Extending Office PDF Export
Article• 11/26/2024
Summary: Create a COM add-in for Office 2024, Office LTSC 2024, and Microsoft 365
Version 2408 and later applications with your own logic for exporting to PDF format. The
technique described requires knowledge of C++ and COM.
Applies to: Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, Publisher, Visio, and Word in Office 2024, Office
LTSC 2024, Microsoft 365 Version 2408 and later.
This article explains how third-party software developers can hook in to the fixed-format
export feature available in the Office 2024, Office LTSC 2024, Microsoft 365 Version 2408
and later applications so that they can add their own exporter.
The applications include built in exporters for Microsoft XML Paper Specification (XPS)
and Portable Document Format (PDF). Fixed-file formats expose the content of a
document in a paginated form that is both application-independent and platform-
independent.
Software developers can add their own exporter, by writing an Office add-in that
implements the IMsoDocExporter COM interface. This article describes
IMsoDocExporter and its interaction with a hosting Microsoft 365 application, such as
Word.
Fixed-format export has been available since the Office 2007 release, and this article
includes information on the features that are new in the Office 2024, Office LTSC 2024,
Microsoft 365 Version 2408 releases.
Important
The fixed-format export feature is available in all the applications listed in the preceding Applies
to section. However, the discussion below uses Publisher as an example application, except in
those cases where an explanation is more relevant to a different application.
Introduction to the Office (2024) Fixed-Format
Export Feature
ﾉ Expand table
Initializing Add-Ins