I send client invoices as PDFs, but my Excel sheets always come out with the columns misaligned. Tried a couple of converters already. What do you use for clean Excel to PDF conversion?
I had the same problem with invoices until I set the print area, switched to landscape, and used “Fit all columns on one page” in Excel before exporting as PDF. That keeps the layout much cleaner than uploading the spreadsheet to a converter, and I always check the PDF once before sending it.
You usually do not need a converter for this. It is usually just the sheet scaling.
- Select your invoice and go to Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area.
- Change the scaling to ‘Fit All Columns on One Page’.
- Go to File > Save As and choose PDF directly in Excel.
I just use the built in save as pdf option in Excel itself (under file, export). Before that, I set the print area and check print preview so the columns fit on one page. Fixes the misalignment for me, what version of Excel are you on?
Before blaming the converter, set the print area in Excel and use Page Layout to fit everything to one page wide, landscape if needed. Then just File > Export > PDF from Excel itself, which keeps the columns where you put them. Worth saving a backup copy of the spreadsheet first in case a setting goes sideways.
I ran into the same column shift on invoices last year. Now I just drop the Excel file into PDFcap and it lines everything up without extra fiddling.
One tip is to set your print area and column widths in Excel first so nothing wraps. Avoid converting from a messy sheet with hidden rows, that always bites me.
Not sure if it’s the same on Mac.
I usually start by setting the print area and page layout in Excel before exporting. Set the paper size, margins, orientation, and scaling to “Fit all columns on one page” so Excel controls the layout.
For invoices, I also check print preview and save a copy first. Exporting directly from Excel has been more consistent for me than converting the file afterward.
Had the same thing with family tax worksheets. I use Excel’s own Save as PDF after setting the print area, landscape orientation, and scaling to “Fit All Columns on One Page.” Check Page Break Preview first, since merged cells and hidden columns can still shift things. If that fails, printing through Microsoft Print to PDF has been more reliable for me than online converters.
honestly the misalignment is usually excel itself, not the converter. i set the print area and pick fit columns to one page under page layout, then just use excel’s own export to pdf. works clean every time for our billing sheets.
@distracted_hunter I had the same problem with hidden rows when exporting my thesis data. PDFcap is fine if that works for you. I just use the default Microsoft Print to PDF on my old laptop. It handles the formatting well enough without extra steps. I just always check the print preview first to make sure the margins stay right.
@distracted_hunter honestly hidden rows always mess up my supplier sheets too. glad that tool works for you but i usually just use excel directly to save time. doing the same batch edits to fifty menus is crazy enough already.
@godTitan hidden rows are the worst, learned that the hard way with patient forms. Now i just unhide everything, set print area, fit to one page, then save as pdf straight from excel. skips the converter step entirely and keeps columns where they should be.