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Zakin Abdul Rahman

Writing is easy, formatting is hard. Validating my idea for a "Raw Text to PDF" tool 📄

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Hi Everyone! 👋

I’m a student and developer, and I noticed that I spend 20% of my time writing reports and 80% of my time fighting with margins, font sizes, and alignment.

To fix this, I’m building a web app called DraftFlow. I’d love your feedback on the core workflow:

  1. Raw Input: You just dump your raw, messy text into the app.

  2. Auto-Canvas: The app switches to a "Canvas Mode" and automatically applies the correct styles (headings, paragraphs, title) based on the document type (e.g., Report vs. Article).

  3. Split Screen AI: On one side, you have your styled doc. On the other, a Multi-Agent Chatbot that helps with grammar, tone, and suggestions without messing up your layout.

  4. Done: One-click download to a perfectly formatted PDF.

I need your help with two questions:

  1. Trust vs. Control: Is "auto-formatting" something you would trust for a final document, or do you prefer manual control over every pixel? I'm trying to decide how much editing power to give the user vs. keeping it fully automated.

  2. The Idea: Please be honest—is this tool actually needed? Is the pain of formatting documents big enough that you would switch to a tool like this?

    Thank you for reading

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Bashiri Abdullahi

Honestly, formatting is the most annoying part of writing for me. I don't care about pixels as long as the document looks clean. If your tool gives consistent, good-looking PDFs, I'd gladly trade control for speed and simplicity.

Zakin Abdul Rahman

@bashiri_abdullahi  It sounds like we are on the same page! The goal is definitely speed and consistency so you can focus on the writing.

I was wondering: if the tool gave you a standard look instantly (perfect for drafts or internal reports), would you be willing to use it even if it didn't have any styling options? Or do you think I should add a feature to choose templates? What do you say?

Sulemna Ola

I really feel this pain. I enjoy writing but formatting always kills my momentum. I'd personally trust auto-formatting if I can tweak small things later. If DraftFlow saves me time and mental energy. I'd happily switch and use it for reports.

Zakin Abdul Rahman

Thanks so much @sulemna_ola , Preserving that writing momentum is the main reason I built this.

you mentioned small tweaking, Would you prefer a 'Light Edit' mode just for final touches like font size or spacing, or do you need to move every pixel yourself? what do you say?

Dickemar Alee

As someone who hates fighting with margins, this idea makes sense to me. I'd prefer smart defaults with light control, not full automation. If the output PDF looks professional without extra effort, I'd definitely give this tool a try.

Zakin Abdul Rahman

Appreciate the feedback, @dick_carville! 'Smart Defaults with light control' is exactly the goal.

Quick question: when you say "professional," are you usually writing academic papers or business reports? I want to make sure the default style fits your needs.