Export and Print a Gantt Chart

Overview

You can export or print Gantt charts from the following areas of Kantata:

• Tasks Gantt—Allows you to export Gantt charts to XLS, PDF, or HTML files. If needed, you can print the file after exporting.
• Local Gantt—Allows you to export Gantt charts to XLS, PDF, or HTML files. If needed, you can print the file after exporting.
• Global Gantt—Allows you to print Gantt charts. If needed, you can export the file to PDF from your computer’s print options.

Here are some printing and exporting best practices to follow:

• Reduce the size of the printable Schedule area by changing the view to Month or Year before printing or exporting.
• In the Tasks Gantt, apply filters before printing or exporting to avoid reaching the 200-task maximum.
• Export to HTML (where possible) to ensure that both the Schedule section and gray arrows that indicate dependencies are visible.
• In the Export settings modal for a PDF export, only include the Projects List or Tasks List columns that you need to avoid reaching the 200-task maximum.
• In the Export settings modal for a PDF or HTML export, only include the information you need for your export, leveraging the Schedule Range and Rows options in the Export settings modal to include only visible information.
• In the Export settings modal for a PDF export, set the Orientation to Landscape to prevent columns from getting cut off.

Using the tips above, you can avoid some of the most common issues experienced with printing and exporting Gantt charts. If you’re still having issues, this could be due to a combination of things in your Gantt chart or local printer settings. If the item is included in our Known Issues and Limitations section below, it may not be something that can be resolved.

Known Issues and Limitations

There are a few known issues and limitations that you may encounter when printing or exporting Gantt charts. Here is a list of issues and limitations that will not be resolved:

• If you are exporting the Local Gantt and a project name includes a period in the title (e.g. Project.Name), the file is unable to export.
• If you are exporting the Local Gantt or Tasks Gantt chart to an XLS file, the Schedule section is not included.
• If you are exporting the Local Gantt chart to a PDF file, the gray arrows that indicate dependencies are not included.
• If you are exporting the Local Gantt or Tasks Gantt chart to PDF, the last row may be cut off.
• If you are printing the Global Gantt chart, the Schedule has blank columns, preventing dates from displaying.
• If you are exporting the Local Gantt or Tasks Gantt to a PDF file, you can only export 200 tasks at a time.

Exporting Gantt Charts

Depending on the type of file you’re attempting to export and the Gantt area you are exporting from, the steps will vary.

How to Export the Local Gantt and Tasks Gantt Charts

1. Navigate to one of the following areas to open a Gantt chart:
   • Projects > select a project > Gantt
   • Tasks > Gantt
   Tip: Before exporting, reduce the size of the printable Schedule area by changing the view to Month or Year. If exporting in Tasks Gantt, also apply filters to reduce the number of tasks in your export.
2. From the schedule header, click Export, then select the type of file you want to download:
   • Microsoft Excel (XLS)
   • PDF
   • HTML
     
     Tip: If your export contains more than 200 tasks or you need dependency arrows to display in your exported file, export the chart data to an HTML file.
3. If you selected Microsoft XLS, open and view the file that automatically downloaded to your computer. If not, skip to step 4 and complete the remaining steps.
4. If you selected PDF or HTML, choose from the Export settings modal which columns you would like to add or remove for the exported document.
   
   Tip: To avoid any problems with exported files, only include the columns that you need.
   • To remove a column click the Remove (“   ”) icon.
   • To add a column, click the drop-down arrow (“   ”) on the right side of the Columns section, and select the desired columns from the drop-down menu that appears. To close the drop-down menu, re-click the drop-down arrow.
   
5. Select a Schedule Range option:
   • Complete schedule—Exports the entire schedule.
   • Visible schedule—Exports the portion of the schedule that is currently visible on your screen.
   • Date range—Exports a schedule from a date range, which you can specify in the calendar fields that appear below this option when selected.
     
   Tip: To avoid any problems with exported files, only include the visible schedule.
6. Select a Rows option:
   • All rows—Exports all rows of the Tasks list.
   • Visible rows—Exports all rows of the Tasks list that are currently visible on your screen.
     
