Convert PLAN to PDF

Recipients who do not have the planning application cannot open a .plan project file, while PDF can be viewed, printed, and archived on most devices. Converting also creates a fixed snapshot of a schedule for submission or sharing, but it does not preserve the editable project model.

What the PLAN format is

.plan is primarily the native project-file format of Calligra Plan, the KDE project-management application formerly called KPlato. It can contain tasks, dependencies, resources, calendars, durations, progress, and scheduling information.

The extension is not a universal interchange standard. A .plan file created by another product may require that product's own application or export function and may not open correctly in Calligra Plan. Identify the creating application before choosing conversion software.

What the PDF format is

PDF is a fixed-layout document format that can preserve page geometry, fonts, text, tables, and printed graphics across operating systems when the source application generates the document correctly. It is suitable for emailing schedules, printing Gantt charts, submitting project plans, and retaining read-only records.

A PDF normally contains only the selected visual output. It does not retain editable tasks, dependency logic, resource assignments, calendars, or scheduling calculations.

How to convert PLAN to PDF

For a Calligra Plan file, use Calligra Plan itself rather than a generic office converter.

1. Install Calligra Plan from the official Calligra or KDE distribution, or from a trusted Linux distribution repository. If the file belongs to another application, install that original application instead.
2. Open the file with calligraplan filename.plan, or select File → Open and choose the file.
3. Display the required project view, then set the date range, visible task columns, filters, notes, and report or Gantt layout. Hidden or filtered information may not appear in the output.
4. Use File → Export → PDF if the installed version provides that command. Otherwise select File → Print, choose Print to File or a PDF printer, set PDF as the output format, and specify a filename such as project-plan.pdf.
5. Set paper size, orientation, scale, page range, and print area. Landscape orientation and A3 or another large paper size can improve wide Gantt-chart output.
6. Open the PDF in a viewer and check task names, dates, dependency lines, legends, page breaks, and text size before sending it.

On Linux, the print dialog may provide a PDF device directly. On Windows or macOS, a compatible Calligra Plan installation may be difficult to obtain; in that case, use the original program on a supported system, export or print from a virtual PDF printer, or ask the file creator for a PDF.

Online services such as CloudConvert or Zamzar should be used only if their current format list explicitly supports the exact application that created the file. Native Calligra .plan support is uncommon, and renaming filename.plan to filename.pdf does not convert it. Uploading a project can also disclose schedules, budgets, staffing, or other confidential data; test an approved service with a non-sensitive file and review its retention policy first.

Quality and compatibility limitations

A schedule may be wider than a standard page, so default settings can produce tiny text or split a timeline across many pages. Adjust the visible date range, reduce unnecessary columns, use landscape orientation, choose a larger paper size, and apply scaling that keeps labels readable.

Printing or exporting the current view can omit hidden columns, filtered tasks, notes, resources, or dates outside the selected range. PDF output also freezes the schedule at the export time; later changes to tasks or dependencies require reopening the PLAN file and generating a new PDF.