reportlab

library5.0.1pypypi✓ verified 28d ago

The ReportLab Toolkit is an open-source Python library for generating high-quality PDF documents and graphics. It provides both low-level APIs for precise control over PDF elements and a higher-level framework (PLATYPUS) for creating complex, structured documents with flowables like paragraphs and tables. Currently at version 4.4.10, ReportLab is actively maintained with regular updates and is widely used for dynamic, data-driven report generation, including by Wikipedia for its 'Download as PDF' feature.

serialization

pip install reportlab

package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · REPORTLAB

reportlab

serializationpythonv5.0.1

Install

3.1s avg

Import

821ms

Disk

45MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v5.0.1 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

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

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.834s · 46.1MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 3.1s · import 0.808s · 47MB

45MB installed

● package 45MB

Code

Verified usage

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

SimpleDocTemplate

✓ from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate

Paragraph

✓ from reportlab.platypus import Paragraph

getSampleStyleSheet

✓ from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet

letter

✓ from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter

Canvas

✓ from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

pdfgen

✓ from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

✗ import reportlab.pdfgen

Submodules like `pdfgen` or `pdfbase` are often not directly available under `reportlab` namespace after a simple import `reportlab`. Always import specific classes or submodules directly, e.g., `from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas`.

This quickstart demonstrates how to create a basic PDF document using ReportLab's higher-level PLATYPUS framework. It initializes a `SimpleDocTemplate`, defines a 'story' (a list of 'flowables' like `Paragraph` and `Spacer`), applies standard styles, and then builds the PDF.

from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Paragraph, Spacer from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter def create_pdf(filename="hello_reportlab.pdf"): doc = SimpleDocTemplate(filename, pagesize=letter) styles = getSampleStyleSheet() story = [] # Add a title story.append(Paragraph("Hello, ReportLab!", styles['h1'])) story.append(Spacer(1, 0.2 * 25.4)) # Add a paragraph long_text = "This is an example of a simple PDF document generated using the ReportLab Toolkit. It demonstrates how to use `SimpleDocTemplate` and `Paragraph` for basic text content. ReportLab provides extensive capabilities for layouts, tables, images, and graphics." story.append(Paragraph(long_text, styles['Normal'])) # Build the PDF document doc.build(story) print(f"PDF created: {filename}") if __name__ == "__main__": create_pdf()

reportlab --version

Debug

Known issues

breakingReportLab 3.0 (released 2014) introduced significant internal rewrites for Python 3 compatibility and consistent Unicode/bytes handling. While API changes were minimized, older code might encounter unexpected behavior related to string encoding.

fix

Review and update code for Python 3 compatibility, particularly regarding string types. Refer to ReportLab's change logs for detailed transitions.

affects: <3.0

breakingReusing flowable objects (e.g., `Paragraph`, `Table`) in multiple document builds or pages without re-instantiating them can lead to `LayoutError` exceptions. ReportLab modifies these objects in place during the layout process, which is not reset for subsequent uses.

fix

Always create new instances of flowable objects for each use, especially if generating multiple documents or repeating elements across different sections/pages. For example, `story.append(Paragraph('Text', styles['Normal']))` should be done for each paragraph, not defining `my_paragraph = Paragraph(...)` once and appending it multiple times.

affects: All versions

gotchaThe default coordinate system in ReportLab's `canvas` module has its origin (0,0) at the bottom-left corner of the page. This is different from many other graphics libraries where the origin is top-left, and can lead to incorrect positioning if not accounted for.

fix

Always remember that y-coordinates increase upwards. Adjust calculations accordingly, or use helper functions/classes that abstract this if needed.

affects: All versions

gotchaOptional C extensions (e.g., `rl_accel`, `rl_renderpm`) are crucial for optimal performance, especially with bitmap image processing and complex graphics. If these are not installed (often requiring a C compiler during `pip install`), ReportLab will fall back to slower pure-Python implementations or lack certain features.

fix

Ensure that development tools including a C compiler (e.g., Build Tools for Visual Studio on Windows, Xcode Command Line Tools on macOS, `build-essential` on Linux) are installed before running `pip install reportlab` to allow compilation of optional C extensions. Verify installation by checking for performance or missing features.

affects: All versions

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'reportlab'

The ReportLab library is not installed in the current Python environment or is not accessible within the project's interpreter.

fix

Install the ReportLab library using pip: `pip install reportlab`

AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'canvas'

The `canvas` class is imported incorrectly, typically by importing the `reportlab.pdfgen` module instead of importing `canvas` directly from it.

fix

Import the `canvas` class explicitly: `from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas`

TypeError: __init__() missing 1 required positional argument: 'filename'

The `canvas.Canvas` constructor was called without providing the mandatory `filename` argument, which specifies the name of the output PDF file.

fix

Provide a string argument for the output PDF filename when initializing Canvas, e.g., `c = canvas.Canvas("my_document.pdf")`

reportlab.pdfbase._fontdata.ReportLabFontError: Can't register font, not a TTF file?

An attempt was made to register a font file that is either not a valid TrueType Font (TTF) file, is corrupted, or the file path provided to `pdfmetrics.registerFont` is incorrect.

fix

Ensure the font file is a valid TTF and verify that the file path provided to `pdfmetrics.registerFont` is correct and accessible.

reportlab.lib.utils.ImageReader.get==>Failed to find image data in PNG file

ReportLab was unable to read the image file, often because the file path is incorrect, the image file is corrupted, or the required `Pillow` library for advanced image processing is not installed.

fix

Verify the image file path is correct, ensure the image file is valid and supported, and install `Pillow` if it's missing: `pip install Pillow`

Upgrade

Version history

5.0.1latest on PyPI · released Aug 20, 2026

Audit

Dependencies

charset-normalizerrequiredRequired for character set detection.

PillowrequiredRequired for bitmap image handling within PDFs.

rl_acceloptionalOptional C extensions for improved performance.

rl_renderpmoptionalOptional C extensions for advanced graphics rendering (e.g., bitmap images).

Agent activity

15 hits · last 30 days

node

Amazon

Resources

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/reportlab/ ↗

homepagehttps://www.reportlab.com/ ↗