An export differs from the editing view when the page settings in the file do not match what the screen showed you. The most common causes are an object wider than the text area, a page size that changed, a font that is not available, or content that was hidden on screen.
The fix is a short routine: check print preview, compare measurements, export, then reopen the exported file and check it against the brief.
Why does the export look different?
The editing view lets text and objects run wherever you drag them. An export has to place everything inside a fixed page. Here are the usual causes.
- An object is wider than the text area. Tables and pictures may extend past the margin and look fine on screen, but get cut off when exported.
- Paper size changed. A template may default to another paper size than the one your brief asks for, so lines wrap differently.
- A font is missing or substituted. The text reflows, which can push a line onto the next page.
- Hidden material. Comments, tracked changes or hidden text may show in one view and not in another, depending on the export options.
- A page break or section break you did not see. Turn on formatting marks to reveal them.
Worked example: a table cut off at the edge
This example uses a generic word processor and an original task. Your menus may use other names, such as Print Preview or Export options.
Task: Produce a one-page flyer for a fictional school book sale, with a table of four columns, then export it as a PDF.
What happened: On screen the table looked fine. In the exported PDF, the last column was cut at the right edge.
Step 1, measure the space. The page is A4, 21.0 cm wide. The margins are 2.5 cm on each side. Text width = 21.0 − 2.5 − 2.5 = 16.0 cm.
Step 2, measure the object. The table columns are 4.0, 4.5, 3.5 and 4.5 cm. Total = 4.0 + 4.5 + 3.5 + 4.5 = 16.5 cm.
Step 3, compare. 16.5 cm is wider than 16.0 cm, so the table overflows by 0.5 cm. That is the cut-off.
Step 4, fix. Reduce the widths to 3.8, 4.4, 3.4 and 4.4 cm. Check: 3.8 + 4.4 + 3.4 + 4.4 = 16.0 cm. Alternatively, set the table to fit the text width using the table’s automatic fit option, if your software has one.
Step 5, verify. Open print preview, export, then reopen the PDF and check the last column against the brief.
The mistake to watch for
Mistaken approach: “It looks right on screen, so I will export and submit.”
The student never reopened the exported file, so the problem stayed hidden.
The correction is to treat the exported file as a separate object. It is what will be marked or used, so it is the one you inspect. Only the final file counts as evidence, and the screen is just where you make it.
A checklist before every export
- Is the paper size the one the brief asks for?
- Do all tables and pictures sit inside the margins?
- Are headers, footers and page numbers present on the pages required?
- Are there unexpected blank pages or hidden marks?
- Does the file type match the brief, and is the extension real rather than renamed?
- Reopen the exported file. Does every requirement appear?
The ICT practical task and evidence checker turns a mini-brief into a checklist like this and adds file-export verification tasks. It runs on your device and does not accept assessed files.
How does this link to the modules?
Setting up the page properly is covered in document production, especially verifying print preview for overflow. Saving and exporting is in exporting without losing required content, and reopening exported files to verify content teaches the habit. If the problem appears in slides, read checking the slideshow and exported version separately.
If your software or version differs from a tutorial, see following a tutorial that uses another version.
When might one-to-one help?
If you can follow the checklist but exports still go wrong, the cause may be a habit you cannot see yourself. A teacher watching a task from start to finish can point to it.
Online one-to-one ICT tuition begins with a paid one-hour trial at the assigned teacher’s confirmed rate, from RM80. The full map of the subject is in the ICT learning guide.