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": "letter",
    "landscape": false,
    "scale": 1.0,
    "print_background": true,
    "margin": "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

Paper Sizes

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

Custom Dimensions

Override paper size with custom dimensions:

{
  "pdf": {
    "width": "8.5in",
    "height": "14in"
  }
}

Orientation

Portrait (Default)

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

Landscape

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

Scale

Adjust the rendering scale (0.1 to 2.0):

{
  "pdf": {
    "scale": 0.8
  }
}

Useful for fitting content that's slightly too wide for the page.

Margins

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

Uniform Margin

{
  "pdf": {
    "margin": "1cm"
  }
}

Individual Margins

{
  "pdf": {
    "margin_top": "2cm",
    "margin_right": "1.5cm",
    "margin_bottom": "2cm",
    "margin_left": "1.5cm"
  }
}

No Margins

{
  "pdf": {
    "margin": "0"
  }
}

Background Graphics

Include background colors and images (enabled by default):

{
  "pdf": {
    "print_background": true
  }
}

Set to false for text-only output.

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.

Page Ranges

Print specific pages:

{
  "pdf": {
    "page_ranges": "1-5, 8, 10-12"
  }
}

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

Header Example

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

Footer Example

<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>

Note: When using headers or footers, ensure you have sufficient margins to accommodate them.

Using the PDF Preset

For common PDF use cases, use the preset:

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

This sets letter paper with print backgrounds enabled and 1cm margins.

GET Request Parameters

For GET requests, use flat parameters with pdf_ prefix:

GET /v1/screenshot?url=https://example.com&format=pdf&pdf_paper=a4&pdf_landscape=true&pdf_print_background=true

Common Patterns

Print-Ready Report

{
  "url": "https://example.com/report",
  "output": { "format": "pdf" },
  "pdf": {
    "paper": "a4",
    "print_background": true,
    "margin": "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",
    "print_background": true,
    "margin_top": "1in",
    "margin_right": "0.75in",
    "margin_bottom": "1in",
    "margin_left": "0.75in"
  }
}

Wide Report (Landscape)

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

One-Page Summary

{
  "url": "https://example.com/summary",
  "output": { "format": "pdf" },
  "pdf": {
    "paper": "letter",
    "fit_one_page": true,
    "print_background": true
  }
}

Examples

Generate Report PDF

curl

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",
      "print_background": true,
      "margin": "2cm",
      "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

Java

import com.renderscreenshot.sdk.Client;
import com.renderscreenshot.sdk.TakeOptions;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;

Client client = new Client("rs_live_xxxxx");

byte[] pdf = client.take(
    TakeOptions.url("https://example.com/quarterly-report")
        .format("pdf")
        .pdfPaperSize("a4")
        .pdfPrintBackground()
        .pdfMargin("2cm")
        .pdfHeader("<div style=\"font-size: 9px; text-align: right; padding-right: 1cm;\">Q4 2024 Report</div>")
        .pdfFooter("<div style=\"font-size: 9px; text-align: center;\">Page <span class=\"pageNumber\"></span> of <span class=\"totalPages\"></span></div>")
);

Files.write(Path.of("report.pdf"), pdf);

Node.js

import { Client, TakeOptions } from 'renderscreenshot';

const client = new Client('rs_live_xxxxx');

const pdf = await client.take(
  TakeOptions.url('https://example.com/quarterly-report')
    .format('pdf')
    .pdfPaperSize('a4')
    .pdfPrintBackground()
    .pdfMargin('2cm')
    .pdfHeader('<div style="font-size: 9px; text-align: right; padding-right: 1cm;">Q4 2024 Report</div>')
    .pdfFooter('<div style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Page <span class="pageNumber"></span> of <span class="totalPages"></span></div>')
);

PHP

use RenderScreenshot\Client;
use RenderScreenshot\TakeOptions;

$client = new Client('rs_live_xxxxx');

$pdf = $client->take(
    TakeOptions::url('https://example.com/quarterly-report')
        ->format('pdf')
        ->pdfPaperSize('a4')
        ->pdfPrintBackground()
        ->pdfMargin('2cm')
        ->pdfHeader('<div style="font-size: 9px; text-align: right; padding-right: 1cm;">Q4 2024 Report</div>')
        ->pdfFooter('<div style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Page <span class="pageNumber"></span> of <span class="totalPages"></span></div>')
);

file_put_contents('report.pdf', $pdf);

Python

from renderscreenshot import Client, TakeOptions

client = Client('rs_live_xxxxx')

pdf = client.take(
    TakeOptions.url('https://example.com/quarterly-report')
    .format('pdf')
    .pdf_paper_size('a4')
    .pdf_print_background()
    .pdf_margin('2cm')
    .pdf_header('<div style="font-size: 9px; text-align: right; padding-right: 1cm;">Q4 2024 Report</div>')
    .pdf_footer('<div style="font-size: 9px; text-align: center;">Page <span class="pageNumber"></span> of <span class="totalPages"></span></div>')
)

with open('report.pdf', 'wb') as f:
    f.write(pdf)

Ruby

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://api.renderscreenshot.com/v1/screenshot')
http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = true

request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
request['Authorization'] = 'Bearer rs_live_xxxxx'
request['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
request.body = {
  url: 'https://example.com/quarterly-report',
  output: { format: 'pdf' },
  pdf: {
    paper: 'a4',
    print_background: true,
    margin: '2cm',
    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>'
  }
}.to_json

response = http.request(request)
File.binwrite('report.pdf', response.body)

Generate PDF via GET

curl "https://api.renderscreenshot.com/v1/screenshot?url=https://example.com&format=pdf&pdf_paper=letter&pdf_print_background=true&api_key=rs_live_xxxxx" \
  --output screenshot.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"
  }
}

Response

The PDF response includes these headers:

See Also

• Output Options - Format and quality settings
• Presets Reference - The pdf_document preset
• Browser Options - Print media type