Step-by-step guide on how to export PDFs with Adobe XD

Adobe XD is a powerful tool for designing user interfaces and prototypes. It allows designers to create interactive experiences for websites, mobile apps, and more. One of the key features of Adobe XD is its ability to export designs to various file formats, including PDF. In this step-by-step guide, we will explore how to export your designs from Adobe XD to PDF.

Step 1: Open your design file in Adobe XD. Make sure you have completed all the necessary design elements and interactions before proceeding with the export process.

Step 2: Go to the “File” menu and select “Export”. A submenu will appear with different export options. Choose “Export to PDF” from the list.

Step 3: In the export settings dialog box, you can choose the artboards or assets you want to export. You can also select the desired resolution, quality, and other options to customize your PDF export.

Step 4: Once you have selected your desired settings, click on the “Export” button. Choose a location on your computer to save the exported PDF file.

Step 5: Congratulations! You have successfully exported your Adobe XD design to PDF. You can now open the PDF file in any compatible software or share it with others for review and feedback.

Adobe XD’s PDF export feature is a valuable tool for designers to showcase their work and collaborate with others. By following this step-by-step guide, you can easily export your designs from Adobe XD to PDF and share them with ease.

What is Adobe XD?

Adobe XD is a vector-based user experience design tool developed and published by Adobe Inc. It is a part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of software and is specifically designed for creating user interfaces and prototypes for web and mobile applications.

With Adobe XD, designers can create wireframes, high-fidelity designs, interactive prototypes, and share them with stakeholders for feedback and review. It provides a range of powerful features such as a flexible layout system, responsive design tools, and a variety of design resources like UI kits and icons.

Adobe XD allows designers to quickly and easily iterate on their designs, enabling them to create and test multiple design variations. It also offers integration with other Adobe software, making it easier to import and export assets and collaborate with other designers and developers.

Overall, Adobe XD is a versatile and intuitive tool that simplifies the process of designing and prototyping user experiences, making it a popular choice for professional designers and beginners alike.

Key Features of Adobe XD:
• Vector-based design
• Responsive design tools
• Interactive prototyping
• Collaborative workspaces
• Easy sharing and collaboration
• Integration with other Adobe software

Why do you need to export PDF from Adobe XD?

Exporting PDF from Adobe XD is an essential step in the design process. It allows you to convert your XD designs and prototypes into a universally recognized file format that can be easily shared, printed, or viewed on various devices and platforms.

Here are a few reasons why you might need to export PDF from Adobe XD:

1. Client presentations: PDF files are widely used for client presentations as they offer a high level of compatibility and can be easily accessed on different devices and operating systems. By exporting your XD designs to PDF, you can ensure that your clients can review and provide feedback on your designs without requiring any specialized software.

2. Design handoffs: When collaborating with developers or stakeholders, exporting your designs to PDF can help ensure accurate communication and prevent any misunderstandings. PDFs allow you to preserve the integrity of your design by maintaining its layout, fonts, and images, ensuring that your intent is correctly conveyed during the handoff process.

3. Documentation and archiving: PDFs are commonly used for documentation and archiving purposes. By exporting your Adobe XD designs to PDF, you can create a self-contained file that includes all necessary design assets, making it easy to store, share, and refer back to your designs in the future.

4. Print production: If you need to send your designs for print production, exporting them to PDF ensures that your layouts, colors, and fonts are preserved accurately. PDF files can be easily printed at high resolution and are compatible with most professional printing systems, making it a reliable format for print-ready files.

In conclusion, exporting PDF from Adobe XD is crucial for sharing, presenting, collaborating, and preserving your designs. It provides a versatile file format that can be easily accessed and viewed, allowing you to communicate your design intent effectively to clients, stakeholders, developers, or for print production.

Step 1: Set up your artboards

Before you can export your design in Adobe XD to a PDF file, you’ll need to set up your artboards properly. Artboards serve as the canvas on which you’ll create your designs, and they determine the size and layout of your exported PDF.

To set up your artboards, follow these steps:

1.	Open Adobe XD and create a new document.
2.	Click on the “Artboard” tool in the toolbar to create a new artboard.
3.	Specify the size and orientation of your artboard. You can choose from a variety of preset sizes or enter custom dimensions.
4.	Repeat steps 2 and 3 to create additional artboards, if needed.

It’s important to consider the layout and organization of your artboards to ensure a seamless PDF export. Arrange your artboards in a logical order and group related screens together to make navigation easier for viewers of your PDF document.

Once you’ve set up your artboards, you’re ready to move on to the next step in the Adobe XD PDF export process.

Create and arrange artboards

When working in Adobe XD, it’s important to properly set up and arrange your artboards to ensure a seamless design process. Artboards serve as the canvas for your designs and help organize your project.

To create a new artboard, simply click on the “Artboard” tool in the toolbar or use the shortcut key “A.” You can then click on the canvas and drag to create a new artboard of the desired size. Alternatively, you can choose from a variety of predefined artboard sizes available in the “Artboard Presets” dropdown menu.

Once you have created multiple artboards, you can rearrange them by clicking and dragging their thumbnail in the “Layers” panel or directly on the canvas. This allows you to easily change the order and layout of your artboards to better suit your design needs.

An important feature of Adobe XD is the ability to link artboards together to create interactive prototypes. By selecting an object in one artboard and dragging the blue handle to another artboard, you can create a link between the two. This allows you to simulate user interactions and create a more realistic experience for your designs.

