Exporting: Grid and pages

I’m having trouble exporting.

When I send to files and select PDF, even though I’ve set the canvas to be multiple pages, Omnigraffle exports as a single page. How can I export multiple pages? I have unselected “Print on one page.”

(When I print, I do get multiple pages. But I want to create a PDF!)

Also, when I print or export, I always see the Grid. Anyway to get rid of that?

Thanks!

Hi toddh,

If you have all of your content on one page, but you want to print on multiple pages, make sure that your Page Setup under the file menu has the page size that you’d like to use and the orientation, along with the scale percentage to define how large each page is. Then from the Print dialog there is a Save as PDF drop down. That should show you the number of pages expected in the preview of the print dialog. If the number of pages is incorrect, change the page setup options until you have the size you want in the print dialog.

If you want each canvas to be a seperate page, choose File>Export, then on the PDF tab choose “Entire Document”. If you are using OmniGraffle 7.5, you will see a preview on the right of your export panel which has arrows. You can arrow through the pages to see how they will export.

OmniGraffle Pro Only: If your content is all on one canvas, you can create artboards. If you are new to artboards, there is a video at https://www.omnigroup.com/video/set/omnigraffle-7-for-mac/live-session-artboards-in-omnigraffle-7/ and a manual page at https://support.omnigroup.com/documentation/omnigraffle/mac/7.3/en/using-artboards/ which may help. The simplest way to add artboards, in my opinion, is to select the graphics you want to export together, then choose “New Artboard Under Selection” from the context menu with control + click. Once you create artboards, you can check the “Export from artboards only” checkbox when you export to PDF in OmniGraffle Pro. Under Paging, choose Multi-Page. This will give you the most precise control of which areas export, regardless of your canvas size, because you can specify the artboard geometry and edit it using the Geometry Inspector.

If I’ve missed anything, or that doesn’t get you the correct PDF export you were hoping for, please contact us by email at omnigraffle@omnigroup.com, or if you prefer to include your document, by choosing Contact Omni from your Help menu. We are happy to help out!

Thanks,
Lanette

Thanks Lanette.

But, my real issue is on the iPad. That’s where exporting always seems to be a single page and I can’t get rid of the Grid.

I do believe that when I print, I get multiple pages though.

—Todd

Hi Todd,

Thanks for explaining. Now I see where my suggestions were off. On iOS your options are more limited because you can’t print to PDF the way that you can on the Mac. This is one of the few remaining areas where the iOS version still hasn’t fully caught up to the Mac.

The first step is to hide your grid while you export. Go into the Inspector (Tap i on the upper right if it isn’t showing), tap the tab furthest to the top right to get you at the Canvas inspector, then tap Grid & Guides. Turn off Snap to Grid (Only while you are exporting). On iOS, to get multiple pages in a PDF you will need to use multiple canvases. Once the content for each page you want in the PDF is on an individual canvas, when you Send to App or Send to Files from the share sheet you choose PDF and you will get 1 page per canvas in the resulting PDF file. More info on exporting on iOS including a picture of the button for the share sheet is available at https://support.omnigroup.com/documentation/omnigraffle/ios/3.0/en/import-and-export/.

We have had requests to support exporting artboards, support hiding grids on export by default, and also to add printing to PDF in iOS. If you’d like to add your voice to those suggestions or recommend other improvements, please send us an email at omnigraffle-ios@omnigroup.com.

Thanks,
Lanette

The “grid included on export” issue hit me at 43,000 feet over Greenland yesterday. :-( :-)

Also I couldn’t export to PNG.

Which means today, on terra firma, I’m pulling out my Mac to complete my blog post.

So I’d support more richness of options on export on iOS.

If you haven’t tried it yet, drag & drop might be a good solution. See https://www.omnigroup.com/blog/iOS-11-is-here for some details. We support dragging from the sidebar (canvas, layer, or objects), or a selection from the canvas out to Photos or Files.

You should also be able to export to PNG from the share sheet after picking either Send to Files or Send to App. If PNG isn’t showing up there, something has gone wrong we can likely help you fix if you have time to contact us at omnigraffle-ios@omnigroup.com. If you include the request to hide grids on export, we can make sure your support for that improvement is properly tracked. We are happy to help when you have time.

I have some good news for you! You can print to PDF from the print dialog on iOS, it just is really difficult to discover how from the UI. Go to your print dialog, then you do a gesture where you push 2 fingers apart like you are zooming in. That will open your PDF and you can save it. It even has multiple pages. Here’s a description at https://www.macworld.com/article/3123006/ios/print-an-email-to-pdf-in-ios-10-in-just-two-confusing-steps.html that might explain the gesture better.

Thanks for asking this question! I learned something new.