PDF

QUICK SUMMARY

1. Import documents, annotate and export for fast workflows.
2. Import PDF pages scaled to the correct size.
3. Export to PDF so your designs will look sharp on every display.

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a standardized file format that allows graphic data like fonts, images and layouts to be converted into a flattened document for viewing on any screen and any platform.

Concepts allows you to create, import, mark up, rearrange, substitute and export PDF pages. PDF Import/Export is available in the Pro Store as part of the Essentials or an Everything subscription.

Importing a Single-page PDF

1. Tap the Import icon in the Gallery or in the Status Bar when in a drawing and choose the file you want to import.

2. A single-page PDF will import just like an image onto the canvas.
3. When imported on canvas, your PDF will be selected, and you can position it exactly as you would an image, object or other selection.
4. Your PDF will import to scale onto your canvas. Concepts respects the original size; for example, an A3-sized PDF will appear as 297 x 420 millimeters on your canvas. If you enable measurements, the measurements displayed in Concepts will match the imported document.

Importing a Multi-page PDF

1. Tap the Import icon in the Gallery or in the Status Bar when in a drawing.

2. With a multi-page PDF, you will see a scrollable menu at the side of the screen.
3. You can drag or tap to add the pages to your canvas.
4. When imported on canvas, your PDF will be selected, and you can position it exactly as you would an image, object or other selection.
5. Your PDF will import to scale onto your canvas. Concepts respects the original size; for example, an A3-sized PDF will appear as 297 x 420 millimeters on your canvas. If you enable measurements, the measurements displayed in Concepts will match the imported document.
6. Swipe the PDF menu off the edge of the screen to hide it. You can bring it back from the selection menu. (See step 2 on the Selection menu image below.)

Selection Menu

When a PDF page is selected, the Selection menu has a few additional options.

1. Clipboard: Copies the PDF page to the clipboard.
2. Multi-page: Opens the multi-page view. This is only visible for PDFs with more than one page.
3. Alpha On/Alpha Off: Enables or disables the imported page's alpha channel. If the alpha channel is disabled, transparent sections will show as white.
4. Duplicate: Creates a duplicate of your selected page.
5. Group/Ungroup: Collects all items inside your selection into a single group. You can then select the entire object by selecting a single stroke inside the group. You can ungroup the selection by tapping the button again when the group is selected.
6. Lock/Unlock: Locks your selection from subsequent selections and adjustments. You can access the locked item again by allowing selection of locked items in the Selection options. You can unlock the selection by tapping the button again when the locked item is selected.
7. Trashcan: Deletes the selected page.
8. Flip Horizontally: Mirrors the selection on the horizontal axis.
9. Flip Vertically: Mirrors the selection on the vertical axis.

Exporting a PDF

1. Concepts reads your pages from top to bottom and from left to right. To rearrange pages in your PDF, drag them onto the screen into the desired order, then export your PDF.
2. When you are ready to export your PDF, tap the Export icon in the status bar to open the Export Menu.

3. Format
   • PDF (Adobe PDF, Flattened): This option is the standard PDF export that flattens your work into a high-resolution document.
   • PDF (Adobe PDF, Vector Paths): This allows you to export Concepts vector paths to PDF for use in editors that allow you to work with vector PDFs, such as Adobe Illustrator. Warning: The resulting PDF will not look exactly the same as your Concepts sketch. Any lines with varying width or texture will appear as simple, non-textured lines. If you want to export your file for use in other vector editors, use the Fixed Width or Wire brush for drawing and the Slice (eraser) tool for trimming.
4. Region

   From Region, you can choose the area included in the PDF.

   • Screenshot: Exports the area currently visible on the screen into a single PDF page.
   • Entire Drawing: Exports all the lines in the whole drawing into a single PDF page. This can lead to large file sizes.
   • Artboard: Confines the export to your artboard's boundaries and exports it as a single PDF page. You will need to set up an artboard for this option to be visible.
   • PDF Bounds: Uses the area of the imported PDFs in the document as the export area. If you import more than one page of a PDF, it will result in a multi-page PDF document.
   • Selection: This export option is only available if you have an active selection. It will only export the strokes you have selected as a single PDF page, which is useful for small illustrations and email attachments.
5. Options

   You can change the export Options of your PDF to include what you'll need in your file.

   • Transparent: The background will be exported as transparent instead of using your background texture or color.
   • Paper: Your background paper will be included in the export.
   • Grid: Your grid will be included in the export. Note that you will need to activate the grid in the Precision menu for this option to be available.
   • Original Pages: If you have selected PDF Bounds as your region, you can use this option to include all pages of a multi-page document even if you have imported only one page (useful for signing documents, for example).
6. Output Details

   In Output Details you can control and see the size of your export.

   • When exporting using the Entire Drawing or Artboard region, you can choose from device-specific PPI settings: 72, 150, 300, and 600 PPI. The larger the PPI, the higher the image quality and file size.
   • When exporting a screenshot or an artboard measured in pixels, you can choose to export at 100%, 200% or 400%.
7. Export

   Once you've chosen your settings, tap the Export button.