Your exported guidelines PDF can look a little different from what you see in the editor. This is expected. The editor and the PDF are produced by two different rendering systems, so small differences in fonts, spacing, and page breaks are normal. This article explains why, and what you can do to get the closest match.
Why the PDF differs
The on-screen editor renders your guidelines live in the browser. The PDF is generated separately on Braandly's servers from a print-ready version of the same content. Because these are two different renderers, a few things can shift:
- Fonts. The PDF loads fonts fresh at export time, and only standard web fonts embed cleanly, in a handful of common weights. A less common or custom font that cannot be embedded falls back to a default typeface, which changes how text looks.
- Page breaks. A PDF has fixed A4 pages with margins and page numbers, and Braandly avoids splitting a block across two pages. So a block near the bottom may jump to the next page, and where sections land will differ from the continuous scroll in the editor.
- Spacing and colour. Print styling is applied to the PDF, including backgrounds and print-safe colour handling, which can render slightly differently from the screen.
- Images. The PDF waits a short while for images to load before finishing. A slow or broken image is skipped and leaves a gap rather than failing the whole export.
How to get the closest match
- Publish before exporting. You can only export a published guideline, and publishing makes sure the PDF is built from your latest saved content.
- Stick to standard fonts where you can, so the PDF does not fall back to a default typeface.
- Use images that are fully uploaded, and give the export a moment rather than exporting the instant you add an image.
- Re-export after edits. The PDF is a snapshot from when you exported. If you changed the guideline, export again to pick up the changes.
Think of the PDF as a print version of your guidelines, not a screenshot of the editor. Some layout differences come from fitting your content onto fixed A4 pages, and that is working as intended.
If the PDF looks broken
If the PDF is missing large sections, fails to download, or looks badly malformed rather than just slightly different, that is a separate problem. A very large guideline with many images can also time out. See export and PDF download issues, or contact support with the brand and guideline name.