Documentation

Introduction

Welcome to the PDFNode, a powerful and easy-to-use service that allows you to generate high-quality PDFs from HTML content.

Whether you need to create invoices, reports, or printable web pages, our API provides a seamless way to convert your HTML into professional PDFs.

Quick Start

To start using the PDFNode, follow these steps:

1. Get Your API Key

2. Send a Request

Make a POST request to our API endpoint /api/convert with your HTML content

const pdf = await axios('https://pdfnode.com/api/convert', {
  method: 'POST',
  data: {
    api_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    html: '<html><body><h1>First converted PDF!</h1></body></html>'
  }
})

Instead of html, you can pass in an url of a website: url: 'https://wikipedia.org'

Test Mode

Test mode allows you to try out the PDF conversion process without consuming your usage quota.

When the test parameter is set to true, the generated PDF will include a watermark indicating that it was created in test mode.

const pdf = await axios('https://pdfnode.com/api/convert', {
  method: 'POST',
  data: {
    api_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    html: '<html><body><h1>PDF with test watermark</h1></body></html>'
    test: true
  }
})

Parameters

The following table outlines the parameters that can be included in a conversion request.

PARAMETER	TYPE	DEFAULT	DESCRIPTION
api_key	string		A required key used for authentication. This key verifies the user's access to the API and must be included in every request. You can retrieve your API key from the dashboard
html	string		Raw HTML content to convert to PDF. Either `html` or `url` must be provided, but not both.
url	string		A valid URL pointing to a webpage to convert to PDF. Either `html` or `url` must be provided, but not both.
test	boolean		If `true`, a watermark will be applied to the generated PDF, but it will not count towards your used conversions. Ideal for testing purposes.
range	{ from: number, to: number }		Page range to include in the PDF, `from` and `to` must be integers starting from 1, and `from` must be less than `to`.
single_page	boolean		If `true`, all content will be rendered on a single page.
landscape	boolean		If `true`, the PDF will be generated in landscape mode.
print_background	boolean		If `true`, prints background graphics in the PDF.
scale	number	1	Scaling factor for the pages. Must be between `0.1` and `2`.
format	stringor{ width: number, height: number }	"A4"	Format of the pages. Can be a predefined string or custom dimensions in inches. Supported formats include: Standard formats: `Letter`, `Legal`, `Tabloid`, `Ledger` International sizes: `A0`, `A1`, `A2`, `A3`, `A4`, `A5`, `A6` Alternatively, you can provide custom dimensions as an object with `width` and `height` in inches.
margins	numberor{ top: number, right: number, bottom: number, left: number }	0.39	Margins for the PDF in inches. If a single number is provided, it will be applied to all sides. Margins must be higher than `0`.
filename	string	"file.pdf"	The filename for the generated PDF.
owner_password	string		Owner password for encrypting the PDF. Owner has all permissions enabled.
user_password	string		User password for restricting access to the PDF.
permissions	string[]		Array of permissions to restrict PDF for users. `print` – Allows printing the document. `modify` – Allows modifications to the document. `copy` – Allows copying text or images from the document. `annotate` – Allows adding comments or annotations. `fill_forms` – Allows filling in interactive form fields. `accessibility` – Allows screen reader access. `assemble` – Allows assembling the document - insert, rotate, delete pages, bookmarks, thumbnails.
header	string		HTML content to be added as a header on each page of the PDF. This can include text, images, or dynamic values such as page numbers.
footer	string		HTML content to be added as a footer on each page of the PDF. Similar to the header, this can include additional page information, dates, or branding.

Header & Footer

The PDFNode allows you to include custom headers and footers in your generated PDF by providing separate raw HTML code. These sections are printed on every page and can be customized with static text or dynamic values.

Dynamic values

Following CSS classes can be used to insert dynamic values:

date – Displays the formatted print date.
title – Inserts the document title.
pageNumber – Displays the current page number.
totalPages – Shows the total number of pages in the document.

Limitations

CSS is independent – Styles applied to the main document do not affect the header/footer.
Image source must be base64-encoded – External images will not load.
Example src: <img src="data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJ" />
Background colors and text colors – Following CSS property is required for proper rendering: -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact;

Example request

const pdf = await axios('https://pdfnode.com/api/convert', {
  method: 'POST',
  data: {
    api_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    html: '<html><body><h1>PDF with header</h1></body></html>',
    margins: 1,
    header: '<div style="width: 100%; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
      <div>Date: <span class="date"></span></div>
      <div>Page: <span class="pageNumber"></span>/<span class="totalPages"></span></div>
    </div>'
  }
})

It is recommended to set a font-size to ensure content is displayed correctly.

CSS

The styling of the generated PDF can be customized using CSS. You can apply inline styles within the HTML content, use external stylesheets, or include styles directly within a <style> tag.

For convenience, you can also use popular utility-first frameworks like Tailwind CSS by importing it from a CDN. To include Tailwind in your HTML, add the following inside the <head> of your document - optional theming can be added as well:

<head>
  <script src="https://cdn.tailwindcss.com"></script>
  <script>
    tailwind.config = {
      theme: {
        extend: {
          colors: {
            primary: '#148f8b',
          }
        }
      }
    }
  </script>
</head>

This allows you to use Tailwind classes for styling without needing any additional setup:

<body>
  <h1 class="text-3xl font-bold text-primary">
    I'm styled by Tailwind CSS!
  </h1>
</body>