Page Layout Editor

The Page Layout Editor (formerly Drawing Sheet Editor) is a specialized tool for creating and editing title blocks, borders, and drawing sheet templates used in schematics and PCB layouts.

Overview

The Page Layout Editor allows you to:

Design custom title blocks with company branding
Create border decorations and frames
Add dynamic text fields that update automatically
Define different layouts for various page sizes
Share templates across projects
Comply with drawing standards (ANSI, ISO, etc.)

What are Drawing Sheets?

Drawing sheets are templates that appear around your schematic or PCB design, containing title block information, revision history, and page borders

Drawing sheets include:

Border frames: Decorative or functional borders
Title block: Project metadata area
Text fields: Dynamic information (date, filename, etc.)
Graphics: Logos, lines, rectangles
Grid marks: Page subdivision markers

Interface Layout

Main Canvas

The design area shows:

Page outline: Represents standard paper sizes
Working area: Inside the margins
Grid: For precise alignment
Origin marker: Coordinate reference

Coordinate System

Origin Selection

Choose reference corner:

Top Left: Standard for most designs
Top Right: Right-aligned elements
Bottom Left: Bottom title blocks
Bottom Right: Classic title block position (most common)

Page Number

Preview for different pages:

Page 1: Typically has more info
Page n: Subsequent pages may have abbreviated title block

Drawing Elements

Lines

Select Line Tool

Click “Place Line” or press L

Draw Line

Click start point
Click end point
Press ESC when done

Set Properties

Line width/thickness
Start/end coordinates
Repeat count (for parallel lines)
Increment spacing

Repeat Feature:

Lines can be repeated with spacing to create grids or hash marks

Example: Create grid marks

Line properties:
  Start: (0, 0)
  End: (0, 5mm)
  Repeat X: 10 times
  Increment X: 20mm
  
Result: 10 vertical grid marks, 20mm apart

Rectangles

Rectangle tool for boxes and borders:

Define by corner points
Adjustable line width
Can be filled or outline only
Repeat in X and Y directions

Text Fields

Static Text

Fixed labels that don’t change:

“Title:”, “Date:”, “Rev:”
Company name
Department
Drawing standard reference

Dynamic Text

Variables that auto-update:

${FILENAME}: Current file name
${SHEETNAME}: Sheet title
${SHEETPATH}: Hierarchical path
${PAPER}: Page size (A4, Letter, etc.)
${REVISION}: Project revision
${DATE}: Current date
${COMPANY}: Company from project
${COMMENT1} - ${COMMENT9}: Custom fields
${TITLE}: Drawing title
${#}: Sheet number
${##}: Total sheet count

Text Properties:

Font size
Bold, italic
Justification (left, center, right)
Position and rotation
Increment repeat for numbering

Bitmap Images

Insert company logos or graphical elements

Prepare Image

PNG, JPG, or BMP format
Reasonable resolution (not too large)
Transparent background recommended

Place Bitmap

Click “Place Bitmap” tool

Load Image

Browse to image file

Set Size and Position

Scale in DPI or physical size
Position on page
Typically in title block corner

Use vector graphics converted to bitmap for best quality at any size

Properties Panel

Edit selected object properties:

Position

X and Y coordinates
Reference corner
Rotation angle

Appearance

Line width/thickness
Text size and font
Color (if applicable)

Repeat

Repeat count in X, Y
Increment spacing
Useful for grids

Options

Visibility on page 1 vs page n
Text content
Image file path

Creating a Title Block

Standard Title Block Layout

Typical Title Block (bottom right corner)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  [Company Logo]      │  Title: ${TITLE}     │
│                      │  Date: ${DATE}       │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤
│  Drawn: ${COMMENT1}  │  Sheet: ${#} / ${##} │
│  Checked: ${COMMENT2}│  Rev: ${REVISION}    │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤  
│  File: ${FILENAME}   │  Size: ${PAPER}      │
└──────────────────────┴──────────────────────┘

Step-by-Step Creation

Set Origin

Select “Bottom Right” as coordinate origin

Draw Outer Border

Rectangle tool:

Start: (-200mm, -50mm)
End: (0, 0)
Forms title block outline

Add Subdivisions

Draw internal lines to create cells:

Horizontal dividers
Vertical dividers
Form grid of fields

Add Labels

Place static text for field names:

“Title:”
“Date:”
“Revision:”
etc.

Add Dynamic Fields

Place text with variables:

${TITLE} next to “Title:”
${DATE} next to “Date:”
${#}/${##} for page numbers

Add Logo

Insert company logo bitmap in corner

Page Size Support

Standard Sizes

Drawing sheets scale to different paper sizes:

ISO Sizes
ANSI Sizes

A5: 148 × 210 mm
A4: 210 × 297 mm (most common)
A3: 297 × 420 mm
A2: 420 × 594 mm
A1: 594 × 841 mm
A0: 841 × 1189 mm

Design for A4/Letter, then test on other sizes to ensure scaling works

Page 1 vs Page n

Different content can appear on first page vs subsequent pages

Common Pattern:

Page 1: Full title block with all details
Page n: Abbreviated block with just essential info

Implementation:

Create full title block elements
Select elements for page 1 only
Set property: “Show on page 1 only”
Create simpler elements for page n
Set property: “Show on page n only”

File Format

.kicad_wks Files

Drawing sheets are stored in a text-based format

Location:

Project-specific: project_name.kicad_wks
Global template: In KiCad template directories
Default: Built into KiCad if no custom file

File Structure (simplified):

(page_layout
  (setup
    (textsize 1.5 1.5)
    (linewidth 0.15)
  )
  (rect
    (start -50 -30)
    (end 0 0)
    (linewidth 0.35)
  )
  (text "Title:"
    (pos -45 -25)
    (size 2.5 2.5)
  )
  (text "${TITLE}"
    (pos -30 -25)
    (size 2.5 2.5)
  )
)

Using Custom Drawing Sheets

In Schematic Editor

Open Page Settings

File → Page Settings

Browse for Template

Click “Browse” next to Drawing Sheet

Select File

Choose your .kicad_wks file

Update Fields

Fill in Title, Revision, Comments, etc.

