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Article 29 — Exporting a PDF

Learn how to export a PDF of your floor plan, choose the correct scale and orientation, customize what appears on the drawing, and generate a professional plan for customers, production teams, and trade partners.

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Written by AJ Ballantine

Reviewed for Flex Version 3.0

Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes

In This Article You’ll Learn

  • How to export a PDF

  • How to choose the correct drawing scale

  • How page orientation works

  • What each PDF layer controls

  • When to use each export option

  • How Web handles unsaved changes before exporting

Overview

PDF Export creates a printable floor plan from your Flex project.

Before exporting, you can choose:

  • The drawing scale

  • The page orientation

  • Which dimensions, notes, rooms, fixtures, objects, and markup appear on the drawing

These options allow you to create a PDF that is appropriate for customer presentations, estimating, production, or construction.

RENDR Principle

Export only the information your audience needs.

A clean drawing is easier to read than one containing unnecessary labels and objects.

Exporting a PDF

To export a PDF:

  1. Open the desired Space.

  2. Select Export.

  3. Choose PDF.

  4. Configure the export settings.

  5. Select Export PDF.

On Web, if Flex detects unsaved changes, you’ll be asked whether you want to:

  • Save and Export

  • Export Without Saving

  • Cancel

Choose the option that best matches whether your current edits should be saved before the PDF is created.

Choosing a Drawing Scale

The Scale setting determines how the floor plan is sized on the exported PDF.

Fit to Page

Fit to Page scales the floor plan to fit on a standard 8.5” × 11” sheet.

This option is recommended for:

  • Customer presentations

  • Emailing floor plans

  • General project review

  • Printing a single-page overview

Choose Fit to Page whenever readability is more important than maintaining a measured architectural scale.

1/4” = 1’ Scale (Actual Size)

This option exports the floor plan at a true architectural scale of 1/4 inch = 1 foot.

Use this option when the recipient needs a scaled drawing for printing or construction purposes.

💡 Pro Tip If the recipient intends to measure from a printed plan (like a permit office or vendor/subcontractor), use 1/4” = 1’ Scale instead of Fit to Page.

Choosing a Page Orientation

The Orientation setting controls how the floor plan is placed on the page.

Dynamic

Dynamic automatically chooses the page orientation that best fits the floor plan.

This is the recommended option for most exports.

Portrait

Portrait keeps the page in a vertical orientation.

Choose Portrait when the floor plan is taller than it is wide.

Landscape

Landscape keeps the page in a horizontal orientation.

Choose Landscape when the floor plan is wider than it is tall.

Choosing What Appears on the PDF

The Layers section controls which information is included in the exported drawing.

Turn individual layers on or off depending on who will be using the PDF.

Exterior

Includes exterior dimensions and notes on the exported drawing.

Interior

Includes interior dimensions and notes on the exported drawing.

Short Walls

Controls whether dimensions are shown on walls shorter than 2 feet (0.6 meters).

Disabling this option removes dimensions from short walls, helping reduce clutter on larger floor plans.

💡 Pro Tip: If your floor plan contains many small wall segments, turning off Short Walls often creates a cleaner, easier-to-read drawing.

Field Notes

Includes Field Notes and markup in the exported PDF.

Enable this option when you want reviewers to see annotations made during the project.

Disable it when producing a clean as-built drawing.

Fixtures

Includes plumbing fixtures in the exported drawing.

Objects

Includes placed objects in the exported drawing.

Objects can provide additional context for room layouts and existing conditions.

Rooms

Includes room names in the exported PDF.

This is helpful when sharing plans with customers, designers, and estimators.

