Layout and PDF

This lesson is still being tested: it improves with learners' feedback. If something is unclear, it is the lesson that needs fixing, not you.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to

tell the editable source from the PDF you send;
give a document a simple, clean layout;
export a PDF from Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice, with working links, and bookmarks when your software offers them (an option to tick in Word for Windows and in LibreOffice);
check the PDF before sending it.

Why it matters to you

A document sent in Word opens differently for everyone: a font that changes, a page that shifts, a table that is cut. The PDF keeps the appearance you chose. But a PDF is remade, not corrected: the real version is your editable source. This lesson sets up the right workflow, once and for all.

Before you start


You need	Your word processor (Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice), your document from lesson 1 or a document of your own, and your assistant (optional)
Cost	€0 with LibreOffice; Google Docs with a Google account (some features require a Google Workspace plan); Word if you already have it
Duration	60 minutes
Reminder	A PDF can contain your name in its properties: look before sending it (lesson 5)

Understand it in 3 minutes

The workflow:

	The editable source	The PDF
Format	.docx, Google Docs, .odt	.pdf
For	Writing, correcting, updating	Sending, printing, publishing
When you find a mistake	You fix it here	You make a new one

According to Microsoft’s help (24/10/2026), the PDF is for when you want a file that looks the same on most computers, is smaller, and uses a standard format. But it also warns: many programs, including Word, can open and edit a PDF. The PDF freezes the appearance, not the content.

A simple layout, in six settings:

Styles for everything: Heading 1, Heading 2, and the body text style. You don’t make headings bold “by hand” (lesson 1).
Comfortable margins, the same everywhere.
A page break before each major part, rather than empty lines.
Page numbers, in the footer.
Tables and images that don’t overflow the margins.
One or two fonts, no more (lesson 4).

And AI? According to Claude’s help (24/10/2026), Claude creates Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets and PDFs, on all plans, including the free one, if the file creation setting is turned on (it is by default, according to the same help). For a document that will evolve, ask for a .docx instead: it is an editable source, and you will make the PDF yourself.

Do it together

1Step 1: Lay out the source

Open your document from lesson 1. Check the six settings.

If you want help with a setting, ask your assistant, giving your software and its version: “In Google Docs, how do I insert page numbers at the bottom right?” Then do it yourself. If the menu described doesn’t exist on your screen, your software’s official help is the reference.

2Step 2: Export the PDF

Keep the source and the PDF, with two different names, for example guide-accueil-2026-10-24.docx and guide-accueil-2026-10-24-envoi.pdf. After the export, check that your .docx is still there.

On Mac

Word: File menu, Save As, give it a name different from the document’s, choose PDF in File Format, then Export. According to Word’s help, if you keep the same name, your document is converted to a PDF and you can no longer edit it without specialized software.
Google Docs: File menu, Download, then choose the PDF file type.
LibreOffice: File menu, Export As, Export as PDF.

On Windows

Word: File, Save a Copy (or Save As), Browse, choose PDF in the list, then Save. Before saving, More Options then Options lets you tick Create bookmarks using: Headings.
Google Docs: File menu, Download, then choose the PDF file type.
LibreOffice: File menu, Export As, Export as PDF.

Links and bookmarks

According to LibreOffice’s help, all the links in the document are exported to the PDF automatically. For bookmarks built from the headings (the PDF reader’s outline), tick Export outlines in the General tab of the export: only the headings that have an outline level are exported. The Links tab sets how text bookmarks and links to other documents are handled.

In Word for Windows, the option to create bookmarks from the Headings produces a clickable outline in the PDF.

3Step 3: Check the PDF

Open the PDF, not the source. Scroll through all the pages:

is the layout the same as in the source?
are the page numbers there?
does a click on each link open the right page?
if your software created bookmarks (the PDF reader’s outline), do they lead to the right parts?

A mistake? Fix the source, then make the PDF again.

Your turn

Apply the six settings to your document.
Export it as a PDF, with a dated name different from the source’s (Google Docs downloads the PDF under the document’s name: rename the downloaded file).
Check the PDF page by page, and click every link.
Store the source and the PDF together, in your folder (module 5).

Check your work

It worked if:

you have two files: the editable source and the PDF, with two names;
the PDF looks the same as the source, page by page;
every link in the PDF opens the right page;
you know how to remake the PDF after a correction.

Common mistakes:

fixing the PDF instead of the source;
giving both files the same name, and losing the source (Word for Mac);
thinking a PDF can’t be edited by the recipient;
sending the PDF without having opened it.

Keep it and pick it up later

Keep the source, and one dated PDF per sending: you will always know which version went out.
Lesson 5 adds the full quality check before sending.

Going further

optional

According to Microsoft’s help, the option Document structure tags for accessibility makes the PDF easier for screen-reading software to read, and the PDF/A option produces a PDF designed for archiving.

New words

5 words explained

Word	What it means
Editable source	The file you correct: .docx, Google Docs, .odt
PDF	The format that keeps the appearance of the document, for sending or printing
Export	Create another format (the PDF) from the source, without changing it
Bookmarks	The clickable outline of a PDF, often built from the headings
Page break	The command that makes what follows start on a new page

To be checked: the exports were not run in each piece of software for this lesson; the labels may vary with the version (screenshots to be made).

Date, version, sources Written on 24/10/2026. Checks of 24/10/2026:

uses of the PDF, PDF editable by other programs, export from Word for Windows (Save a Copy, Browse, PDF), bookmarks from headings, accessibility tags, PDF/A: support.microsoft.com, “Enregistrer ou convertir au format PDF ou XPS dans les applications de bureau Office” (page in French; English version “Save or convert to PDF or XPS in Office Desktop apps”);
Word for Mac (Save As, different name, File Format, Export): support.microsoft.com, “Enregistrer ou convertir au format PDF sur votre Mac” (page in French; English version “Save or convert to PDF on your Mac”);
Google Docs (File, Download, file type): support.google.com, “Créer, afficher ou télécharger un fichier” (page in French; English version “Create, view, or download a file”);
LibreOffice (File, Export As, Export as PDF; links exported automatically; Links tab; heading bookmarks with “Export outlines” in the General tab): help.libreoffice.org;
file creation by Claude, all plans, setting turned on by default: support.claude.com, “Create and edit files with Claude”.