Convert Google Docs to PDF With Multi-Column Layout
Multi-column layouts in Google Docs allow newsletter-style and magazine-style formatting. Exporting to PDF while keeping the column structure intact requires using an export method that understands Google's section-based column layout. The Docs to PDF extension uses Google's own API for this.
How multi-column layouts export
Google Docs uses section breaks to define column regions. Each section can have a different number of columns. Google's export engine applies these section settings during rendering, producing a PDF where text flows across columns exactly as it does in the editor.
Column gutters and spacing
The spacing between columns, set in Format > Columns, carries through to the PDF. The column gutter width and line separators, if you added them, appear in the PDF at the correct size.
Text flow in multi-column PDFs
Text flows from the bottom of one column to the top of the next, just as in the editor. Column breaks inserted manually are honored in the export and force text to jump to the next column at that point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my multi-column layout turn into single-column in the PDF?
A third-party converter likely did not parse Google's section-based column settings. Use the Docs to PDF extension to export through Google's API, which applies column settings correctly.
Related article
Convert Google Docs to PDF & Preserve Formatting →Ready to Try It?
Install the free Chrome extension and start converting your Google Docs to PDF in one click.
Install Free Extension