Create a PDF in Excel – Excel to PDF Options

Contents [show]

Overview
In this article I will be demonstrating some of the various ways to create a PDF file from a range in Microsoft Excel. I
will show you how to store it in any location on your computer. We will be recording a macro to help is get the code
and then I’ll show you how to add cell references and the current date and time and many other features to make the
VBA code involved very flexible. Watch the video below first so that you can get an overview of what we are
accomplishing here. Second download the template so that your experience in working with the code below will be
much easier.

Video Create PDF in Excel

Download the Template
Template Excel to PDF: Create from range
Office 2007 Addin
If you are using Office 2007 then you will need to have the PDF addin installed and activated.
Here a link with additional information.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=9943

Record a macro to create a PDF in Excel

From the Developer tab record a Macro create the PDF in Excel

 Select the area on the worksheet

 Developer Tab / Record Macro
 File / SaveAs
 Choose a location in the left panel
 Add a file name
 In Save As type choose PDF

We will return later to edit this code.

Using ranges for the data

Even though we have IgnorePrintArea set to False. Which means it will print the print area it is necessary to set a
range.
If your range is not changing then you can refer to it explicitly or use a static named range.
Here are our options

 Cell references
 Static named range
 Dynamic named range
 Create a named range with code

Dynamic named range tutorial

Static named range tutorial
 

Set print area and page breaks

You will need to set the print area and page breaks for the file.

This is how you set the print area manually.

 Highlight the area

 On the Ribbon choose Page Layout
 Print area
 Set Print area

I will demonstrate how to do this with code in a moment.

To set the page breaks

 On the Ribbon in the View tab

 Choose Page Breaks

Adjust to suit by going to the Page Layout tab and choose Page Setup / Page and set your Orientation and % of
Normal to fill the page.
 

Modifying our recorded Macro: Various File Paths

Recorded Macro
Here is our recorded macro. Let’s see if we can make some changes to make it a little bit more flexible.
Sub Macro1()
    ActiveSheet.ExportAsFixedFormat Type:=xlTypePDF, Filename:= _
        "C:\Users\Trevor\Desktop\MyPDF.pdf", Quality:=xlQualityStandard, _
        IncludeDocProperties:=True, IgnorePrintAreas:=False, OpenAfterPublish:=False
End Sub
 

Direct file path

In this example we have taken the code above and assigned the path as a variable.
Dpath = "C:\Users\Trevor\Desktop\MyPDF" & "   " & Format(Now, "yyyy-mm-dd hh-mm")
 Sub Direct()
Dim Dpath As String
Dpath = "C:\Users\Trevor\Desktop\MyPDF" & "   " & Format(Now, "yyyy-mm-dd hh-mm")
    ActiveSheet.ExportAsFixedFormat Type:=xlTypePDF, Filename:= _
        Dpath, Quality:=xlQualityStandard, _
        IncludeDocProperties:=True, IgnorePrintAreas:=False, OpenAfterPublish:=True
End Sub

Direct path plus cell reference and date and time

Let’s look at a few more changes that we could make.
In this procedure we:

 Assign variables for a sheet reference

  Assign variable for the file path
 Create a named range to adjust to the data
 Set a print area for the name
 Create the PDF

Sub PrintPDFAllPath()
Dim Dpath As String
Dim FileN As Range, MyRange As Range
'turn off screen updating
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Set FileN = Sheet1.Range("A1")
'Dpath = "C:\Users\Trevor\Desktop\" & FileN 'change your path do not forget the last backslash
Dpath = "C:\Users\Trevor\Desktop\" & FileN & "   " & Format(Now, "yyyy-mm-dd hh-mm")  'change your path do not
forget the last backslash
'set the named range for the PDF
 With Sheet1
        .Range("C6:K" & Cells(Rows.Count, "C").End(xlUp).Row).Name = "PDFRng"
    End With
'set range
Set MyRange = Sheet1.Range("PDFRng")
Sheet1.PageSetup.PrintArea = "PDFRng"
'create the PDF
On Error Resume Next
MyRange.ExportAsFixedFormat Type:=xlTypePDF, Filename:=Dpath, Quality:=xlQualityStandard, _
IncludeDocProperties:=True, IgnorePrintAreas:=False, OpenAfterPublish:=True
'error handler
On Error GoTo 0
'clear the page breaks
ActiveSheet.DisplayPageBreaks = False
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
End Sub

