Registry / http-networking / pdf-creator-node

pdf-creator-node

library4.0.1jsnpmunverified

pdf-creator-node is a Node.js library for converting HTML and Handlebars templates into PDF documents. It leverages Puppeteer, a headless Chromium browser, for rendering, ensuring support for modern CSS features like Flexbox, Grid, and web fonts. As of version 4.0.1, it has moved entirely to Puppeteer, replacing its prior reliance on PhantomJS/html-pdf. This change, introduced in v4.0.0, brings improved rendering fidelity and a more actively maintained underlying engine, though it comes with a larger install footprint due to Chromium. The library is actively maintained, as evidenced by recent v4.0.x releases, and provides a programmatic API to generate reports, invoices, and letters from templated HTML. It balances ease of use for HTML-centric document generation with the resource considerations inherent to a Chromium-based solution, suitable for small to medium-scale production workloads.

http-networking web-framework

npm install pdf-creator-node

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · PDF-CREATOR-NODE

pdf-creator-node

http-networkingjavascriptv4.0.1

Install

—

Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

pdf

✓ import pdf from 'pdf-creator-node';

✗ const pdf = require('pdf-creator-node');

While CommonJS `require` works, TypeScript users should prefer ESM `import` for better type inference and modern module practices. `pdf` is the default export.

PdfDocument

✓ import type { PdfDocument } from 'pdf-creator-node';

Used for type-checking the document object structure. Important for TypeScript projects.

PdfCreateOptions

✓ import type { PdfCreateOptions } from 'pdf-creator-node';

Used for type-checking the PDF creation options. Essential for robust TypeScript usage.

This quickstart demonstrates how to create a PDF from an HTML and Handlebars template, including dynamic data, custom headers, and footers, saving it to a file, using ESM syntax.

import pdf from "pdf-creator-node"; import fs from "fs"; import path from "path"; const htmlTemplate = ` <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <style> body { font-family: sans-serif; margin: 20mm; } h1 { color: #333; } table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-top: 20px; } th, td { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px; text-align: left; } .footer { position: fixed; bottom: 0; width: 100%; text-align: center; font-size: 10px; color: #666; } </style> </head> <body> <h1>User Report</h1> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Name</th> <th>Age</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> {{#each users}} <tr> <td>{{this.name}}</td> <td>{{this.age}}</td> </tr> {{/each}} </tbody> </table> <div class="footer">Page {{page}} of {{pages}}</div> </body> </html> `; const usersData = [ { name: "Alice", age: 30 }, { name: "Bob", age: 24 }, { name: "Charlie", age: 35 } ]; const options = { format: "A4", orientation: "portrait", border: "10mm", header: { height: "15mm", contents: { default: '<h2 style="text-align: center;">PDF Report Header</h2>' } }, footer: { height: "10mm", contents: { default: '<span style="color: #444;">{{page}}</span>/<span>{{pages}}</span>' } }, path: path.join(process.cwd(), 'output.pdf') // Use path.join for cross-platform compatibility }; const document = { html: htmlTemplate, data: { users: usersData }, path: options.path, }; pdf.create(document, options) .then((res) => console.log('PDF created:', res.filename)) .catch((err) => console.error('Error creating PDF:', err));

Debug

Known issues

breakingVersion 4.0.0 replaced PhantomJS with Puppeteer (headless Chromium) for rendering. This results in a larger installation size (hundreds of MB for Chromium download) and potential differences in PDF layout and styling compared to previous versions. Deprecated options like `phantomPath` are now ignored.

fix

Review PDF output for layout changes. Account for increased install size, especially in CI/CD environments (consider `PUPPETEER_CACHE_DIR` or `PUPPETEER_SKIP_DOWNLOAD`). Remove PhantomJS-specific options from `PdfCreateOptions`.

affects: >=4.0.0

breakingThe `footer.contents` option for `PdfCreateOptions` has changed behavior in v4.0.0. Only one template (`default`, `first`, or `last`) is applied; per-page numeric keys (e.g., for page 2) are no longer supported.

fix

Consolidate footer content into a single `default`, `first`, or `last` template. Use `{{page}}` and `{{pages}}` placeholders within that single template for page numbering.

affects: >=4.0.0

gotchaPuppeteer, and by extension `pdf-creator-node` (v4+), downloads a Chromium browser instance upon installation. This can significantly increase `node_modules` size and installation time, particularly in resource-constrained environments or CI/CD pipelines.

fix

For CI/CD, consider setting `PUPPETEER_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=true` if Chromium is pre-installed or `PUPPETEER_CACHE_DIR` to cache the downloaded browser across builds. Be aware of the memory and CPU footprint when running many concurrent PDF generation tasks.

affects: >=4.0.0

gotchaThe minimum Node.js version required is 18. Using older Node.js versions will lead to compatibility issues and errors.

fix

Ensure your project's Node.js environment is version 18 or newer.

affects: <4.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: Cannot find module 'pdf-creator-node'

The package is not installed or incorrectly referenced.

fix

Run `npm install pdf-creator-node` or `yarn add pdf-creator-node`.

Error: Node.js 18 or newer is required.

Running the package with an unsupported Node.js version.

fix

Upgrade your Node.js environment to version 18 or higher.

Error: Failed to launch the browser process! The browser should be installed via 'npm install'

Puppeteer failed to find or launch Chromium, likely due to a failed download or permissions issue during installation, or `PUPPETEER_SKIP_DOWNLOAD` being set without a pre-installed browser.

fix

Ensure `puppeteer` can download Chromium by checking network access during `npm install`. If `PUPPETEER_SKIP_DOWNLOAD` is set, ensure Chromium is installed and `PUPPETEER_EXECUTABLE_PATH` points to it. Check file permissions for the `node_modules` directory.

TypeError: pdf.create is not a function

Incorrect import or require statement, or accessing an uninitialized module. Possibly trying to destructure `pdf` from a `require` call that returns the default export.

fix

For CommonJS, use `const pdf = require('pdf-creator-node');`. For ESM (TypeScript/modern Node.js), use `import pdf from 'pdf-creator-node';` and ensure your environment supports ESM.

Upgrade

Version history

4.0.1latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

puppeteerrequiredCore rendering engine (headless Chromium) for PDF generation. Automatically installed.

Agent activity

5 hits · last 30 days

node

Amazon

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/hajareshyam/pdf-creator-node ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/pdf-creator-node ↗

homepagehttps://hajareshyam.github.io/pdf-creator-node/ ↗