Saving, Printing and Sharing a Chart or Report in FTM 2017 for Windows

This article discusses the following:

• Saving a Chart or Report Within Family Tree Maker
• Accessing Saved Charts and Reports
• Saving a Chart as an External File
• Saving a Report as an External File
• Printing Charts and Reports in Family Tree Maker
• Sharing a Chart or Report in Family Tree Maker

Saving a Chart or Report Within Family Tree Maker

Note: If you choose to select a name from the list of existing, previously saved charts/reports, you will overwrite the original saved chart or report. Family Tree Maker will open a warning window to verify that you want to replace the file. Click OK if that is your intent, or click Cancel to enter a different name. If you do not choose a chart/report from the list, Family Tree Maker will add a numerical character after the name to differentiate this document from one that exists with the same name.

1. After you have modified or customized the chart or report to your liking, click the Save chart/report icon in the Chart Options panel located to the right of the Preview window. This opens the Save Chart/Report window.
2. The title of your chart or report will automatically be used as the saved as name in Family Tree Maker. If you would like to change the name, simply type the name you would like it to be saved as in the Chart/Report name field.
3. Click Save.

Accessing Saved Charts and Reports

Note: If you do not see the left panel displayed click the show/hide panel icon, which allows you to open or close the panel.

1. Click Publish on the main toolbar at the top and click the Collection tab if it isn’t already active.
2. Under the Publication Types in the left panel, click Saved Charts or Saved Reports.
3. In the main window double-click the chart or report you would like to open, or select its icon and then click the Open Chart/Report button in the Saved Chart/Report panel on the right.

Saving a Chart as an External File

1. Generate or create the chart you would like to save.
2. In the top-right corner of Family Tree Maker, click the Share button and select one of the following options from the drop-down list.

• Export to PDF: This option exports the chart as a PDF, split over multiple pages. This is helpful because PDFs keep the formatting you selected. This way, if you print your chart or send it to someone, it will remain exactly as you see it on your monitor. You cannot make changes to the PDF within Family Tree Maker, and Adobe Reader is required to view it. Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website by clicking here.
• Export to One Page PDF: This option exports the chart as one page and saves it as a PDF. Use this option if you're creating a poster-sized chart or are going to have your chart printed at a copy store. 
• Export to Image: This option allows you to save the chart as an image file. When you select this option the Save As window will open. You will have several options for the image types. Simply click the Save as type and choose the one you would like. Available image types are listed below.
  • BMP: Bitmap
  • JPG: JPEG
  • PNG: Portable Network Graphic
  • EMF: Enhanced MetaFile. (This option is great for saving very large charts for printing.)

Each format has its own export options you can choose from. After you select a format type, you may be able to choose options such as page borders and text separators. Additionally, if you are using the Export to One Page PDF option in order to print a poster you will want to keep the Images Quality field set to Highest. Once you’ve made your selections, click OK. The Save As window will open.

3. Using the Save As window, depicted above, navigate to the location you would like to save the file to, enter a name for the chart in the File name field, and click Save.

Saving a Report as an External File

1. Generate or create the report you would like to save.
2. In the top-right hand corner of Family Tree Maker, click the Share button and select one of the following options from the drop-down list:

• Export to PDF: This option exports the report as a PDF. This is helpful because PDFs keep the formatting you selected. This way, if you print your report or send it to someone, the report will remain exactly as you see it on your monitor. You cannot make changes to the PDF within Family Tree Maker, and Adobe Reader is required to view it. Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website by clicking here.
• Export to CSV: This option organizes information into fields (comma-separated values) and is intended for importing into spreadsheet programs. Only reports that use column formats can be exported
• Export to RTF: RTF files (Rich Text Files) are based on a basic text file, but can include information such as text style, size, and color. They can also be read by nearly all word-processing software.
• Export to HTML: Selecting this option exports your report in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). This format is the standard language for creating and formatting Web pages.
• Export to Image: This option allows you to save your report as an image file. When you select this option the Save As window will open. You will have several options for the image types. Simply click the Save As type and choose from the drop down list. Available image types are listed below.
  • BMP: Bitmap
  • EMF: Enhanced MetaFile
  • WMF: Windows MetaFile
  • GIF: Graphics Interchange format. (GIF files are limited to 256 colors.)
  • JPG: JPEG file. (This is the most commonly used format.)
  • PNG: Portable Network Graphic
  • TIFF: Tagged Image File Format

Each format has its own export options you can choose from. After you select a format type, you may be able to choose options such as page borders and text separators. Once you’ve made your selections, click OK. The Save As window will open.

3. Using the Save as window, depicted above, navigate to the location you would like to save the file to, enter a name for the report in the File name field, and click Save.

Printing Charts and Reports in Family Tree Maker

1. Access or create the chart or report you would like to print.
2. Click the Print button in the top-right corner of Family Tree Maker.
3. This will open the Print window. Just like printing from any other application on your computer, you can choose the printer, select the number of copies to print and choose the page range.

Sharing a Chart or Report in Family Tree Maker

Note: When you choose to share a chart, the only option in the drop-down list is Send as PDF.

1. Access or create the chart or report you would like to share via email.
2. In the top-right corner of Family Tree Maker, click the Share button and select one of the following options from the drop-down list: Send as PDF, Send as CSV, Send as RTF or Send as Image (definitions for these file types are located in the Saving a Report as an External File section above).
3. Once you have made your selection, the Export Options window will open (unless you have chosen Send as RTF). Change the options as necessary and click OK. The Save As window opens.
4. Choose the location where you would like to save your chart or report and then enter the name in the File name field. Click Save.
5. Your default email program will now open with the chart or report included as an attachment. Send the email according to the email program’s directions.