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Why do Excel PDFs become unreadable when tables get wide?
Our take
When exporting wide spreadsheets to PDF, users often encounter frustrating issues such as cut-off columns, extremely small text, and broken pagination. These challenges arise when tables exceed 12–15 columns, making it difficult to present data clearly and effectively. For example, a CRM export with 14 columns can lead to a visually cluttered document where essential information is lost. In this discussion, we invite you to share your strategies for managing wide tables or reports when converting them to PDFs, ensuring readability and clarity.
When a spreadsheet gets wide (12–15+ columns), exporting to PDF usually results in:
• columns cut off
• extremely small text
• broken pagination
Example from a CRM export (14 columns):
On the right the table is split into sections instead of shrinking everything.
Curious how people here deal with this when sending tables or reports as PDFs.
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