Excel : Convert a Workbook to a PDF File

If you want to share an Excel workbook with another person who does not have Excel, you can save that workbook as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Microsoft Office is by far the most popular productivity suite, and Microsoft Excel is by far the most popular spreadsheet program. However, although this means that many people have Excel, it does not mean that everyone does. 

So if you want a non-Excel user to see your Excel data and results, you must find some way of sharing your workbook with that person. One easy way to do this is by using a PDF file, which uses a near-universal file format that displays documents exactly as they appear in the original application, but can be configured to prevent people from making changes to the document. Most people have the Adobe Acrobat PDF reader on their system, and a free version is easily obtained online from adobe.com.

Excel Menu

1. Open the workbook you want to convert to a PDF.
2. Click the File tab.

3. Click Save & Send.
4. Click Create PDF/XPS Document.
5. Click Create PDF/XPS.

The Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box appears.

6. Choose a location for the file.
7. Type a name for the file.
8. Make sure the Save as Type drop-down list shows PDF.

9. Click to select the Standard option.

If you will be sharing the PDF file online, you can create a smaller file by clicking to select the Minimum Size option, instead.
10. Click Publish.
Excel publishes the file as a PDF.

More Options!

By default, Excel publishes only the current worksheet to the PDF. If you want to publish the entire workbook, instead, follow steps 1 to 9 to open the Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box and set up the file. Click the Options button to open the Options dialog box, click to select the Entire Workbook option, and then click OK.

Did You Know? 

One problem with PDF is that it is a proprietary standard (it is owned by Adobe Systems) and you may prefer to use a format based on open standards. That is the idea behind the XML Paper Specification, or XPS. XPS uses XML (eXtensible Markup Language) for the document syntax and the ZIP format for the document container file, so it is based on open and available technologies. In the Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box, click the Save as Type drop-down list and then click XPS Document.

Categories: Excel 2010