A printable planner is a PDF your customer prints. A digital planner is a PDF they keep on a tablet and write on with a stylus, tapping tabs to jump between months, weeks and notes pages. The pages can look almost the same. The difference is the links, and getting those right is most of the work.
If you’re building a printable version first, our guide to creating a 2027 printable planner covers layout and page planning. This post focuses on turning it into a hyperlinked digital planner.
How a digital planner works
A digital planner is a regular PDF with internal links. A tab that says “March” is a link to the March page. A date on the monthly view links to that day or week. The customer imports the file into a note-taking app that supports PDF links, then writes on the pages and taps to navigate.
Goodnotes is one of the apps many buyers use. On its public feedback board, the company announced in January 2024 that PDF hyperlinks and digital planners were supported in its Android, Windows and web versions. Some users in that thread reported links that still didn’t work in certain imported files, so test your own planner on the apps you advertise.
Plan the navigation before you design
Sketch the link structure first. A simple, reliable setup looks like this:
- Index or year page linking to each month.
- Side or top tabs on every page, linking to each month and to key sections like Notes or Goals.
- Monthly pages with links to each week (or day, for a daily planner).
- A “home” link on every page that returns to the index.
Every extra link is one more thing to check. A dated yearly planner with daily pages can need thousands of links, so start small. An undated or monthly-plus-weekly planner is much easier to build and test.
Building the links in Canva
Canva’s help center describes how to link an element to another page in the same design:
- Select the element (a tab, button or piece of text).
- Click the More icon on the floating toolbar, then Link.
- Under Pages in this document, choose the page it should jump to.
Canva says links stay clickable when you download the design as a PDF, but not in image or video formats, and not in a flattened PDF. It also notes links on text with effects may not work, so put links on plain text or on a transparent shape laid over the tab.
A tip for repeating tabs
Because the same tab strip appears on every page, design one page with all its linked tabs, then duplicate it. Check that the links survived the duplication before you build out the rest. Fixing a mistake on page 3 is easy; on page 300 it’s a long afternoon.
Design for the screen, not the printer
- Page size: pick a size that fits common tablet screens in landscape or portrait, and keep it consistent across every page.
- Tap targets: make tabs and links large enough to hit with a fingertip or stylus.
- Writing space: leave generous lines and boxes. Handwriting with a stylus is usually larger than with a pen.
- File size: heavy background images on every page make the file slow to open. Keep decoration light.
Test before you sell
Download the PDF and import it into each app you plan to mention in your listing. Tap every tab on a sample of pages, check the home link, and write on a few pages to make sure nothing gets in the way. Note which apps you tested in your product description instead of claiming it works “everywhere.” Repeat the check whenever you update the file, since a single changed page can break the links that point to it.
Package it clearly
- Include a short “How to use this planner” page or PDF that explains importing and tapping links.
- Name files clearly, for example 2027-digital-planner-monday-start.pdf.
- If you offer both printable and digital versions, keep them as separate files so buyers don’t print a page full of tab strips.
- If any graphics or fonts came from a PLR pack or template, check that the license covers selling them inside a finished product.
Sources
Featured image: Photo: StockSnap (CC0)