Struggling with page breaks in Canva? If your design scrolls endlessly instead of displaying individual pages, or if you’ve downloaded a PDF but you can’t control where the page breaks happen, you may have accidentally started with a Canva Doc instead of a standard Document design.
This common mix-up can leave you wondering why you can’t control page breaks, why some Canva design tools are missing, or why your PDF download doesn’t look right.
In this video, I’ll walk you through:
- The key differences between Canva Docs and regular Document designs
- When to use Canva Docs vs. US Letter or A4 for downloadable PDFs
- How to check which design type you’re using
- What to do if you’ve chosen the wrong format
Resources Mentioned
- Free Trial of Canva Pro (Affiliate Link)
Transcript
If you’ve ever started designing a workbook, a PDF, or any kind of multi-page document in Canva and found yourself frustrated because the Canva features available to you didn’t behave quite like you expected, chances are you might have accidentally started with a Canva Doc instead of a standard design file.
Maybe you can’t find the page breaks, or some of the usual Canva design tools seem to be missing. This is often the moment when people realize they might be working in the wrong design type.
So let’s look at the differences between these design types, what each one is best suited for, and what to do if you’ve accidentally selected the wrong type for your needs.
What Are Canva Docs?
First, Canva Docs. This design type is Canva’s answer to a collaborative, web-based document tool, similar to something like Google Docs. It’s designed for creating documents that you can scroll through continuously, rather than flipping between pages and this design type shines when it comes to collaborative projects, offering features like real-time collaboration. Plus they’re great for creating content that doesn’t need rigid design formatting.
- Canva Docs don’t have fixed page breaks; rather, you’re working in an infinite-scroll environment.
- While you can add images, videos, and other visual elements, you won’t have access to all of the design elements and features you might be accustomed to in other Canva designs.
- When downloading a Canva Doc, the options are PDF Standard, a Word doc file, or you can share it via a link. You won’t see other options like image file formats, plus if you download it as a PDF, you won’t have the ability to control where the page breaks are due to the aforementioned infinite-scroll interface.
What Are US Letter and A4 Design Types?
Now, let’s talk about the design sizing that most people will want to use for creating downloadable PDFs of various types like guides, workbooks, or worksheets: US Letter and A4. These formats are ideal for any document you intend to save and share as a multi-page PDF.
Key features of these design types include:
- Fixed page sizes: US Letter is 8.5×11 inches, while A4 is a standard international paper size of 210×297 millimeters.
- You can see individual pages in the Canva editor, which makes it easy to design and organize your content and to control where the page breaks are when you download your content.
- And speaking of downloading, you’ll have all the options you’re accustomed to with other designs in Canva, including standard and high-resolution PDF, plus image formats like PNG or JPG.
How to Know Which Design Type You’re Using
So how do you know which type you’re using?
Here’s how you can figure it out:
- If your design scrolls continuously without visible page breaks, you’re using a Canva Doc.
- If you can see individual, numbered pages in the design window, you’re working in a traditional format like US Letter or A4.
- You can also click on File in the top menu and check the file type listed; this will indicate whether it’s a Canva Doc or another format.
- Or you can try switching to grid or thumbnail view. If this option is available, you’re in a regular design type. If not, you’re likely in a Canva Doc.
What to Do If You’ve Chosen the Wrong Design Type
If you’ve realized that you started designing in a Canva Doc when you actually needed a regular document design, unfortunately, there isn’t a direct way to convert it. Unlike other design types in Canva, Canva Docs cannot be resized into a different format, and while you may be able to copy and paste some elements into a new design, the results will depend on what’s in your document.
If your Canva Doc contains mostly simple text and images, you may be able to use the select all and copy shortcuts on your keyboard in order to to copy everything and paste them into a new design. However, you’ll likely still need to adjust the layout and formatting.
As a reminder, those shortcuts are Cmd+A on a Mac or Ctrl+A on Windows to select all, Cmd+C on a Mac or Ctrl+C on Windows to copy and Cmd+V on a Mac or Ctrl+V on Windows to paste.
However, if your Canva Doc includes features like tables and charts, the reality is that those components likely aren’t going carry over with their formatting or functionality intact. In this case, you’ll need to start fresh in the correct design format and manually recreate your layout as best as you can.