   Tip: To avoid any problems with exported files, only include the visible rows.
7. Select a Paper Format option:
   • A3—11.7 x 16.5 inches
   • A4—8.3 x 11.7 inches
   • Legal—8.5 x 14 inches
   • Letter—8.5 x 11 inches
     
8. Select an Orientation option:
   • Portrait—Vertical
   • Landscape—Horizontal
     
   Tip: For PDF exports, selecting Landscape can help prevent columns from getting cut off.
9. When you are finished modifying your export options, click Export. The file downloads to your computer.

How to Export the Global Gantt Chart to PDF

1. Select Projects in the left navigation to go to the Project List.

2. In the top-left corner of the toolbar, select the Gantt (“   ”) icon to open the Global Gantt view.
   
   Tip: Before exporting, reduce the size of the printable Schedule area by changing the view to Month or Year.
3. In the top-right corner of the toolbar, select Print.
   
4. In the Print settings modal, select the desired options for your exported file.
   
   Tip: To avoid display issues, reduce the number of columns you include and choose to only include visible schedule range and rows. For more information on these options, see the steps in How to Print the Global Gantt Chart.

   

5. When you are finished, click Print. Your browser’s print settings appear.
6. Choose to save the file to PDF.
   Note: Depending on the browser and your computer’s operating system, the drop-down name and selection may vary.

Printing Gantt Charts

You can print the Global Gantt chart directly from Kantata. However, Local Gantt and Tasks Gantt charts require you to export files from Kantata before you can print them.

How to Print the Local Gantt and Tasks Gantt Charts

1. Export the file using the steps above.
2. Open the downloaded file on your computer and select the Print option specific to your computer's operating system.

How to Print the Global Gantt Chart

1. Select Projects in the left navigation to go to the Project List.
2. In the top-left corner of the toolbar, select the Gantt (“   ”) icon to open the Global Gantt view.
   
   
   Tip: Before printing, reduce the size of the printable Schedule area by changing the view to Month or Year.
3. In the top-right corner of the toolbar, select Print.
   
4. In the Print settings modal, select a Schedule range option:
   • Complete schedule—Exports the entire schedule.
   • Complete schedule (for all events)—Exports the entire schedule for all events.
   • Visible schedule—Exports the portion of the schedule that is currently visible on your screen.
   • Date range—Exports a schedule from a date range, which you can specify in the calendar fields that appear below this option when selected.
     
     
     Tip: To avoid any problems with the printed file, only include the visible schedule
5. In the Select columns drop-down, click columns you would like to add or remove for the exported document to select or deselect them. Selected columns are highlighted blue.
   
   
   Tip: To avoid any problems with the printed file, only include the columns you need.
6. Select a Rows range option:
   • All rows—Exports all rows of the Project List.
   • Visible rows—Exports all rows of the Project List that are currently visible on your screen.
     
     
     Tip: To avoid any problems with the printed file, only include visible rows.
7. In the Control pagination drop-down, select an option:
   • Multiple pages—Displays information across multiple pages.
   • Multiple pages (vertically)—Displays information on one page, with all of the columns narrowed.
     
8. Select a Paper format option:
   • A5—5.8 x 8.3 inches (148.5 x 210 mm)
   • A4—8.3 x 11.7 inches (210 x 297 mm)
   • Letter—8.5 x 11 inches (216 x 279 mm)
   • Legal—8.5 x 14 inches (216 x 356 mm)
   • A3—11.7 x 16.5 inches (297 x 420 mm)
     
9. Select an Orientation option:
   • Portrait—Vertical
   • Landscape—Horizontal
     
     
     Tip: For PDF exports, selecting Landscape can help prevent columns from getting cut off.
10. Use the arrows to choose a DPI (dots per inch) option. 72 is the default.
    
11. To display the column headers in the file, select the Show header checkbox.
    
12. When you are finished modifying your print options, click Print.
    
13. In the print dialog that appears, modify any options as needed, then print the file.