PDF and PSD export
For print shops and for handoff to other design tools, export the part you are on as a PDF or as a layered PSD file.
Quick overview
- Select the page, frame, or slide you want to hand off.
- Open the export dialog and choose PDF or PSD.
- Set the resolution (DPI).
- Download. To combine several parts into one PDF, select them first, see Bulk and group export.
Detailed reference
PDF export
Each part is rendered to a high-resolution image and embedded on a PDF page sized to match its proportions exactly, so nothing is stretched or cropped.
| Property | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Content | A rasterized image of the part, not vector paths |
| Text | Rendered as pixels, not selectable text in the PDF |
| Resolution | Follows your chosen DPI (72 to 600, or a custom value) |
| Multiple parts | Combine into a single PDF, one page per part, in the order selected |
This makes PDF export a reliable way to hand a print-ready file to a print shop, but it is not a way to produce an editable, text-searchable document. Very large pages or long multi-part selections take a moment to generate, since every page is drawn at full resolution before it is assembled into the document.
PSD export
PSD export keeps your layer structure instead of flattening it: text, shapes, images, and groups each become their own layer or layer folder.
| Canvas object | PSD layer |
|---|---|
| Text | A named layer (using the text content), rendered as pixels |
| Shape | A raster layer, named by shape type |
| Image | A raster layer; QR codes and charts are named accordingly |
| Group | A layer group (folder), keeping the group's name |
| Background | The bottom layer, always named Background |
Limitations:
- Vector shapes and paths are rasterized into pixel layers, not editable Photoshop shape layers.
- PSD resolution is capped at 300 DPI. If you ask for more, the dialog shows that cap rather than silently using a lower one. On top of that flat ceiling, a very large canvas is automatically scaled down further, per layer, to stay within a safe memory budget, so a normal card, flyer, or A4-sized page reaches your full requested quality, while an unusually large canvas may render at a somewhat lower effective DPI than the number shown.
- Filters such as blur or grayscale are baked into the pixel data, not kept as live, editable Photoshop effects.
- PSD export covers one part at a time.
If the richer PSD engine cannot load, for example on a very restricted connection, a built-in fallback still produces a valid layered file, so PSD export does not simply fail.
PowerPoint decks
If the part you are on is a slide deck, a PPTX option is also available: it produces one PowerPoint slide per slide in the deck, so you can present or keep editing it outside the app. See Slide decks.
Resolution for PDF and PSD
| Format | Available DPI |
|---|---|
| 72 to 600, or a custom value, same as any image export | |
| PSD | Up to 300 DPI; a higher request is shown capped rather than silently reduced, and very large canvases are scaled down further behind the scenes to stay memory-safe |
Choosing between PDF and PSD
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| A print-ready file for a shop or a client | |
| To keep adjusting individual layers in Photoshop | PSD |
| The simplest, smallest file | PDF, or PNG, see Export a page |
| To hand off text, shapes, and images as separate layers | PSD |
| A presentation file for a slide deck | PPTX |
Step by step
Export a print-ready PDF
- Open or select the page, frame, or slide you are handing off.
- Open the export dialog and choose PDF.
- Set the DPI, ask your print shop what they expect if you are not sure, 300 is a common default.
- Download. The PDF page is sized to match your part's proportions exactly, one page per part.
- To combine several parts into one multi-page PDF instead of one file per part, select them first in the Selected or Group area of the export dialog, see Bulk and group export.
Hand a layered file to a teammate in Photoshop
- Select the part with the layers you want to keep separate.
- Open the export dialog and choose PSD.
- Pick a DPI. If your canvas is very large, do not be surprised if the actual output comes out at a slightly lower effective DPI than you asked for, that is the memory-safe scaling described above, not an error.
- Download. Text, shapes, images, and groups arrive as their own named layers or layer folders in Photoshop, ready to keep editing.
Export a slide deck as a presentation file
- Open the slide deck part.
- Open the export dialog, a PPTX option appears in the format grid because the part is a deck.
- Choose PPTX and download. Each slide in the deck becomes one PowerPoint slide, as a full-bleed image.
- Open the result in PowerPoint, or a compatible app, to present or keep adjusting outside the editor.
Common tasks
| Task | Steps |
|---|---|
| Match a print shop's spec | Ask them for the DPI they want, then choose PDF at that DPI |
| Send editable layers to a designer using Photoshop | Choose PSD, keep DPI at or below 300 |
| Combine multiple pages into one PDF for a client | Select the pages first, then Combined PDF, see Bulk and group export |
| Present a slide deck outside the app | Choose PPTX from the format grid on a slide-deck part |
| Get the smallest, simplest file | PNG or PDF instead of PSD, see Export a page |
Troubleshooting
- The PSD came out smaller than the DPI you chose. On a very large canvas, PSD export automatically reduces the effective DPI further to keep file generation memory-safe, on top of the flat 300 DPI ceiling. A normal card, flyer, or A4-sized page is unaffected, this only kicks in on unusually large canvases.
- PDF export seems to hang on a big multi-page selection. Each page is rendered at full resolution before it is added to the document, one at a time, so a long selection at a high DPI genuinely takes longer. Let it finish rather than closing the dialog.
- A PDF or PSD export fails right after opening the app. The PDF and PSD libraries load in the background as soon as you open the export dialog. If you try to export in the very first second, they may not be ready yet, wait a moment and try again.
- PSD export still worked even though it seemed slow to start. If the primary PSD engine cannot load, for example on a restricted network, the app quietly falls back to a built-in PSD writer, so the export still completes as a valid layered file instead of failing outright.
- PPTX does not show up as an option. It only appears for parts that are slide decks. A regular page, frame, or video part will not offer it, see Slide decks.
- A PDF looks slightly softer than the original design. PDF export works by drawing your part to a high-resolution image first and embedding that image on the page, it is a rasterized snapshot, not a re-creation in vector form. Raising the DPI increases the image's sharpness; there is no separate vector mode for PDF.
- PSD layer names look generic, like "Text 1" or "Rectangle." Layers are named from what they contain when nothing more specific is set, a text object uses its own text as the name, a shape uses its shape type. Give an object a custom name in the editor beforehand if you want that name to carry into the PSD.
- The PSD has fewer layers than objects on the canvas. That is expected, editing helpers such as guide lines, smart guides, grid lines, and crop or perspective handles are never turned into layers, only your actual design objects are.
Tips
Match your print shop
Ask your print shop for the DPI and color expectations they need, and export to match. 300 DPI is a common default for print.
Reach for PSD only when you need to keep editing
If you just need a flat image for print or web, PNG or PDF is simpler and has no resolution cap. Use PSD when a teammate needs to keep adjusting layers in Photoshop.