In PCB Editor

Same process as schematic:

File → Page Settings
Load drawing sheet template
Fill in metadata fields

Set as Default

Make a template the default for new projects

Method 1: Environment Variable

KICAD_WKS_FILE=/path/to/template.kicad_wks

Method 2: Project Settings

Place .kicad_wks in project directory
Reference in project file

Text Variables Reference

Standard Variables

Variable	Description	Example
`${FILENAME}`	Current file name	power_supply.kicad_sch
`${SHEETNAME}`	Sheet title	Power Supply
`${PAPER}`	Page size	A4
`${#}`	Current sheet number	3
`${##}`	Total sheets	8
`${REVISION}`	Project revision	1.2
`${DATE}`	Current date	2024-01-15
`${TITLE}`	Project title	USB Power Module
`${COMPANY}`	Company name	ACME Electronics
`${COMMENT1}`-`${COMMENT9}`	Custom fields	Engineer: J. Smith

Custom Text Variables

Define custom variables in Preferences → Configure Paths

Example custom variables:

${PROJECT_NUMBER}: Internal project code
${CUSTOMER}: Client name
${APPROVED_BY}: Approver name

Advanced Features

Incremental Repeat

Grid Generation

Create reference grids automatically:

Place one line
Set repeat count: 10
Set X increment: 25mm
Result: 10 evenly spaced lines

Numbering Sequences

Auto-increment text:

Text: “A”
Repeat Y: 5
Increment: +1 letter
Result: A, B, C, D, E (vertical)

Multi-Line Text

Use \n for line breaks:

${COMMENT1}\n${COMMENT2}\n${COMMENT3}

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Place Line	`L`
Place Rectangle	`R`
Place Text	`T`
Place Bitmap	`I`
Edit Properties	`E`
Move	`M`
Rotate	`R`
Delete	`Del`
Zoom In/Out	`+` / `-`
Zoom Fit	`Home`
Grid Next	`N`

Example Templates

Minimal Title Block

Simple corner block:
┌─────────────────────┐
│ Title: ${TITLE}     │
│ ${#} / ${##}        │  
└─────────────────────┘

Full Engineering Title Block

Comprehensive block with all fields:
┌────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬────────┐
│ [LOGO] │ ${COMPANY}   │ Title:       │ Size:  │
│        │              │ ${TITLE}     │${PAPER}│
├────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────┤
│ Drawn: │ Date:        │ Revision:    │ Sheet: │  
│${CMT1} │ ${DATE}      │ ${REVISION}  │${#}/${##}│
├────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼────────┤
│Checked:│ Approved:    │ File:        │        │
│${CMT2} │ ${CMT3}      │ ${FILENAME}  │        │
└────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴────────┘

Best Practices

Test on Multiple Sizes: Verify template looks good on A4, A3, Letter, etc.

Use Variables: Dynamic fields update automatically, reducing errors

Keep it Simple: Overly complex title blocks can be distracting

Company Standards: Follow your company’s drawing standards and templates

Logo Size: Keep bitmap files reasonable size to avoid performance issues

Troubleshooting

Variables Not Updating

Check Project Settings

Ensure fields are filled in:

File → Page Settings
Enter Title, Revision, Comments

Verify Syntax

Variables use: ${VARIABLE_NAME}

Case sensitive
Must be exact match

Template Not Loading

Check file path is correct
Verify .kicad_wks extension
Ensure file is valid format
Try absolute path vs relative

Schematic Editor

Use drawing sheets in schematics

PCB Editor

Apply templates to PCB layouts

Project Settings

Configure project metadata

Templates

Project template creation

Getting Started

Core Applications

Design Workflow

Advanced Features

​Overview

​What are Drawing Sheets?

​Interface Layout

​Main Canvas

​Coordinate System

​Toolbar Functions

​Drawing Elements

​Lines

​Rectangles

​Text Fields

​Bitmap Images

​Properties Panel

Position

Appearance

Repeat

Options

​Creating a Title Block

​Standard Title Block Layout

​Step-by-Step Creation

​Page Size Support

​Standard Sizes

​Page 1 vs Page n

​File Format

​.kicad_wks Files

​Using Custom Drawing Sheets

​In Schematic Editor

​In PCB Editor

​Set as Default

​Text Variables Reference

​Standard Variables

​Custom Text Variables

​Advanced Features

​Incremental Repeat

​Multi-Line Text

​Keyboard Shortcuts

​Example Templates

​Minimal Title Block

​Full Engineering Title Block

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Variables Not Updating

​Template Not Loading

​Related Topics

Schematic Editor

PCB Editor

Project Settings

Templates

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

What are Drawing Sheets?

Interface Layout

Main Canvas

Coordinate System

Toolbar Functions

Drawing Elements

Lines

Rectangles

Text Fields

Bitmap Images

Properties Panel

Creating a Title Block

Standard Title Block Layout

Step-by-Step Creation

Page Size Support

Standard Sizes

Page 1 vs Page n

File Format

.kicad_wks Files

Using Custom Drawing Sheets

In Schematic Editor

In PCB Editor

Set as Default

Text Variables Reference

Standard Variables

Custom Text Variables

Advanced Features

Incremental Repeat

Multi-Line Text

Keyboard Shortcuts

Example Templates

Minimal Title Block

Full Engineering Title Block

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Variables Not Updating

Template Not Loading

Related Topics