What do I need to generate PDFs from my app?

It depends a bit on what kind of app you’re building and where the PDF should be generated:

1) Decide where PDF generation happens

On the server

Best if you want:

• consistent output
• large/complex documents
• secure generation
• downloadable PDFs for many users

You’ll need:

• a backend runtime (Node, Python, Java, .NET, etc.)
• a PDF library or HTML-to-PDF tool
• fonts/assets available on the server
• storage or streaming for the generated file

In the browser

Best if:

• the user generates a small/simple PDF locally
• you want to avoid a backend for this feature

You’ll need:

• a client-side PDF library
• any images/fonts accessible in the browser
• enough browser memory for the document

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2) Common ways to generate PDFs

If you want to create PDFs programmatically

Use a PDF library such as:

• Node.js: pdfkit, jspdf, puppeteer / playwright for HTML-to-PDF
• Python: reportlab, WeasyPrint, wkhtmltopdf
• Java: iText, OpenPDF
• .NET: QuestPDF, iText

If you want to convert HTML/CSS to PDF

Use:

• Headless Chromium (Puppeteer or Playwright) — very common
• WeasyPrint (Python)
• wkhtmltopdf (older, but still used)

This is often easiest if your app already renders invoices, reports, or receipts in HTML.

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3) What you’ll need in practice

Usually:

• PDF generation library/tool
• template/data source for content
• fonts (for correct rendering)
• images/assets if needed
• file handling: save, stream, or upload
• page layout settings: margins, page size, headers/footers

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4) If you want the easiest setup

If your app already has HTML:

• use Playwright or Puppeteer to render the page and save as PDF

If you want full control and text-based PDFs:

• use PDFKit / ReportLab / QuestPDF

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5) Example architectures

Web app invoice PDF

• Frontend shows invoice preview
• Backend generates PDF with Playwright
• User downloads the file

Client-only report export

• Frontend builds a PDF with jsPDF
• User downloads immediately

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If you tell me:

1. your language/framework, and
2. whether you want HTML-to-PDF or custom PDF generation,

I can recommend the exact tools and setup.