title: Exporting to PDF category: Sharing description: PDF, PNG, and LaTeX export — what each format keeps and what it loses. order: 5
Exporting to PDF
Share links are great for the web, but sometimes you need a file. Ostrol exports every solution to three formats. Each has trade-offs.
The best general-purpose export. Math is rendered as crisp vector text that stays sharp at any zoom level, and the layout matches what you see on screen.
Use PDF when:
- Printing the solution
- Attaching to email or to an LMS assignment
- Archiving — PDFs render the same way ten years from now
To export, open a solution and choose Export → PDF. The file lands in your Downloads folder; we don't keep a copy.
PNG
A single rendered image. Each step is laid out on a long canvas, so the file is taller than it is wide. PNG is convenient for chat apps and slide decks — most tools paste images cleanly but won't render a PDF inline.
Trade-offs: rasterized, so zooming in shows pixels. Math is no longer selectable text.
LaTeX (.tex)
The raw source. Every step is wrapped in proper align or equation environments, with all your variables and unit annotations preserved. You can drop the file directly into Overleaf, paste it into a thesis, or further edit it locally.
Use LaTeX when:
- Writing a homework set or paper
- Customizing the typesetting yourself
- Pasting individual equations into another document
Bulk export
On the Pro plan, you can select multiple solves from your history and export them in one zip — useful for end-of-term archives. See Plans and pricing for what each tier includes.
What's never included
We never embed your account information, IP address, or session token in an exported file. The file contains the math, the rendered steps, the verification badge, and the date of the solve — nothing else.
To bring a problem back into Ostrol for editing, just paste the LaTeX into the editor on the home page.
Couldn't find what you need? Email us.