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Make a PDF from a Markdown file

Turn a Markdown (.md) text file into a new PDF, or add it as pages to the open document.

Markdown is a simple way of writing formatted text in a plain text file. Monstera can turn one into a PDF.

Steps

To make a new PDF:

  1. In the rail, choose Tools, then From Markdown… in the Create group (New PDF from Markdown…).
  2. In the New PDF window, under Font, choose the font the text is set in, from the same list as everywhere else; code stays in a fixed-width font. Then choose Choose file….
  3. Pick the .md file, then choose where to save the PDF. It opens in a new tab.

To add the pages to the open document:

  1. Choose Insert Markdown… (Insert from Markdown…) in the Create group.
  2. Under Where, choose Before or After, then The first page, The last page or Page and its number. It starts after the last page.
  3. Under Font, choose the font the text is set in. Code stays in a fixed-width font. Then choose Choose file….
  4. Pick the file and choose where to save the new pages' PDF. It opens in a tab, and all of its pages are added to your document where you chose.

Good to know

  • Every page is US Letter size.
  • The file must be UTF-8 text, up to 4 MB. A zero character in it is shown as �, as the Markdown standard (CommonMark) requires.
  • Text in any language is kept. Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew and Arabic come with Monstera, and a paragraph in Hebrew or Arabic reads right to left from the right margin. Thai, Chinese and Japanese lines break between words.
  • The text is set in the font you choose, Arimo (it looks like Arial) unless you choose another. Text is set in that font or the fonts Monstera carries, and a script they do not cover, such as Chinese or Japanese, in a font installed on this computer whose licence allows it. A character no font here can draw is shown as a box. Once the PDF opens, Monstera lists each one with its line and column in your file. The box copies as the character you wrote.
  • A table too wide for the page turns its pages sideways and sets its text smaller, and one wider still continues on further pages, its first column repeated on each.

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