you want to send it to others or submit it.
- Adjust the column width: select the relevant columns so that the contents are fully displayed. It is recommended to leave a little more margin in the date and amount column, otherwise another computer may be cut off.
- Set up the print area: select only the parts that need to be exported, excluding the comments area, draft area, and blank area.
- Set up the page: when there are a large number of columns, the paper direction is selected horizontally; zoom selection adjusts all columns to one page width to prevent the right content from being paged separately.
- Check the paging line in the paging preview. If a set of data is cut, you can manually insert a page break in front of the appropriate row or column to keep the same set of data on one page.
- Re-export the PDF and check page by page to see if the header is duplicated, the total row is complete, and the footer page number is correct.
- If the PDF has only individual text to modify, then use the PDF editor to change the paragraph text, or use the page operation to delete extra pages. This step is only suitable for text-level correction, not for large-scale adjustment of the table.
multiple versions of the same form are exported
If you change it a few times and you have several PDF in hand, it's hard to see the difference. You can use the PDF comparison function to compare the two documents, quickly find out the changed pages and text, and then go back to the corresponding Excel location to modify. The compared files can be opened in the OmniDoc Desktop client (download.omnidoc.top).
data needs to be sorted out again in PDF
If you only have the original PDF and you need to reorganize the data, you can export it to Excel using the PDF editor of the desktop client, and then continue processing. After a complex table is exported, the format of merged cells and numbers may need to be adjusted manually, and the export results should be checked item by item.
# how to avoid the next occurrence
-before starting to fill in the data, set the print area, paper direction and zoom mode, rather than rework after export. -fonts uniformly use common fonts. If the document is to be handed over to someone else, it is recommended to specify the font used at the same time, or keep the PDF version directly. -for a table with a large amount of data, take a full look at it with a paging preview before export to make sure that the paging line will not cut off the key data. -keep the original xlsx, keep it separately by PDF, and indicate the version and date in the file name to facilitate traceability later. -opening PDF to check on another computer or environment before sending it to others is an effective way to find font problems.
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. Why does the same PDF look different on my computer and other people's computers?
PDF itself saves font information, but differences can occur if the font used for export is not embedded, or if the other person's display environment lacks fonts. It is recommended that you confirm fonts before exporting and use generic fonts when you need to ensure consistency.
2. Can you adjust the column width of the table directly in PDF?
It's not recommended. The PDF editor mainly supports modifying paragraph text, signing, filling in forms, blackening and page operations, but is not suitable for adjusting the table structure. The column width and paging of the table should be modified in Excel and then re-exported.
3. What if the table is too large and the word is very small after export?
You can change the orientation of the paper to landscape, and set the zoom to fit the page width. If it is still too crowded, it is recommended to split the form into several print areas, export pages, and keep the header on each page.
4. Only the original PDF, how to change it back to Excel to continue to change?
You can use the desktop client's PDF editor to export to Excel, and then organize it in Excel. The export results may have misplaced merged cells or incorrect number format, which need to be checked item by item and cannot be used directly as the final version.
# Summary
The format has changed since Excel was converted to PDF, and in most cases the problem lies in font, column width, print area, and paging settings. You can avoid repeated rework by first judging the symptoms, then going back to the source workbook for correction, and finally re-exporting and checking page by page.
