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Annelie Näs2019-10-13 11:232 min read

7 Easy Ways to Make Your Google Data Studio Reports Look Better

1.Customize canvas size per page

Want different sizes for your canvas? No problem! This can now be controlled in the Layout panel, by overriding the default canvas size set for the report. That way, the canvas size for every page of a report can differ.

This is how you do it, as explained by Google:

  1. Edit your report
  2. Select the Page > Current page settings > Style menu.
  3. Change the Canvas Size option from Auto to your new desired canvas size.
 
 

2. Improved table formatting

Tables, tables, tables. Good old friend. In edit mode, resizing table columns is now made easier. Additionally, you can now left, right or center align the table columns.

 
 

3. Resize columns

As understood, we do love resizing. It just gives us more control! Anyway, a single column can now be resized by clicking and dragging a column divider. Want to resize multiple columns? Sure thing! Just hold the Shift key while you drag a column divider.

And lastly – my favorite! You can now automatically have your columns fit the data, or size all the columns widths equally, by right-clicking a table. To apply the Fit to data option, you can also just double-click on a column divider.

 
 

4. Report editor improvements

Wherever your cursor is positioned, charts will now appear! By clicking, you place the chart at the default size. By using drag-and-draw, naturally, you use a custom size. You all know by now which one we prefer.

On top of that, lines and arrows can now be added to your reports, using the line tool. You can create a variety of line styles, including arrows and connectors.

 
 

5. Line break support in tables

Well hello long URL:s in need of line breaks, you’re now officially Google approved! All you have to do is enable text wrapping, to have the line breaks appear in your table values.

 
 

6. Image drag and drop

This may not change the appearance of your reports, but it does make the making of them that much easier. Finally, you can just drag images from your computer and drop them to your report, wherever you want them. We’ve been waiting for this one, Google!

 
 

7. Easier access to theme colors

Who doesn’t love color consistency? The color picker does now include your theme colors. Oh yes! That means it makes it even easier for you to please the eye, by staying consistent with your color choices.

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Annelie Näs

I’m a high energy redhead (well I’m actually blonde - but no one knows that) from the north of Sweden, who’s always on the run. A true entrepreneur with too much stuff to do. No, wait. Let me correct myself. My problem isn’t that I have too much to do, it’s that I don’t want to do less because I love it all. I just find joy in so many things! What those things have in common is one thing though - change. My goal is to help as many people and companies as possible to view change as something fun, rather than scary. I get there by using data and show results, to prove what an amazing impact small changes can have.

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