Open Dialog to get the file path

This is my one of 2 preferred options that I would use if I was going to send the file to another computer
Sub PrintPDFAll()
'turn off screen updating
Dim Opendialog
Dim MyRange As Range
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    'open dialog and set file type
    Opendialog = Application.GetSaveAsFilename("", filefilter:="PDF Files (*.pdf), *.pdf", _
                                               Title:="Your Invoice")
    'if no value is added for file name
    If Opendialog = False Then
        MsgBox "The operation was not successful"
        Exit Sub
    End If
    'set the named range for the PDF
    With Sheet1
        .Range("C6:K" & Cells(Rows.Count, "C").End(xlUp).Row).Name = "PDFRng"
    End With
    'set range
    Set MyRange = Sheet1.Range("PDFRng")
    Sheet1.PageSetup.PrintArea = "PDFRng"
    'create the PDF
    On Error Resume Next
    MyRange.ExportAsFixedFormat Type:=xlTypePDF, Filename:=Opendialog, Quality:=xlQualityStandard, _
            IncludeDocProperties:=True, IgnorePrintAreas:=False, OpenAfterPublish:=True
    'error handler
    On Error GoTo 0
    'clear the page breaks
    ActiveSheet.DisplayPageBreaks = False
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
End Sub
 

Folder Path Macro (assign to a shape)

This is the procedure to call the file dialog box. When the folder is selected the path and a backslash is added to the
sheet.
 Sub FolderSelect()
    Dim MyFolder As FileDialog
    Dim diaFolder As Variant
    On Error GoTo errHandler:
    ' Open the file dialog
    Set MyFolder = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
    MyFolder.AllowMultiSelect = False
    MyFolder.Show
    'MsgBox diaFolder.SelectedItems(1)
    Sheet1.Range("B2") = MyFolder.SelectedItems(1) & "\"
    Set diaFolder = Nothing    
    On Error GoTo 0
 Exit Sub
 'error block
errHandler:
MsgBox "An Error has Occurred  " & vbCrLf & _
"The error number is:  " & Err.Number & vbCrLf & _
Err.Description & vbCrLf & "Please notify the administrator"    
End Sub

Folder Path and Sheet Reference

In this procedure we are allowing the user to select the folder path. A backslash and the file name from a sheet
reference is then added to the file path. This also is an excellent way to send the information on to others as it has
built in flexibility.
Sub PrintPDFAllPathFolder()
Dim Dpath As String
Dim FileN As Range, FolderPath As Range
Dim MyRange As Range
'turn off screen updating
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Set FileN = Sheet1.Range("A1")
Set FolderPath = Sheet1.Range("B2")
Dpath = FolderPath & FileN & "   " & Format(Now, "yyyy-mm-dd hh-mm")  'change your path do not forget the last
backslash
'set the named range for the PDF
 With Sheet1
        .Range("C6:K" & Cells(Rows.Count, "C").End(xlUp).Row).Name = "PDFRng"
    End With
'set range
Set MyRange = Sheet1.Range("PDFRng")
Sheet1.PageSetup.PrintArea = "PDFRng"
'create the PDF
On Error Resume Next
MyRange.ExportAsFixedFormat Type:=xlTypePDF, Filename:=Dpath, Quality:=xlQualityStandard, _
IncludeDocProperties:=True, IgnorePrintAreas:=False, OpenAfterPublish:=True
'error handler
On Error GoTo 0
'clear the page breaks
ActiveSheet.DisplayPageBreaks = False
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
End Sub

 Conclusion
There are an endless ways to set file paths that will save your PDF to various locations on your computer. I hope that
the methods used above will help you and get you started in understanding the basics that are involved. this is a
great feature that has been included since Microsoft Excel 2007 onwards. It is often overlooked, so why not put it to
good use in your awesome applications