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TR_120955054-Participant
4-Participant
July 6, 2026
Question

PDF Export not working

  • July 6, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 119 views

Hey there! I have been using Creo 11 for the longest time and have always been able to get 2D Drawings into a PDF file easily via Export function. Two months ago I upgraded to Creo 12 and created a big assembly. When I tried to export the 2D Drawings I had created, I found that the export to PDF does not work for whatever reason (tried via “Menu - Save As - Export” & “Quick Export”, as well as “Save as” and select PDF in the popup window). The weird part is, that it opens the dialogue window where I can select a location to save the file and I can enter a name, but when I click Save, it does not create any file. Also there is no Message or warning displayed anywhere which could lead me to the cause… 

Just in case: I know that I can use Print to PDF, but unfortuneately the plot quality is way worse and for this assembly specifically I need an A2 format which is not supported by print to PDF. I have also tried all AI Assistants but none of their tricks worked. 

I have done many workarounds and have gotten to receiving PDF files somehow, but I would really love to find out why the good ol export is not working properly. I am using the same Config File that I used with creo 11, maybe there is a problem about that?

Thanks in advance!

3 replies

StephenW
StephenW23-Emerald III
23-Emerald III
July 6, 2026

I’m not sure what the specific problem is but in the past, for large assembly drawings I have used the print function and print to pdf options (either microsoft print to pdf or other PDF programs printing drivers to get past the save as problems I’ve had in previous versions of creo.

T
TR_120955054-ParticipantAuthor
4-Participant
July 8, 2026

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I am trying to get the export to work again and not be thrown back to plotting via dailogue. 

D
DavidBigelow18-Opal
18-Opal
July 6, 2026

You might find some success using Nitro-CELL - because it calls the JLINK API more consistently across versions of Creo.

 

Here is a batch export Excel Workbook - that does this - you can change the command to use the PDF 3D export option if you need (or add a new line to export both formats).

 

BATCH_EXPORT_DRAWINGS_PDF.xlsx

 

Other FREE automations you might find useful here: https://github.com/SimplifiedLogic/Nitro-CELL-FREE_AUTOMATIONS

 

You can run this for FREE - just get a Nitro-CELL and request a FREE License.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Dave

    T
    TR_120955054-ParticipantAuthor
    4-Participant
    July 8, 2026

    Hey Dave, thanks for your quick reply. Unfortunately this is not what I am searching for as it also is a sort of workaround for the internal function and requires some more steps. Thanks anyway!

    R
    remy21-Topaz I
    21-Topaz I
    July 8, 2026

    Hi so you are getting no files when File > Save as > pdf ? 

    What you experience looks like the description of this article : https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS411915

    The article suggests that the installation was done silently or with third party unpacking software.
    All in all, something has been loosely installed and Creo would benefit being re-installed.
    About your current installation, was there a version that worked fine ? and did you notice any major difference ?

      T
      TR_120955054-ParticipantAuthor
      4-Participant
      July 8, 2026

      Thank you for your answer! I will try this method and let you know wether it worked. I installed creo via official installer but I might have the installer crash mid installation or something? Might be the issue.

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