Not everyone uses Excel. Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice Calc, plain CSV — all are valid spreadsheet sources. All can become PDFs.
Spreadsheet formats and PDF
XLSX / XLS: Excel's native formats. Flint's Excel to PDF handles both. ODS: LibreOffice/OpenOffice format. Convert via the same flow or open in LibreOffice and export. Numbers (.numbers): Apple's format. Export from Numbers as XLSX first, then convert. Google Sheets: download as XLSX (File > Download > xlsx), then convert. CSV: plain comma-separated values; convert via the convert hub.
CSV considerations
CSV is just text with commas. PDFs from CSV look like a basic table — no formatting, no styling. If you want a styled PDF, import the CSV into Excel first, apply formatting, then convert.
For raw data dumps that don't need styling, direct CSV-to-PDF is fine and faster.
ODS and OpenOffice formats
ODS spreadsheets convert via the same Excel-to-PDF flow. Some advanced OpenOffice features may simplify if they don't have direct Excel equivalents.
For critical ODS documents, do a test conversion first and check the output. Most documents pass through cleanly.
Cross-format compatibility
A PDF is a PDF, regardless of source. Once converted, the PDF is universally readable. The original spreadsheet format only matters for the input side of the conversion.
FAQ
Can I convert directly from Google Sheets?
Google Sheets has its own File > Download > PDF option. Alternatively download as XLSX and convert with Flint.
What about Apple Numbers?
Export Numbers to XLSX first, then convert. Numbers also has direct PDF export — File > Export To > PDF.
Does CSV preserve any styling?
No — CSV is plain text. PDF from CSV is unstyled. Format in Excel first if styling matters.
What about TSV (tab-separated)?
Same as CSV — convert via the hub. Tabs are detected as delimiters.
Any spreadsheet format, one PDF target. Convert your spreadsheet to PDF cleanly.