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Easy way to import PDF to Figma?

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Q:

We have a lot of PDFs that our team needs to design in Figma. Is there an easy way to import PDF files into Figma?

Issue

The client is looking for an efficient and simple way to import PDF documents into their designs in Figma.

Easy way to import PDF to Figma?

Yes, there are several ways you can do this!

Here’s some insight into a couple methods you can try to quickly and easily get those PDFs imported into your design projects within Figma.

Using the Figma UI

We wish… Figma would provide an easy way to import PDFs into a design… something that makes it so all you have to do is go to File > Import, then select the PDF file. Maybe you could also drag and drop a PDF directly in Figma’s canvas… Once imported, depending on how you made the original PDF, maybe you could be able to use any of the vector editing tools available in Figma.

We wish… unfortunately, Figma does not provide us with a native way of importing a PDF file into Figma. The Figma team has confirmed with us that the solution is literally in the works, but is somewhat dependent on the unity with Adobe to enable the functionality… so, for now, we wait for a true solution.

Until this comes to fruition, we have found several workarounds that can be helpful, but not as useful as a native import functionality would be. So, if your looking for a method to import PDF to Figma, this information should be really useful for you!

Several viable methods for importing and converting PDFs in Figma:

  • Import PDFs Using a Plugin
  • Convert the PDF Before Import
  • Hire a designer to recreate a PDF in Figma
  • Use a Conversion Service to Convert a PDF into Figma

Figma Plugins to Import PDFs

Maybe not our first choice, but one of the more straightforward ways to import a PDF into Figma is by using a plugin within Figma.

There are a couple plugins for Figma than will enable you to easily import and export PDF files directly into your designs within seconds.

The PDF to Figma plugin enables quick and straightforward drag-and-drop importing of PDF files directly into Figma!

This plugin will insert PDF files as images, up to 4080x4080px, one image per page.

Convert PDF, then Import

When looking for a tool or plugin to convert PDFs to images, there are many options available. Using one of many online tools to convert PDFs to images, you can quickly change your PDF format file for a JPEG, PNG, or other image file format that can more easily be imported in Figma.

Depending on the size, complexity and other requirements of the resulting import, there are many tools available online for converting PDFs to images.

Adobe Acrobat Pro, CloudConvert and SmallPDF are some of the most popular solutions used by professionals. It’s important to find one that fits your specific needs in order to achieve the desired results from converting PDFs into image files.

Hire a designer to convert your PDF in Figma

If you’re short on time and need the PDFs in Figma quickly, you could always hire a designer to recreate them for you.

This can be a useful solution if there are certain elements that require manual work or specific design details that wouldn’t necessarily be possible with a conversion tool. A professional designer should also know how to utilize Figma’s native vector tools in order to get your PDF looking just as it did before!

Use a Conversion Service to Convert the PDF into Figma

There are a lot of services available that do the PDF to Figma conversion work for you. This can be a great option if you don’t have the time or resources to manually convert it yourself, and need something done quickly.

This type of service can provide professional level conversions using advanced conversion engines, which usually consists of AI technology and experienced designers. They can take your existing design in any format (PDF, Photoshop, Sketch etc.) and turn it into clean vector assets in Figma without manual effort on your team’s part.

Colorful modern graphic, text reads: "Convert and Import PDF files into Figma!"

Magicul PDF to Figma is another company which specializes in converting PDFs into Figma. They have a conversion process that can accurately transform vector graphics from PDF files into native Figma objects, thus maintaining the original quality.

Check out magicul’s PDF conversion solution >

Next steps for Importing a PDF in Figma

No matter which solution you go for, we hope this information brings insight into the many possible ways you can import your PDF into Figma and get back to work. Though there aren’t a lot of perfect methods, we hope this insight can help you achieve the results you have in mind.

We will continue to update this Support post with any updates from the Figma team as they further develop the native functionality to import PDFs in Figma. We think the solution should be available by the end of 2023, but again, is relatively dependent on the Adobe / Figma integration to settle. Hopefully, the native solution is as well-implemented as Figma export to PDF functionality.

These are just a few methods you can try to quickly and easily get your PDFs imported into Figma. We hope this helps you understand the different options available for getting PDFs into your designs within Figma, as well as which one might be best suited to your particular project!

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