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There is an Export syntax that lets you specify the elements being exported. This appears to be ignored by "PDF".

plots = Plot[#[x], {x, 0, 1}, ImageSize -> Large] & /@ {Sin, Cos, Tan};

To print each of plots to a PDF page the syntax is

SetDirectory[$UserDocumentsDirectory];
Export["plots.pdf", {"Pages" -> plots}, "Rules", "AllowRasterization" -> False]
ResetDirectory[];

However, the resulting PDF places the list (with curly braces) on one page of the PDF.

enter image description here

Any ideas how to get this to work? Mind you this is in version 10.4 on Win 7 Ent as version 11.1.0 always crashes if I try to Export PDF even after reinstalling.

Update: WRI has responded and said that "PDF" "Pages" Export is not currently supported. A similar workaround of creating a notebook with page break cells was provided.

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  • $\begingroup$ "Pages" is an option for Import, non for Export You should look for printing environment styling If you wish to set the margins, paper size, etc for output document. $\endgroup$
    – Rom38
    May 16, 2017 at 8:33
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    $\begingroup$ @Rom38 Look at the documentation for "XLSX" in the Elements section and notice how the "Sheets" element is documented. You can Export "Sheets" for Excel files. In "PDF" "Pages" is documented the same as "Sheets" in "XLSX". Therefore, it stands to reason that you should be able to Export "Pages". $\endgroup$
    – Edmund
    May 16, 2017 at 10:57
  • $\begingroup$ logic is absent sometimes in Wolfram documentation. $\endgroup$
    – Rom38
    May 16, 2017 at 12:26
  • $\begingroup$ Related: (17008), (13251). $\endgroup$
    – Alexey Popkov
    May 16, 2017 at 15:46
  • $\begingroup$ @user6014 Export of "Sheets" is not undocumented. Read the documentation. $\endgroup$
    – Edmund
    May 18, 2017 at 18:34

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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You need something like this:

nb = CreateDocument[
   ExpressionCell[#, PageBreakBelow -> True] & /@ plots];
Export["plots.pdf", nb]

Therefore, you first create a structured document with page-breaks and then export (print) it to pdf.

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  • $\begingroup$ This is a good workaround. (+1) $\endgroup$
    – Edmund
    May 16, 2017 at 10:53
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    $\begingroup$ Is there any way to break cells too? $\endgroup$
    – Hosein Rahnama
    Mar 9, 2018 at 21:20
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    $\begingroup$ @H.R., I guess you should initially create cells with desired size (satisfying the good alignment regarding to current paper size) $\endgroup$
    – Rom38
    Mar 10, 2018 at 22:44
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah, but that takes too much time for a long code. :) $\endgroup$
    – Hosein Rahnama
    Mar 11, 2018 at 20:58
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Turn off the popping up of the NB:

nb = CreateDocument[
   ExpressionCell[#, PageBreakBelow -> True] & /@ plots, Visible -> False];
Export["plots.pdf", nb]

After playing around a little bit it is clear that everything is already -magically- built inside CreateDocument (Mathematica 10.3). Just activate the right Options:

nb = CreateDocument[plots, PageBreakBelow -> True, Visible -> False];
Export["plots.pdf", nb]
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  • $\begingroup$ (+1) Nice discovery of PageBreakBelow being supported by CreateDocument! It looks like we can pass in the same way any other Cell option too. $\endgroup$
    – Alexey Popkov
    Dec 1, 2017 at 20:38
  • $\begingroup$ e.g. TextAlignment -> Center is working. Also tried to pass a List with individual ailgnmnet for pages TextAlignment -> {Left,Left,Center,Right,...} this unfortunately does not work $\endgroup$
    – Robert Nowak
    Dec 3, 2017 at 15:27

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