iA Writer PDF Export Templates & Customization

iA Writer is the gold standard for distraction-free Markdown writing. Its clean fonts, monospaced layout, and syntax highlighting help writers focus entirely on their words. When it comes to publishing, iA Writer offers a powerful HTML-based template engine that compiles your Markdown files into gorgeous, professionally typeset PDFs.

This guide explains how to leverage iA Writer pdf export custom templates, design your own styles using web technologies, and convert your documents on the go.

Exporting PDFs from iA Writer

By default, iA Writer includes several built-in PDF templates like “Creative”, “Academic”, and “Modern”. To export a note:

1. Open your document in iA Writer.
2. Select File > Export > PDF… (or click the Share button on mobile).
3. A preview window will appear. Choose your template from the dropdown menu.
4. Toggle options like page numbers, headers, and document title.
5. Click Export to save the PDF.

How to Create Custom PDF Templates in iA Writer

One of iA Writer’s best features is its support for custom HTML/CSS templates. If you know basic web design, you can build your own layout:

1. Download the developer template packages from the official iA Writer website.
2. An iA Writer template is a folder containing an Info.plist file, an document.html skeleton, and a style.css stylesheet.
3. Edit the CSS file to define layout dimensions, system fonts, line heights, page breaks, and margins. For example:

@media print {
    body {
        font-family: "Georgia", serif;
        font-size: 11pt;
        line-height: 1.5;
    }
    h1 {
        page-break-before: always;
        font-size: 24pt;
    }
}

4. Save your folder with the .iatemplate extension.
5. Double-click the file to install it into iA Writer. It will now appear as an option in your PDF export menu.

The Friction of Designing iA Writer Templates

While custom templates are incredibly powerful, they come with significant drawbacks:

• High Technical Curve: Designing a template requires comfortable knowledge of HTML, CSS, and print-specific CSS rules (like @page page margins and page breaks).
• Platform Inconsistency: Custom templates behave differently on macOS, Windows, and iOS. Transferring templates between devices can break layouts.
• No Live Edit Visualizer: You have to edit the CSS file in an external editor, save it, import it, and check the PDF preview inside iA Writer to see updates. This slow feedback loop makes design adjustments tedious.

A Simpler Browser-Based Alternative

If you love the simplicity of writing in iA Writer but want to skip the complexity of coding .iatemplate files, you can copy your Markdown text and paste it into MarkdownToFile.com.

MarkdownToFile provides a web-based, real-time WYSIWYG editor that converts your raw Markdown text to a beautiful PDF using styled layouts—no HTML/CSS programming required.

Feature	iA Writer Custom Templates	MarkdownToFile.com
Design Framework	HTML & CSS files	Preconfigured document themes
Preview Mode	Static PDF pop-up	Live, interactive page preview
Setup Time	Hours (for coding templates)	Instant (seconds)
Device Syncing	Manual import per device	Web-based (works everywhere)
Cost	Premium application license	100% Free

Using a web tool gives you instant control over margin presets, font scaling, and table formatting. You can easily insert manual page breaks and get a professional layout without touching a single line of CSS.

Ready to format your iA Writer documents? Open the editor, paste your text, and download your styled PDF.