Compass exports guides in two ways: PDF download (for archival, printing, or attaching to a quote) and Email Campaign (handed off to the Marketing app, which builds and sends the email). Both are available from the guide editor and from the public guide page.
PDF download
Every published guide has a "Download PDF" button on its public page. Staff can also export any guide they can view — draft, team-only, or private — from the admin editor.
The PDF includes a branded cover with your organization's primary color, the guide title and description, author name, categories, and last-updated date. Body content renders with the same callouts, columns, lists, and tables as the web version. Page size is US Letter with 18mm top/bottom and 14mm left/right margins.
Videos and map embeds are replaced with a short placeholder line directing the reader to the online guide — those can't play in a printed document.
When a social-media scraper (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Slack, Discord, iMessage) fetches the PDF URL, the system returns an HTML preview page with the cover image and title meta tags instead of the binary PDF. Anyone who clicks the link in their browser still gets the actual PDF.
Email Campaign — sending a guide via Marketing
If your organization is subscribed to the Marketing app, the admin editor shows an "Email Campaign" button on any published, public guide. Clicking it creates a draft campaign in Marketing using the guide's title, cover image, and link — and opens the Marketing campaign editor in a new tab where you can review, edit, and schedule the send.
You choose a mode at handoff: Teaser (short preview + link), Full (the whole guide rendered as the email body), or Hybrid. You can also set an optional intro and override the email subject before handing off.
Compass does not send the email itself. Everything from contact list to scheduling to deliverability happens in the Marketing app. The guide becomes the campaign's content; Marketing handles sending.
Copy public link
A "Copy public link" button in the editor copies the guide's canonical public URL to the clipboard. Useful for pasting into Slack, an email draft, or a quote document. This is just a URL copy — not an email or PDF export.
What is not available
There is no "email-safe HTML export" button that produces a standalone HTML file. To send a guide by email, use the Email Campaign handoff to Marketing.
Compass does not send email directly. All email flows route through the Marketing app.
PDFs are not password-protected.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don't see the Email Campaign button — why?
It only appears when your organization is subscribed to the Marketing app AND the guide is currently Published with Public visibility. Unsubscribed organizations see an "Add Marketing" upgrade prompt in the same spot.
Can I customize the PDF layout?
Not from the admin UI. The PDF stylesheet is shared across the platform. Brand color and your organization's name carry through automatically; layout is fixed.
Why does the PDF show a placeholder where my video should be?
Videos can't play in a printed document, so the PDF renderer substitutes a "watch online" placeholder. The video is still on the live web guide.
Will Facebook show the cover image when I share the PDF link?
Yes. The PDF URL detects social scrapers and returns a preview page with the cover image as the og:image, so shared links render with a rich preview. Visitors who click through get the actual PDF.
Related guides
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How to get the most search-engine and AI-assistant visibility out of your Compass resource center — the exact settings to turn on, and how to write guides that get found and cited.
New: The Promotion Guide Type
Turn a limited-time deal into a shareable, trackable page — and, with one click, a draft email campaign in Marketing. A walkthrough of the new Promotion guide type, with examples.
Compass Categories
Organize guides into top-level categories and subcategories. Used for filtering in the admin guide list and the public resource center.