How to Format Microsoft Project Pages for PDF Export

When searching for how to properly format the page in MS Project when using ExportAsFixedFormat to generate a correctly formatted PDF?, users often discover that standard VBA methods do not work as advertised. The core issue lies within a specific software behavior: during the execution of the ExportAsFixedFormat method, the Task Name column automatically becomes at least 30% wider than its configuration in the current view

What to Know Before You Format Microsoft Project Pages for PDF Export

This forced expansion pushes subsequent columns off the page, making commands like PagesWide:=1 ineffective. Because official patches for errant VBA instructions in Microsoft 365 and Office | Project | For business | Other are rare, users must rely on manual column width adjustments and specific page scaling parameters (like PercentScale:=85) before running the export macro

How to Format Microsoft Project Pages for PDF Export Step by Step

Follow these Project actions for Format Microsoft Project Pages for PDF Export in order. The key interface checkpoint is Gantt Chart View Table.

1. Open your MS Project file and apply your target view (e.g., Contract View )
2. Locate the Task Name column header in the Gantt Chart table
3. Manually click and drag the column boundary to reduce the width by about 25% . Note: The longest text may not be completely visible on your screen, but it will render correctly in the PDF
4. Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA Editor, insert a new Module, and configure your FilePageSetupPage method to use PercentScale:=85 and PaperSize:=pjPaperA3 instead of PagesWide:=1
5. Paste the fixed VBA macro (provided in Part 3) and run the PrintContractViewToPDF command
6. Open the generated PDF file to verify the expected result: all text should be completely visible with reasonable space to the next column, fitting within a single page width

Sub PrintContractViewToPDF() 



    Dim pdfPath As String 



    Dim suggestedFileName As String 



    ' Suggested file name with the current date 



    ' Vorgeschlagener Dateiname mit aktuellem Datum 



    suggestedFileName = "Codeword\_ContractSection\_" & Format(Date, "yyyy-mm-dd") & ".pdf" 



    ' Open dialog box for user to choose file location and name 



    ' Öffnet das Dialogfeld, damit der Benutzer den Speicherort und den Dateinamen auswählen kann 



    pdfPath = GetSaveAsFile("Save as PDF", suggestedFileName) 



    ' Check if a path was selected 



    ' Überprüft, ob ein Pfad ausgewählt wurde 



    If pdfPath <> "" Then 



        ' Select the "\_Contract View" view 



        ' Wählt die Ansicht "\_Contract View" aus 



        On Error Resume Next 



        Application.ActiveProject.Views("\_Contract View").Apply 



        On Error GoTo 0 



        ' Set up the page for one-page width and as many pages as necessary for height 



        ' Konfiguriert die Seite für eine Seitenbreite und so viele Seiten wie nötig für die Höhe 



        Application.FilePageSetupPage \_ 



            Name:="\_Contract View", \_ 



            Portrait:=True, \_ 



            PercentScale:=85, \_ 



            PaperSize:=pjPaperA3 



        ' Set up the margins for printing 



        ' Konfiguriert die Ränder für den Druck 



        Application.FilePageSetupMargins \_ 



            Name:="\_Contract View", \_ 



            Top:=0.98, \_ 



            Bottom:=0.98, \_ 



            Left:=0.79, \_ 



            Right:=0.5, \_ 



            Borders:=pjAroundEveryPage 



        ' Display the Print Preview to check the print layout 



        ' Zeigt die Druckvorschau an, um das Drucklayout zu überprüfen 



        Application.FilePrintPreview 



        ' Export the active view as a PDF using ExportAsFixedFormat method 



        ' Exportiert die aktive Ansicht als PDF mit der Methode ExportAsFixedFormat 



        On Error Resume Next 



        Application.ActiveProject.ExportAsFixedFormat \_ 



            FileName:=pdfPath, \_ 



            FileType:=pjPDF, \_ 



            IncludeDocumentProperties:=True, \_ 



            IncludeDocumentMarkup:=True, \_ 



            FromDate:=Application.ActiveProject.ProjectStart, \_ 



            ToDate:=Application.ActiveProject.ProjectFinish 



        On Error GoTo 0 



        ' Success message after export 



        ' Erfolgsmeldung nach dem Export 



        MsgBox "PDF successfully exported to: " & pdfPath, vbInformation 



        ' PDF erfolgreich exportiert nach: & pdfPath 



    Else 



        MsgBox "Operation cancelled.", vbExclamation 



        ' Vorgang abgebrochen 



    End If 



End Sub

How to Verify the Project Result

Use this outcome as the acceptance test: Open the generated PDF file to verify the expected result: all text should be completely visible with reasonable space to the next column, fitting within a single page width Keep the original state unchanged if the result cannot be confirmed.

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Project FAQs About Format Microsoft Project Pages for PDF Export

Why does PagesWide:=1 fail during the PDF export macro?

During the ExportAsFixedFormat execution, a known rendering glitch causes the task name column to dynamically widen by roughly 30%. This extra width overrides the PagesWide parameter, pushing subsequent data columns onto a second page.

Do I need the PtrSafe declaration in my VBA code?

Yes. Modern Microsoft 365 and Office | Project | For business | Other environments run on 64-bit architectures. Using PtrSafe and LongPtr ensures the Windows API call for the "Save As" dialog functions correctly without throwing compilation errors.

Why use PercentScale:=85 and A3 paper size?

Because the software artificially expands the columns during export, setting a larger virtual paper size (A3) and scaling down the content (85%) creates enough margin buffer to absorb the expansion, keeping everything on a single horizontal page.

Does reducing the column width affect my saved Project file?

Yes, adjusting the column width manually alters the current view. If you frequently view this table on your screen, you may want to add VBA instructions to your macro that restore the column width to its original size immediately after the PDF is exported.