Advanced Page Options

The Advanced section of the Create tab contains specific rendering overrides. For the vast majority of standard print jobs, these settings do not need to be adjusted.

Scale Factor (DPI Mode)

Figma operates natively at 72 Pixels Per Inch (PPI). Vector objects and text scale infinitely and perfectly within a PDF, regardless of the canvas PPI. However, complex visual properties inside Figma—specifically drop shadows, inner shadows, layer blurs, and background blurs—must be rasterized (turned into pixel images) when written into the PDF.

By default, Figma rasterizes these effects at the native 72 PPI base resolution. In professional, high-quality printing, 72 PPI rasterization can cause shadows and blurs to appear faintly pixelated or jagged.

The Scale Factor dropdown alters the base resolution math used to generate the Figma frame, artificially forcing the engine to render those rasterized effects at a higher pixel density during export.

• 1.0x (Native Figma): Operates at standard 72 PPI. This is the recommended setting for text-heavy documents, designs using standard imagery, and very large format layouts (where file size constraints become problematic).
• ~2.0x (Scale up to 150ppi): Doubles the pixel dimensions of the generated frame, effectively rendering shadows and blurs at approximately 150 PPI.
• ~4.0x (Scale up to 300ppi): Quadruples the pixel dimensions, providing maximum smoothness for rasterized effects at 300 PPI.

Important Considerations: Increasing the scale factor creates significantly larger Figma frames. Designing at a 4.0x scale requires four times the memory overhead and will exponentially increase the final PDF file weight. Only use higher scale factors if you are actively utilizing heavy shadow or blur effects and demand pristine edge rendering.

Print for Figma does not automatically scale down the PDF dimensions to compensate. If you use a 2.0x scale factor on a US Letter page (8.5 × 11 in), the resulting PDF will be approximately 17 × 22 inches—double the intended size. You are responsible for scaling the document back down to the correct physical dimensions in your print workflow or PDF viewer before sending to print.