Build and export a PDF report
Turn a finished layout into a professional, paginated PDF — add layout views and tables, arrange them on the page, and export the result.
7 steps · 4 min read
The Report Designer is how a layout becomes a deliverable. It starts from your saved calculation results, so the fastest path to a good report is to finish the design first — place fixtures, draw calculation grids, and let the numbers settle — then generate the report and tidy up the layout.
Open the Report Designer
With your layout open, click Report in the top-right of the Layout Designer, or use File ▸ Generate Report in the menu bar. OpenLumen first saves the full layout (including calculation results) so the report has accurate numbers, then opens the Report Designer.
You need to be signed in to generate a report — guests are prompted to sign in first.
Start from the auto-built report
The Report Designer opens with a sensible starting point already laid out for you: a cover page (project name, company, and a large snapshot of your plan) followed by auto-paginated tables — the Luminaire Schedule, Area Summary, and Fixture List. You can keep, rearrange, or remove any of it.
Add items from the left panel
Use the Add Items panel on the left to drop new elements onto the current page:
- Layout views — Points, Heatmap, or Rendering snapshots of your plan.
- Tables — Luminaire Schedule, Fixture List, and Area Summary.
- Pole Plan + Elevation — side-elevation and top-down views of any poles.
- Design Intent, Text Block, and Upload Image for custom content.
All values in the tables (illuminance, area, and watts-per-area) follow your active unit system, so a Metric reader sees lux, m², and W/m².
Arrange and resize elements
Drag any element to move it, and drag the handle in its bottom-right corner to resize. Elements are clamped to the page edges. With an element focused you can also nudge it with the arrow keys (hold Shift for larger steps) and resize with Alt + arrow keys. Drag an item past the top or bottom edge of a page to push it onto the next page.
Let long tables paginate themselves
Tables that are too tall for one page split automatically: OpenLumen continues them onto new pages and marks the continued blocks with "(cont.)". Add or remove pages with the Add Page / Remove Page controls in the preview toolbar. If you edit the layout later, the tables rebuild while keeping the positions and sizes you set.
Set the project details and color scale
Open the Settings panel to edit the Project Name, Company, and Disclaimer text, and to choose the Color Scale used by heatmaps (Target, Global, Local, or Absolute). Community plans use the OpenLumen logo on the cover; Pro and Team plans can upload a custom logo.
Export the PDF
When the report looks right, click the PDF button in the header (it exports the report). OpenLumen renders a true vector PDF — real text and lines, not screenshots — named after your project. Open it to confirm the pagination, then share it with clients or reviewers. The Print button beside it sends the same layout to your system print dialog.