How to Convert HTML to PDF

You have an HTML file or webpage you need as a PDF. Reports, documentation, archives — many workflows need HTML → PDF conversion. Every browser does this natively, and several command-line and programmatic options exist for automation.

The fastest way: browser print

Every modern browser converts HTML to PDF through the print dialog:

Open the HTML file in your browser (drag it in, or File → Open)
Press Ctrl+P / Cmd+P
Choose Save as PDF as the destination
Click Save

Works for:

Live webpages
Local HTML files
Any URL

This is the standard approach. Browser engines have great HTML rendering, so the PDF looks like what you see in the browser.

Configuring the output

Browser print dialogs offer settings:

Paper size: A4, Letter, custom
Orientation: portrait or landscape
Margins: default, none, custom
Scale: percentage to fit content
Background graphics: include/exclude (default often excludes)
Headers and footers: URL, date, page numbers

Common adjustments:

Turn off headers/footers for clean output without URL/date stamps
Enable “Background graphics” if your HTML has colored backgrounds
Adjust scale if content doesn’t fit page width

Reader mode for clean output

Some pages have lots of clutter (ads, sidebars, navigation):

Safari: tap Reader View icon → then print to PDF.

Firefox: tap Reader View → then print.

Chrome: doesn’t have built-in reader mode; use a Reader extension.

Reader mode strips everything but the article content. The resulting PDF is much cleaner.

See our Webpage to PDF guide for more.

Command-line: wkhtmltopdf

For batch or programmatic conversion:

wkhtmltopdf (free, cross-platform): converts HTML files or URLs to PDF from the command line.

wkhtmltopdf input.html output.pdf
wkhtmltopdf https://example.com output.pdf

Options for paper size, orientation, margins, headers/footers all available via flags.

Excellent for:

Server-side PDF generation
Batch converting many HTML files
Scripted workflows

Command-line: weasyprint

weasyprint (free, Python-based): another HTML → PDF converter with strong CSS3 support.

weasyprint input.html output.pdf

Better for CSS-heavy designs than wkhtmltopdf in some cases.

Programmatic: headless Chromium

For developers, headless browser approaches:

Puppeteer (Node.js): controls headless Chrome to render HTML and save as PDF.

Playwright: similar to Puppeteer with multi-browser support.

These match the browser’s exact rendering — what you see in Chrome is what you get in PDF.

For Markdown source

If your content is in Markdown rather than HTML:

Direct path: Markdown to PDF — converts directly without HTML intermediate.

Two-step path: Markdown to HTML, then HTML to PDF using browser print.

Direct is simpler. Two-step gives you a clean HTML version you might also want.

What gets preserved

Usually preserved:

Text content
Most CSS styling (when “Background graphics” is enabled)
Images
Basic tables
Hyperlinks (clickable in the PDF)

Sometimes imperfect:

Complex CSS layouts (CSS Grid, flexbox in older renderers)
Web fonts (substituted if not embedded)
Custom interactive elements (sliders, etc. become static)

Not preserved:

JavaScript-driven interactivity
Embedded videos as playable
Forms (visible but not submittable in static PDF)

Page breaks

HTML doesn’t naturally have page breaks. The browser inserts them automatically. To control:

CSS print rules:

.page-break { page-break-before: always; }

Add class="page-break" to elements where you want forced breaks.

For HTML built for printing, page break controls give clean section breaks in the resulting PDF.

Headers and footers from HTML

For repeating headers/footers on each page:

CSS @page rules:

@page { @top-center { content: "Title"; } }

Supported in some tools (Prince XML, weasyprint) but not basic browser print.

For browser print: page number/header overlays are controlled via print dialog settings, not HTML.

File size

HTML → PDF file sizes vary:

Simple text page: 50-200 KB
Page with images: 500 KB - 5 MB
Long HTML report with many images: 5-20 MB

For email-friendly files: PDF Compressor reduces size after conversion.

Specific use cases

Save documentation pages for offline: browser print → save as PDF.

Generate invoices from HTML templates: server-side wkhtmltopdf or Puppeteer.

Archive blog posts: browser print with reader mode for clean output.

Convert generated reports: wkhtmltopdf or weasyprint from automated pipelines.

Make printable versions of webpages: design HTML with print-specific CSS, then convert.

Browser differences

Different browsers render HTML slightly differently. The resulting PDF reflects that:

Chrome/Edge: similar rendering (same engine)
Safari: slightly different
Firefox: slightly different again

For consistency, use the same browser for all conversions in a workflow.

CSS for print

When designing HTML you’ll convert to PDF, consider:

@media print {
  /* styles specific to print/PDF */
  body { font-size: 11pt; }
  .no-print { display: none; }  /* hide screen-only elements */
  .page-break { page-break-before: always; }
}

This lets you have screen and print versions in one HTML file.

Privacy

Browser print runs locally; nothing uploads.

Command-line tools (wkhtmltopdf, weasyprint) run locally; nothing uploads.

Online HTML → PDF services upload your HTML/URL. Privacy concern for sensitive content.

TL;DR

Easiest: browser → print → Save as PDF
For clean output: use Reader View first (Safari/Firefox)
Command-line: wkhtmltopdf or weasyprint for batch/server use
Programmatic: Puppeteer or Playwright (headless browsers)
For Markdown source: Markdown to PDF directly
Print CSS (@page, @media print) controls print-specific layout
For email: PDF Compressor after conversion