Remember to name your artboards accordingly to keep your project organized. Simply double-click on the artboard’s name in the “Layers” panel to edit it. This will make it easier to navigate through your project, especially when exporting to PDF or presenting your designs to clients or stakeholders.

In conclusion, creating and arranging artboards in Adobe XD is an essential step in the design process. By properly setting up your artboards and organizing them, you can ensure a smooth workflow and create interactive prototypes to bring your designs to life.

Organize your layers

One of the key steps to preparing your Adobe XD project for PDF export is to organize your layers. By keeping your layers organized, you can ensure that the exported PDF is clean and easy to navigate for yourself and others.

Here are some tips for organizing your layers in Adobe XD:

1. Group related elements: Use the grouping feature to organize elements that are related to each other. This can be particularly useful for complex designs with multiple elements.
2. Use meaningful names: Give your layers meaningful names that accurately describe the content they contain. This will make it easier to find specific layers when working on your design.
3. Arrange layers hierarchically: Make use of the layer hierarchy feature to arrange your layers in a hierarchical structure. This can help you visualize the relationship between different elements in your design.
4. Label layers with colors: Apply different colored labels to your layers to visually differentiate between different types of elements. For example, you can use one color for text layers and another color for image layers.
5. Hide unnecessary layers: Hide any layers that are not needed for the final design. This can help reduce clutter and make it easier to focus on the important elements.
6. Lock layers: Lock any layers that you don’t want to accidentally modify. This can help prevent accidental changes to important elements.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your layers are well-organized and ready for PDF export in Adobe XD. This will make it easier to navigate and work with your design, both for yourself and for others who may need to access the PDF file.

Step 2: Customize your export settings

Once you are satisfied with the design of your Adobe XD project, it’s time to customize your export settings to ensure that your PDF document meets your requirements. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Click on the “File” menu at the top left corner of Adobe XD.
2. Select the “Export” option from the drop-down menu.
3. Choose “PDF” as the file format for export.
4. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to customize your export settings.
5. Specify the destination folder where you want to save the exported PDF file.
6. Choose the desired page range if you only want to export specific pages from your XD project.
7. Select the appropriate options for compression, resolution, and color space based on your requirements.
8. Decide whether you want to include hyperlinks, accessibility information, and metadata in the exported PDF file.
9. Review the settings and click on the “Export” button to generate the PDF file.

By customizing your export settings, you can ensure that the PDF document generated from your Adobe XD project matches your intended design and functionality. Make sure to review the exported PDF file to verify that all the elements, layouts, and interactions appear as intended.

Choose the pages to export

When exporting your design files from Adobe XD to PDF, you have the option to choose which pages you want to include in the exported file. This can be particularly useful if you have a large XD document with multiple artboards and you only need to export specific pages.

To choose the pages you want to export, follow these steps:

1. Open the Adobe XD file: Launch Adobe XD and open the file that contains the pages you want to export to PDF.
2. Select the pages: In the left panel, click on the artboard or page thumbnail that you want to include in the PDF export. You can select multiple pages by holding down the Shift key and clicking on the additional pages.
3. Export the selected pages: Once you have selected the desired pages, go to the top menu and click on “File” > “Export” > “PDF”. This will open the Export dialog box.
4. Adjust export settings: In the Export dialog box, you can customize the settings for the PDF export. You can choose the export location, filename, resolution, and more. Make sure to review and modify the settings according to your preferences.
5. Export the PDF: After adjusting the export settings, click the “Export” button to begin the export process. Adobe XD will generate a PDF file containing only the selected pages.

By selectively exporting pages from Adobe XD to PDF, you can effectively control the content and reduce the file size of your exported document. This allows you to share specific design concepts or prototypes with stakeholders or clients without including unnecessary pages.

Remember to double-check your selected pages before exporting to ensure that you include all the necessary content you want to share or present.

Adjust the resolution and quality

When exporting PDF files from Adobe XD, you have the option to adjust the resolution and quality of the images. This is useful when you want to optimize the file size or ensure that the images appear crisp and clear.

To adjust the resolution and quality:

1. Click on the “File” menu in Adobe XD.
2. Select “Export”.
3. Choose “PDF” as the export format.
4. In the Export window, you will see a “Resolution” option. Click on the dropdown menu next to it.
5. From the dropdown menu, you can select the desired resolution for the exported PDF file. The available options include screen, medium, and high resolution.
6. Additionally, you can adjust the quality of the images by clicking on the “Quality” dropdown menu. The available options include low, medium, and high quality.
7. After adjusting the resolution and quality settings, click on the “Export” button to export the PDF file with the selected settings.

Keep in mind that higher resolutions and quality settings will result in larger file sizes, which may take longer to load and might not be suitable for web or mobile applications where bandwidth is limited.

By adjusting the resolution and quality in Adobe XD, you have the flexibility to optimize your PDF files according to your specific needs and requirements.

Question-answer:

Can I export interactive prototypes as PDF from Adobe XD?

No, you cannot export interactive prototypes as PDF from Adobe XD. PDF files are static and do not support interactive elements such as clickable buttons, hover effects, or screen transitions. If you want to share your interactive prototypes, you can use the “Share” feature in Adobe XD to generate a web link or create a video recording of your prototype.