PDF Options

Generate PDF documents with custom paper sizes, margins, headers, footers, and print settings.

Enable PDF Output

Set the output format to PDF:

{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "output": {
    "format": "pdf"
  }
}

Full Configuration

{
  "output": { "format": "pdf" },
  "pdf": {
    "paper": "a4",
    "landscape": false,
    "background": true,
    "margin": {
      "top": "1cm",
      "right": "1cm",
      "bottom": "1cm",
      "left": "1cm"
    },
    "fit_one_page": false,
    "header": "<div style='font-size: 10px;'>Header</div>",
    "footer": "<div style='font-size: 10px;'>Page <span class='pageNumber'></span> of <span class='totalPages'></span></div>"
  }
}

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`paper`	string	`letter`	Paper size
`landscape`	boolean	`false`	Landscape orientation
`background`	boolean	`false`	Print background graphics
`margin`	object	`0`	Page margins (CSS units)
`fit_one_page`	boolean	`false`	Scale content to fit one page
`header`	string	—	HTML header template
`footer`	string	—	HTML footer template

Paper Sizes

Size	Dimensions
`a0`	841 × 1189 mm
`a1`	594 × 841 mm
`a2`	420 × 594 mm
`a3`	297 × 420 mm
`a4`	210 × 297 mm
`a5`	148 × 210 mm
`a6`	105 × 148 mm
`letter`	8.5 × 11 in
`legal`	8.5 × 14 in
`tabloid`	11 × 17 in

{
  "pdf": {
    "paper": "a4"
  }
}

Orientation

Portrait (Default)

{
  "pdf": {
    "landscape": false
  }
}

Landscape

{
  "pdf": {
    "landscape": true
  }
}

Margins

Set margins using CSS units (cm, mm, in, px):

{
  "pdf": {
    "margin": {
      "top": "2cm",
      "right": "1.5cm",
      "bottom": "2cm",
      "left": "1.5cm"
    }
  }
}

No Margins

{
  "pdf": {
    "margin": {
      "top": "0",
      "right": "0",
      "bottom": "0",
      "left": "0"
    }
  }
}

Background Graphics

Include background colors and images:

{
  "pdf": {
    "background": true
  }
}

Note: Without background: true, only text and foreground content are printed.

Fit to One Page

Scale content to fit on a single page:

{
  "pdf": {
    "fit_one_page": true
  }
}

Useful for reports or summaries that should be single-page documents.

Headers and Footers

Add HTML templates for headers and footers:

{
  "pdf": {
    "header": "<div style='font-size: 9px; width: 100%; text-align: center;'>Company Report</div>",
    "footer": "<div style='font-size: 9px; width: 100%; text-align: center;'>Page <span class='pageNumber'></span> of <span class='totalPages'></span></div>"
  }
}

Available Template Variables

Class	Description
`pageNumber`	Current page number
`totalPages`	Total number of pages
`date`	Current date
`title`	Document title
`url`	Page URL

Header Example

<div style="font-size: 10px; padding: 0 1cm; display: flex; justify-content: space-between;">
  <span>Confidential</span>
  <span class="date"></span>
</div>

<div style="font-size: 10px; padding: 0 1cm; display: flex; justify-content: space-between;">
  <span class="url"></span>
  <span>Page <span class="pageNumber"></span>/<span class="totalPages"></span></span>
</div>

Using the PDF Preset

For common PDF use cases, use the preset:

{
  "url": "https://example.com/report",
  "preset": "pdf_document"
}

This sets A4 paper with print backgrounds enabled.

Common Patterns

Print-Ready Report

{
  "url": "https://example.com/report",
  "output": { "format": "pdf" },
  "pdf": {
    "paper": "a4",
    "background": true,
    "margin": {
      "top": "2cm",
      "right": "2cm",
      "bottom": "2cm",
      "left": "2cm"
    },
    "footer": "<div style='font-size: 9px; text-align: center;'>Page <span class='pageNumber'></span></div>"
  }
}

Invoice PDF

{
  "url": "https://app.example.com/invoice/123",
  "output": { "format": "pdf" },
  "pdf": {
    "paper": "letter",
    "background": true,
    "margin": {
      "top": "1in",
      "right": "0.75in",
      "bottom": "1in",
      "left": "0.75in"
    }
  }
}

Wide Report (Landscape)

{
  "url": "https://example.com/dashboard",
  "output": { "format": "pdf" },
  "pdf": {
    "paper": "a4",
    "landscape": true,
    "background": true
  }
}

Examples

Generate Report PDF

curl -X POST https://api.renderscreenshot.com/v1/screenshot \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer rs_live_xxxxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://example.com/quarterly-report",
    "output": { "format": "pdf" },
    "pdf": {
      "paper": "a4",
      "background": true,
      "margin": { "top": "2cm", "bottom": "2cm", "left": "1.5cm", "right": "1.5cm" },
      "header": "<div style=\"font-size: 9px; text-align: right; padding-right: 1cm;\">Q4 2024 Report</div>",
      "footer": "<div style=\"font-size: 9px; text-align: center;\">Page <span class=\"pageNumber\"></span> of <span class=\"totalPages\"></span></div>"
    }
  }' \
  --output report.pdf

Print CSS

For best results, ensure your page has print-specific CSS:

@media print {
  .no-print { display: none; }
  .page-break { page-break-after: always; }
}

Use the print media type in browser options:

{
  "browser": {
    "media": "print"
  }
}