Recommended Export Settings

Customer Review

Recommended settings:

  • Fit to Page

  • Dynamic Orientation

  • Rooms

  • Fixtures

  • Objects

Estimating

Recommended settings:

  • Fit to Page

  • Exterior

  • Interior

  • Rooms

  • Field Notes (all annotations and markups)

Construction Drawings

Recommended settings:

  • 1/4” = 1’ Scale

  • Exterior

  • Interior

  • Fixtures

  • Rooms

Clean As-Built

Recommended settings:

  • 1/4” = 1’ Scale

  • Exterior

  • Interior

  • Rooms

Disable:

  • Field Notes

  • Objects (when they are not needed)

Before Exporting

Before selecting Export PDF, verify:

  • The correct drawing scale is selected.

  • The desired page orientation is selected.

  • The necessary layers are enabled.

  • Unnecessary information has been hidden.

Taking a moment to review the export settings can help avoid creating multiple PDFs.

Platform Notes

Web

On Web:

  • Export is available from the Export menu.

  • If unsaved changes exist, Flex asks whether you want to:

    • Save and Export

    • Export Without Saving

    • Cancel

iPhone and iPad

On iPhone and iPad:

  • Export is available from the Export menu.

  • The PDF export dialog includes the same Scale, Orientation, and Layer options available on Web.

Best Practices

💡 Use Dynamic Orientation unless a specific page orientation is required.

💡 Use Fit to Page for customer communication and general review.

💡 Use 1/4” = 1’ Scale when a scaled drawing is needed.

💡 Turn off Short Walls on complex floor plans to reduce dimension clutter.

💡 Hide Field Notes when creating a clean as-built drawing.

💡 Review all export settings before generating the PDF.

Common Mistakes

Choosing the Wrong Scale

Use Fit to Page for general viewing.

Use 1/4” = 1’ Scale when a scaled drawing is required.

Exporting Too Much Information

Including every available layer can make the drawing difficult to read.

Only enable the information your audience needs.

Forgetting to Hide Field Notes

If you’re sharing a finished floor plan, verify that Field Notes is disabled unless those annotations are intended to be included.

Leaving Short Wall Dimensions Enabled on Large Plans

Large projects with many short wall segments can become cluttered.

Consider disabling Short Walls for a cleaner drawing, or exporting a scaled plan (which will ignore standard page boundaries).

Support Clues

Problem

Recommended Action

My PDF rotated unexpectedly.

If Dynamic is selected, Flex automatically chooses the page orientation. Choose Portrait or Landscape if you want to force a specific orientation.

My room names are missing.

Enable the Rooms layer before exporting.

My fixtures are missing.

Enable the Fixtures layer before exporting.

My objects are missing.

Enable the Objects layer before exporting.

My Field Notes aren’t showing.

Enable Field Notes in the PDF Layers section.

My PDF has too many dimensions.

Disable Short Walls to remove dimensions from walls shorter than 2 feet (0.6 meters).

Web asked me to save before exporting.

Choose Save and Export to include your latest saved work, Export Without Saving to continue without saving first, or Cancel to return to the editor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which scale should I use?

Use Fit to Page for general viewing and 1/4” = 1’ Scale when a scaled drawing is required.

Which orientation should I choose?

For most projects, Dynamic is recommended.

Use Portrait or Landscape only when you want to force a specific page orientation.

What does Short Walls do?

It controls whether dimensions are shown on walls shorter than 2 feet (0.6 meters).

Disabling this option helps reduce clutter on larger floor plans.

Can I include my Field Notes in the PDF?

Yes.

Enable the Field Notes layer before exporting.

Can I include room names?

Yes.

Enable the Rooms layer.

Why did Web ask me to save before exporting?

Web detected unsaved edits and allows you to save before generating the PDF.

Can I control what appears on the PDF?

Yes.

Use the Layers section of the PDF dialog to control which information is included in the exported drawing.

Related Articles

  • Article 28 — Saving Your Work

  • Article 22 — Working with Markup

  • Article 19 — Doors, Windows & Openings

  • Article 30 — Exporting to Chief Architect

  • Article 31 — Exporting to DXF

  • Article 32 — Exporting to ProKitchen

  • Article 33 — Exporting to 2020

  • Article 34 — Exporting a RENDR Archive

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