Exporting figures
Open Export → Figure, choose a format from the menu (Vector: SVG, SVG for Office, PDF and, on Windows, EMF for Office; Raster: PNG), then click the export button (for example Export SVG…) and choose a destination. File export includes the whole drawing. Copy image uses the selected objects, or the whole drawing when nothing is selected.
| Format | Output |
|---|---|
| Vector artwork at the drawing’s physical publication size. | |
| SVG | Vector artwork for illustration and layout applications. Text remains text. |
| SVG for Office | Physical-size SVG for Word and PowerPoint. Text becomes outlines, so labels stay in place. |
| PNG | An opaque image, normally at 1200 dpi, with physical resolution metadata. |
| EMF for Office (Windows) | Vector picture for Microsoft Office at the drawing’s physical size. Text becomes vector outlines. |
File exports in all formats include the document’s canvas colors and background. Copy image instead uses a transparent background, preserving the visible ink for slides and other documents. Canvas: Dark exports white bonds and labels on black paper; View → Interface changes only the surrounding UI.
Canvas zoom, rulers, grid and crosshair do not affect the exported figure. Export pages as PDF uses an explicitly configured publication layout; ordinary figure export crops to the artwork. See publication pages.
EMF pictures for Office on Windows
Section titled “EMF pictures for Office on Windows”Choose EMF for Office, export the file, then insert it as a picture in Word, PowerPoint or Excel. Bonds, shapes and outlined text retain vector quality and the figure’s physical publication size. File dimensions do not depend on the recording display; intrinsic picture bounds can round outward by up to 0.02 mm. Existing raster pictures remain raster pictures. EMF+ readers preserve their transparency; older readers using only the GDI fallback can make raster transparency opaque. The file contains the whole drawing, cropped to its artwork, including the canvas background. It does not contain an editable ReShiki document; keep the .rsk original separately.
EMF file export is available on Windows only and supports figures up to 40 inches in either dimension. Use PDF or SVG for larger drawings. On Windows, you can also import EMF pictures; see pictures. This option does not change SVG file export or the transparent editable Office clipboard workflow.
EMF output examples and verification.
Large PNG drawings
Section titled “Large PNG drawings”Large drawings, including the complete shortcut gallery, may exceed the image memory limit at 1200 dpi. File export automatically chooses the highest resolution that fits, from 1200, 600, 300, 150, 96 and 72 dpi, with a limit of 80 million pixels. This changes pixel density, not the physical dimensions, drawing content or native document.
The saved-file status reports the actual width, height and DPI. Use SVG or PDF if you need vector quality at any magnification. Exceptionally large drawings that exceed the limit even at 72 dpi still require a vector format. Clipboard PNG images retain their fixed 1200-dpi sizing and can be omitted for an oversized drawing; see clipboard support.
Drawings with unresolved chemistry
Section titled “Drawings with unresolved chemistry”Molecular analysis and figure rendering have different requirements. A visible aromatic ring, variable group or unfinished structure can be drawn even when the chemistry engine cannot assign a molecular identity.
Figure export refreshes computed labels when possible. If chemistry analysis fails, it exports the existing drawing and shows a review notice after saving. It does not infer a charge, replace aromatic bonds, remove objects or modify the open document. Invalid drawing geometry or references still prevent export. Chemical data exports such as SMILES and InChI retain their own validation requirements.