Affinity Publisher Export to PDF Not Working Fix

In this tutorial, you'll learn about Affinity Publisher Export to PDF Not Working Fix. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices to help you understand and apply this topic effectively.

The Problem

You export a document from Affinity Publisher but the PDF has wrong dimensions, fonts are missing, text flows differently, or colors look washed out.

Quick Fix

Step 1: Check page size and margins

Document setup must match output.

Wrong — setup does not match print requirements:

Document: A4 → Export: Letter → content cropped

Right — verify document setup:

File → Document Setup
Page size: matches target
Margins and bleed: 3mm for print

Expected output: PDF matches intended page size.

Step 2: Embed or outline fonts

Recipients need the same fonts.

Wrong — relying on system fonts:

Export PDF → open on other computer → missing font warnings

Right — embed fonts:

File → Export → PDF
Check 'Embed fonts'
Or: Select all text → Text → 'Convert to curves'

Expected output: PDF displays correctly anywhere.

Step 3: Fix color shift

Color profiles affect output.

Wrong — RGB for print document:

Document color: sRGB → print: CMYK conversion shifts

Right — use correct color space:

For print: CMYK (Document Setup → Color Format → CMYK)
For screen: RGB or sRGB

Expected output: Colors match the original design.

Step 4: Prevent text reflow

Text reflow from wrong PDF settings.

Export → PDF → More options
Set 'Text as curves' to off (for selectable text)
Check 'Include hyperlinks' for interactive PDFs

Expected output: PDF text matches Publisher exactly.

Prevention

• Use CMYK color space for print documents from the start
• Always embed fonts or convert to curves before export
• Set page size to match final output size
• Export a single test page first

Common Mistakes with publisher export

1. Using foldl instead of foldl' causing stack overflow on large lists
2. Forgetting deriving (Show, Eq) on custom data types needed for debugging
3. Placing the wildcard pattern first in case expressions, making all subsequent patterns unreachable

These mistakes appear frequently in real-world AFFINITY code. DodaTech's contributors have identified these patterns through analysis of open-source projects and production systems.

Practice Exercise

Write a pure function that safely divides two integers using Maybe, then test it with edge cases like division by zero and negative numbers.

This exercise reinforces the concepts covered in this guide. Try implementing it before checking online solutions.

FAQ