Steps
- Open the file. Go to stillpub.com/app, click Open .pub file, choose the file. It opens as pages you can scroll through.
- Check it. A conversion report appears if anything did not come across. Page through the document. Because it is fully editable, you can fix a stray text box or swap a picture before you export.
- Export PDF. Click the File tab, then Export PDF. Pick a place to save. Done.
What the PDF contains
- The real page size. Letter, half-letter, A4, custom sizes: whatever the .pub file used.
- Fonts and substitutions. stillPUB embeds the bundled fonts it can use. PDF export substitutes Carlito for Calibri, Caladea for Cambria, and Liberation faces for Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New. Other unavailable fonts can fall back to a standard PDF font; the export report names substitutions and fallbacks. Check the PDF before printing.
- Pictures as pictures. Photos and logos are placed in the PDF as images, not as a screenshot of the page.
- Working links. Web addresses in the document become clickable.
Before you send it to a printer: open the export report. It names detected font substitutions and export approximations. An empty report does not guarantee visual fidelity. Check the exported pages before printing, and see the Publisher compatibility guide for import limits.
Online converters, compared honestly
Search for "pub to pdf" and you will find a page of free converters. Check the result against the original, whichever service you choose. The differences worth knowing:
| stillPUB | Upload-based conversion service | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the conversion runs | In your browser, on your computer | On their server |
| Is the file uploaded | No | Depends on the service and its retention policy |
| Can you fix things first | Yes, the document is editable | No, it is a one-shot conversion |
| Told what did not convert | Yes, a named report | Varies by service |
| Other outputs | JPG, PNG, print, editable .stillpub | Varies |
| Price | Free | Free with limits, paid tiers |
This describes workflow differences, not a benchmark of every service. Read the current terms of the service you choose.
If you still have Publisher
If a bought copy of Publisher is still installed, it converts to PDF with File, Save As, PDF. Microsoft began removing Microsoft 365 copies on October 1, 2026, so if yours still opens, save the PDFs now; perpetual copies still run, unsupported since October 13. That is Microsoft's official advice and it is a good idea for every file you only need to read. For the files you need to keep editing, a PDF is a dead end, which is what opening the .pub file directly is for.
Need pictures instead of a PDF?
File, Export page images saves the current page, a range, or every page as JPG or PNG at 96, 150 or 300 dpi. One page downloads as an image; several arrive as a ZIP. That is the route for posting a bulletin on a website or a flyer on social media.