Designing a print-friendly survey | Civio Engage Knowledge Base [ ![Civio Knowledge Base](/civio-light.svg) ](https://nginx.deploy-lagoon-production.civio-engage-docs.dh1.amazee.io) [Articles](/articles) [Releases](/releases) [Home](/) [Knowledge base](/articles) [πŸ—³οΈ Participation tools](/articles?category=13) Designing a print-friendly survey ================================= Updated 1 month ago Search Go Civio Engage lets you [print a clean copy of any survey](/articles/9182830898191-Create-and-edit-a-survey) straight from the admin interface, so you can distribute paper copies for hybrid or offline engagement. Because the print feature renders the same survey your participants see online, a few question types and settings translate to paper better than others. This article walks through how to set up a survey that prints well, what to avoid, and how to add small instructions that make borderline question types work on paper. Multi-page surveys do not print well β€” only the first page will appear in the print output. We strongly recommend keeping a printable survey to a single page in the survey builder. How to print a survey --------------------- 1. Open the survey from the admin interface. 2. Click the **More…** dropdown at the top of the survey page. 3. Select **Print**. Your browser's native print dialog will open. 4. Choose your printer (or "Save as PDF") and print. ![](https://engage.knowledge.civ.io/storage/UdEg5uaOEnTCn4UBDm3R0YZSldSrDMMCRPuqc55y.png) Question types recommended for print ------------------------------------ These question types print clearly and can be filled in with a pen without any extra instructions: - **Short text, Long text, Email, Phone, URL, Number input** β€” these all print as an empty field that respondents can write into. - **Radios** β€” each option prints with a tickable circle next to its label. - **Checkboxes** β€” each option prints with a tickable square next to its label, including the optional "Other" field. - **Likert scale** β€” prints as a table with statements down the left and tickable options across the top. The header repeats if the table spans multiple pages. - **Rich Content** β€” static text and images print as normal. Useful for adding instructions, a closing message, or contact details in the middle or at the end of the survey. Question types that need a description to work on paper ------------------------------------------------------- These question types *can* work on paper, but only if you add clear written instructions in the question's **Description**. The description always prints right next to the question, so it's the best place to tell respondents what to do. - **Media selector** β€” images print, but the "selected" state isn't visible on paper. Tell respondents to mark the image directly with a pen. - **Date only / Date and time / Time** β€” these print as an empty field, but the format isn't shown. Specify the format you want (e.g. `DD/MM/YYYY`). - **Rank** β€” prints as a list of options with no numeric column or boxes. Tell respondents to write a number beside each row. - **Checkboxes with a minimum or maximum** β€” the rule ("select at least 2", "select no more than 3") isn't visible on paper. Restate the rule in the description. - **Rating** β€” works on paper if the icon font renders, but the scale direction isn't always obvious. A short instruction removes any ambiguity. See [Description templates](#description-templates) below for copy-paste wording for each of these. Question types to avoid for print --------------------------------- These question types do not print in a way that can be answered on paper. Replace them with a print-friendly alternative before you print: - **Dropdown** β€” the option list is hidden until clicked, so the printed survey shows an empty box with no choices. Replace with **Radios** (single-select) or **Checkboxes** (multi-select). - **Number slider** β€” prints as an empty horizontal line with no scale, no thumb, and no min/max labels. Replace with a **Number input**, **Rating**, or **Radios**. - **Upload** and **Image** (file upload question types) β€” there is no way to attach a file to paper. Remove these from the print version, or replace with a **Long text** question asking the respondent to describe what they would have attached. If your live survey already uses dropdowns or sliders, consider [cloning the survey](/articles/10176895358735-Cloning-tools) first and switching the offending question types in the printable copy, so your online version is unaffected. Survey-level settings to watch ------------------------------ A few survey-wide behaviours also need attention before you print. ### Keep the survey to a single page Multi-page surveys (built using **Add page**) only print the first page. For longer surveys the printed version will split out into multiple automatically with appropriate page breaks so no question is split between two pages. ### Disable conditional logic for print Questions hidden by **conditional visibility** (the *If field name / Condition / Value* block on a question) are not included in the printed output. If your survey uses branching, either set those questions to always show before printing, or create a clone of the survey without conditional logic for the printable run. ### Put completion instructions in the Introduction text The on-screen confirmation message that respondents see after submitting a survey does not appear in the printed copy. Anything important for paper respondents to know β€” return address, drop-off location, deadline, contact details β€” should go in the survey's **Introduction text**, or in a **Rich Content** block at the end of the questions. ### Required fields aren't enforced on paper The "Required" badge prints next to required questions, but enforcement only happens when the survey is submitted online. Paper respondents can leave anything blank, so plan for the possibility of incomplete responses when you transcribe them into the platform later. Description templates --------------------- Copy these into the **Description** field of the relevant question and replace the placeholders with your own values. ### Media selector Multi-select with a maximum: Tick the box on each of the images you'd choose. You can choose up to **{max}**. Single-select: Place an X over the one image you prefer. ### Checkboxes with a minimum or maximum Tick at least **{min}** and no more than **{max}** boxes. (Use one or both of *at least* and *no more than* depending on which limits your question has.) ### Rank Rank the options below by writing a number from **1** (most preferred) to **{N}** (least preferred) on the line beside each option. Use each number once. ### Date and time fields Date only: Write the date in the format **DD/MM/YYYY** (e.g. 21/05/2026). Date and time: Write the date and time in the format **DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM** using 24-hour time (e.g. 21/05/2026 14:30). Time only: Write the time using 24-hour format **HH:MM** (e.g. 09:00, 17:30). ### Rating Circle a number from **1** (lowest) to **{max}** (highest). ### "Other" option (Radios or Checkboxes) If your answer isn't listed, tick **Other** and write your answer on the line. Related articles ---------------- - [Create and edit a survey](/articles/9182830898191-Create-and-edit-a-survey) - [Survey question types](/articles/9183021959439-Survey-question-types) - [When to use which survey question type](/articles/9183117053839-When-to-use-which-survey-question-type) [ Back to articles ](/articles) Table of contents ----------------- Β© 2026 [Civio](https://civ.io) [Privacy Policy](/articles/privacy-policy) [Terms of Use](/articles/terms-of-use)