HTML to PDF Converter

What is HTML to PDF conversion?

HTML to PDF conversion takes web content — your HTML markup and CSS styles — and renders it into a portable, printable PDF document. Instead of learning a separate PDF library or building documents pixel by pixel in code, you write the same HTML and CSS you already use for the web. A rendering engine (in PDFBase's case, a full Chromium browser) converts that markup into a PDF that looks identical on every device and operating system.

This is the dominant approach for generating PDFs programmatically in 2026. It replaced older methods like wkhtmltopdf (deprecated, WebKit-based) and low-level libraries like PDFKit that require you to manually position every element. With HTML to PDF, your documents are as flexible as web pages: responsive layouts, custom fonts, SVG graphics, and even JavaScript execution before render.

The PDFBase HTML to PDF tool above uses the same API that powers our production service. Paste any valid HTML — from a simple invoice to a complex multi-page report — and get a production-quality PDF in seconds. No dependencies to install, no headless browser to manage, no servers to scale.

How this tool works

1

Paste your HTML

Write or paste any HTML into the editor. The live preview updates as you type so you can iterate on layout and styling before generating the PDF. Full HTML5 is supported including <style> tags, inline styles, and external resources like Google Fonts.

2

Configure page settings

Choose page size (A4, Letter, or Legal) and orientation (portrait or landscape). These map directly to the PDFBase API's format and landscape parameters — the same options you'd pass programmatically.

3

Generate + download

Click "Convert to PDF" (or press Ctrl+Enter / Cmd+Enter). Your HTML is sent to the PDFBase API, rendered in a full Chromium browser, and returned as a downloadable PDF. Typical conversion takes 150-300ms depending on complexity.

Why developers use HTML for PDF generation

Most PDF libraries force you to learn a new API for positioning text, drawing shapes, and managing page layout. HTML to PDF flips this: you use skills you already have. Here's why this approach has become the default for teams generating documents programmatically:

No new API to learn

If you can build a web page, you can generate a PDF. CSS handles layout, typography, and spacing. No coordinate-based positioning, no manual page break calculations, no proprietary template syntax.

Design in the browser, deploy as PDF

Iterate on your document design using Chrome DevTools. When it looks right in the browser, it'll look right as a PDF. This cuts design iteration time from hours (tweaking coordinates in code) to minutes (adjusting CSS in DevTools).

Dynamic content is trivial

Templating with HTML is a solved problem. Use Handlebars, EJS, React Server Components, or any template engine to inject data into your HTML before converting. No need for a separate PDF templating system.

Full CSS support means full design control

Grid layouts, Flexbox, custom fonts, gradients, SVG, background images, @media print queries — everything that works in Chrome works in your PDF. This includes modern features like container queries and CSS nesting.

Supported CSS features

PDFBase renders HTML using a full Chromium browser engine — the same engine that powers Google Chrome. This means every CSS feature that works in Chrome works in your generated PDF. No stripped-down rendering, no missing features, no surprises.

CSS Grid + Subgrid

Flexbox

Google Fonts + @font-face

@media print queries

CSS Custom Properties (variables)

Background gradients + images

Page breaks (break-before/after)

JavaScript execution

SVG rendering + inline SVG

Container queries + CSS nesting

@page rules (margins, size)

Transforms + clip-path

Common use cases

HTML to PDF is the go-to method for any document that needs to be generated dynamically from data. Here are the most common patterns developers use this tool to prototype before integrating the API:

Invoices + Receipts

Generate branded invoices dynamically from order data. Include your logo, line items, tax calculations, payment terms, and QR codes. Use CSS Grid for table layouts and @media print for print-specific styling. Most SaaS companies generate thousands of these monthly.

Reports + Dashboards

Turn analytics dashboards into shareable PDF reports. Charts (via Chart.js or SVG), tables, KPI cards, and graphs rendered exactly as they appear on screen. JavaScript executes before PDF generation, so dynamic chart libraries work out of the box.

Contracts + Legal Documents

Populate contract templates with client data — names, dates, terms, signatures. Use page-break-before and page-break-after CSS properties to control pagination. Consistent formatting and professional typography across every generated document.

Certificates + Badges

Generate personalized certificates at scale for courses, events, or achievements. Use custom backgrounds, decorative fonts, and dynamic recipient data. Landscape orientation works great for certificate layouts.

Shipping Labels + Packing Slips

Render barcodes and shipping information into standardized PDF labels. Use @page CSS rules to set exact label dimensions. Integrates with any order management system that can provide data as JSON.

Email Attachments

Automatically generate PDF summaries, statements, or confirmations and attach them to transactional emails. Use the PDFBase API to generate the PDF inline within your email sending workflow — no file storage needed.

Tips for better HTML to PDF output

01

Use @page rules for margins. Set @page { margin: 20mm; } in your CSS to control PDF margins. This is more reliable than adding padding to the body element and ensures consistent margins across all pages.

02

Control page breaks explicitly. Use break-before: page and break-inside: avoid to prevent tables and sections from splitting awkwardly across pages.

03

Load fonts from Google Fonts. Include a <link> tag to Google Fonts in your HTML <head>. The Chromium engine fetches and renders them before generating the PDF, so your typography is pixel-perfect.

04

Use -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact. By default, Chromium may strip background colors when printing. Add this CSS property to preserve background colors and images in your PDF output.

05

Test with the live preview first. The preview pane above renders your HTML in real-time. Iterate on your design there before hitting "Convert to PDF" — it's faster than generating a PDF for every change.

Frequently asked questions

Is this HTML to PDF converter free?

Yes, completely free with no signup required. This tool is powered by the PDFBase API and uses the same Chromium rendering engine as the production service. There are no conversion limits on the free tool, and your HTML is not stored after conversion.

What CSS features does the HTML to PDF converter support?

Full Chromium rendering engine — CSS Grid, Flexbox, Google Fonts, @font-face, @media print queries, CSS custom properties, background gradients and images, page break controls, SVG, container queries, CSS nesting, transforms, clip-path, and every other CSS feature supported by Chrome. If it works in Chrome DevTools, it works in the PDF.

Can I use JavaScript in the HTML?

Yes. JavaScript executes fully before PDF generation, which means dynamic content, chart libraries (Chart.js, D3, etc.), and client-side rendering all work as expected. The Chromium engine waits for the page to be fully loaded and JavaScript to finish executing before capturing the PDF.

How is this different from using Puppeteer directly?

Puppeteer requires you to install and manage a headless Chromium binary (~400MB), handle browser lifecycle management, deal with memory leaks, and scale infrastructure yourself. PDFBase handles all of this as a managed service — you send HTML, you get a PDF URL back. Same Chromium quality, zero DevOps overhead. The API response also includes metadata (page count, file size) that Puppeteer doesn't provide natively.

Can I use this tool to prototype before integrating the API?

That's exactly what it's designed for. Design your HTML template in the editor, test it with different page sizes and orientations, and once you're happy with the output, integrate the PDFBase API into your application. The API accepts the same HTML and options — just send a POST request with your HTML and format preferences.

What's the maximum HTML size this tool accepts?

The free tool accepts HTML up to 500KB, which is enough for even complex multi-page documents with inline styles and embedded SVG. The PDFBase API supports larger payloads — check the documentation for current limits. For very large documents, consider loading external stylesheets and images via URLs rather than inlining them.

Need this programmatically?